REDMOND, Wash. — Microsoft posted and immediately removed an Xbox Series X advertisement this morning, after fans noticed the video accidentally depicted the console in “inside-out” position.
“For maximum performance and safety, Xbox consoles should always be positioned on their bottom or their side. We do not endorse ripping the outside panels off with a crow bar and kicking the innards all over your floor,” Microsoft wrote in a press release admitting blame. “We apologize for any confusion this commercial may have caused.”
In the brief time the video was live, thousands of eagle-eyed commenters pointed out the error.
“Lol dude are y’all seeing what I’m seeing??? This is classic,” wrote YouTube commenter T3mpLrKnite, along with a crying emoji. “Some intern is gonna be in big trouble.”
Some critics went further, claiming the mistake confirmed that Microsoft had lost touch with the gaming community.
“It might be invisible to non-gamers, but as someone who actually owns and plays an Xbox, I noticed that fuck-up right away. It stuck out like a sore thumb,” wrote blogger Martin Sutherland. “If they had a single real gamer on set that day, this never would have happened.”
By press time, the story was already being eclipsed by a similar mistake from Nintendo, which accidentally showed a Nintendo Switch imploded into a single point in space.