What’s in a name? Whether or not you admit to it — there’s a lot in a name. Meeting “Cletus” instead of “Bob” changes your perception of these individuals drastically. In the former example, a hillbilly farmer is probably the first thing that pops in your head, while “Bob” is just an average guy. Without seeing them for yourself and testing out their personal character, Cletus wouldn’t probably strike you as an individual you’d like to hang around with.

Much in the same way, the Xbox brand could be suffering from the “Cletus” effect when it comes to hardware sales. During the first seven months of the year, the Xbox 360 hardware has been narrowly outsold by the PlayStation 3 (while the Wii is in a different stratosphere) — despite having a $150-$200 price advantage over Sony, and arguably housing a better lineup of games. Is it simply that people are still buying the PlayStation 3 because of the Blu-Ray player? Potentially. However, there could be a fundamental cause for the stagnant Xbox 360 sales: Who wants to buy an “Xbox”?

That’s not to say that the Xbox 360 doesn’t have a lot to offer gamers–because it does. It has great software, is affordable when compared to the competition, and has lead the way in online gaming. But yet, there is a lot in a name, after all, and the “Xbox” itself has proven that it is not a mainstream brand. The name itself is entirely masculine and oft-putting to mainstream consumers, which is becoming a very important segment of growth for the video game industry.

These are the same people that have helped Sony sell over 100 million units the past two console generations; these are the same people that are driving Nintendo to their incredible success; and these are the same people that are seemingly rejecting the Xbox 360 outright. While hardcore gamers cherish games like Gears of War, Mass Effect, Ninja Gaiden 2 and Lost Odyssey, it should be obvious that the “casual” audience couldn’t care less. Microsoft, with their “Xbox” branding, only drives families away to a “safer” Wii console, negating their attempts to mainstream their consoles with titles like Lips, Scene It, and You’re at the Movies — all of which could be great games for that audience. But if they’re not interested in the brand itself, they’ll never take notice. And they’re sure as hell not going to hear how awesome Lips was from one of their “hardcore” friends.

The Xbox brand has carved out a great niche for the hardcore. In fact, they’ve managed to be profitable despite their narrow audience. With a $299 Xbox 360 unit (albeit a clearance sale) failing to move the meter in hardware sales, it’s now evident that the “Xbox” brand itself is not a mainstream console — and the audience that Microsoft is going for is simply tapped out.