Xbox Pure was meant to be the name of an upcoming Xbox 360, perhaps a slimline version or a new 360 successor, but has turned out to be a fake blog posting to see which games sites would run with it. With so many rumours online, was this a fair test of a gamer site’s fact-checking skills?
Games Web site "Cheap Ass Gamer" (CAG) had listed a blog posting by "desz", claiming to potentially have the details of the Xbox’s "new name".
The posting says: "I'm not completely positive how true this is, but most of the things GilZ sends my way are true. He was correct about the new price drops, new HDMI models, new Elites, and now a picture sent to us with clearly visible text, in what appears to be either the 360's new name or the next xbox's final name. "XBOXPure" is what looks to be the final choice in this document. Take a look!"
The picture in question is a plain sheet of paper with some text claiming to be a memo from Microsoft, with handwriting making some points, while showing that "Xbox Pure" was the "final" name chosen for the new box.
As you’d imagine, with plenty of rumors flying around the Internet all the time (just think of all those supposed iPhone or iPod pics that always pop up just before a major Apple event), it’s quite natural for major games sites to pick up on a rumor that everyone else has picked up on. It's just that the Xbox Pure story turned out to be Pure BS!
Some of the sites in question have now accused CAG of losing its credibility following the stunt to see which sites would get caught up in the "trap", but given that the original posting itself was hardly definite.
The sheet of paper looked quite fake to start with, having no official Microsoft info on it at all, while the accompanying blog text simply alluded to rumors about the Xbox Elite turning out in the past being correct.
Ultimately it was just another story and rumor to entertain the gaming set - there is never any guarantee that a rumor truly will come out and be real.
After all, if you want total confirmation, even of a pic that looks absolutely authentic (unlike the sheet of paper in the CAG story), you need to wait for the company in question to make an official announcement.
Lots of rumors come from anonymous posters or tips to major sites, and a site like CAG posting a rumor in a blog is just as legitimate a place to post a rumor as any other.
All this will do is to get sites to quality their stories with a simple disclaimer, one that is usually posted anyway, that "XYZ" site is claiming "such and such" and here are the details, along with some blog-like commentary from the author in question and a warning it could be just another absolute fake.
News is news, and the news of Xbox Pure has turned into a story on how games sites get some of their stories, with the sting in the tail being that the CAG story was deliberately made up to see who’d fall for the bait.
Well, it’s no surprise that plenty of sites did. Mission accomplished, CAG, although sites will be very wary of believing your postings next time.
I’m sure they’ll still post what appear to be interesting stories, but once bitten, twice shy - CAG-sourced stories will have "disclaimers" on them if they’re printed at all, but if they are interesting enough, they will still get picked up by all and sundry.
I suppose what’s funny is that life is all just one big game, in which we all play, and if you needed any more proof, not everything you read on the Internet is true.
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i honestly don't care if microsoft names it "crapbox20.36" i will still buy it.
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