Latest Xbox Series X TV Spot Is A Mind-Bending Trip
With the Xbox Series X just about one month out from release, we are naturally going to see an uptick in advertising for the console. A new TV spot for the Xbox Series X/S dropped today, and it's definitely one of the more trippy game console ads we've seen in recent years. Ads for game consoles tend to be a little out there, but Microsoft really cranked the strange up to 11 for this one.
That isn't necessarily a bad thing, of course. If the idea is that the Xbox Series X is the most immersive console Microsoft has made yet, then these advertisements definitely get the point across. The ad begins, as so many do, with our unsuspecting gamer arriving home and sitting down in front of his TV, only to be whisked off to worlds unknown where he is simultaneously a passive observer and the person in the middle of it all.
The ad is so strange that it's honestly difficult to write out a play-by-play, but hey, at least we get an appearance from the super soldier himself, Master Chief. Halo features pretty heavily throughout the ad, which is little surprise since that's Microsoft's key gaming franchise. At the end of the ad, the viewer is told that the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S can "power your dreams," which at this point seems to be the official tagline for these new consoles.
After fumbling the ball with the Xbox One in the current generation, Microsoft seems ready to take on Sony and the PlayStation 5 in the next. Microsoft has been making some big moves as we head into the next generation, buying up ZeniMax Media last month for a whopping $7.5 billion and securing the rights to storied franchises such as The Elder Scrolls and Fallout.
Microsoft may also have a wild card in the Xbox Series S in the next generation. While the flagship consoles from both Sony and Microsoft cost $500, Microsoft is looking to offer the less-powerful Xbox Series S at $300 – undercutting Sony's cheapest PS5 by $100. It's true that the Xbox Series S will be less capable than both PlayStation 5 models, but at $300, it could be a hard console to resist for those who want a step up from current-gen hardware without breaking the bank.