Xbox 360 #3 More Pics

The New Name
In generating a name for the system, the team threw out Xbox 2. "We've shifting the power of the gaming systems from technology to hardware to the gamer being the center of the industry, and Xbox 2 just sounds like it fits into that old scheme. We threw it out."

After numerous attempts, the team favorite became Xbox 360 because, among other reasons, it puts gamers at the center of the circle. So they decided to try it out, give it a sort of Rorschach test. Microsoft went to the public -- gamers and non-gamers, the second gamer in the household, the NASCAR dad and the soccer mom, as Allard says -- and asked them what they thought of when they heard the name "360."

One survey taker said, "Um, the first time I kissed my girlfriend on a Ferris wheel." Another responder said, "I love music. The word 360 makes me think of vinyl. Another said, "The first time I landed a kickflip on my skateboard." Another said, "When I exchanged rings with my husband in our vows, and I understood the significance of the ring, you know, a lifetime commitment." The answers, the team learned, were wildly different because of the unconventional name. But they all connected with a theme -- they were all emotional, personal experiences that evoked joy. "So, the reason we went in was different than the reason we came out."