Read the story of how one lucky gamer ordered a laptop from Microsoft but instead received an Xbox One prototype nearly two months before the console was revealed.

It’s every gamer’s dream to be the first one to get a new console or game. In fact, many gamers, especially well-known YouTube celebrities, try to get their hands on the year’s biggest games in an effort to stand out.

It turns out that one gamer, 25-year-old Jia Li from Miami, saw that dream come true, but for him it was a complete accident. Way back in March 2013, Li ordered a new laptop from the Microsoft Store, but instead received something a bit more unique. When his package arrived, Li noticed it had Xbox security tape on it and an Xbox One prototype console inside, though he didn't recognize it at the time.

What makes this experience so unique was that the rest of the world wouldn’t even learn about the Xbox One until two months later. In fact, in March 2013 many gamers were still referring to the yet-to-be-revealed next-gen Xbox as the Xbox 720.

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So how does a random gamer in Florida come to own an Xbox One well before it’s announced? The folks at Business Insider did some research, and the answer is both interesting and entertaining. Ben Gilbert of Business Insider shared:

In an attempt to throw off Microsoft's own employees, the beta versions of the Xbox One were stored in the open, in a less-than-secure part of a Microsoft shipping facility. And that's how one accidentally got shipped to Mr. Li in place of the laptop he'd ordered, which would've shipped from the same facility.

Maybe the wrong shipping label got put on a box with an Xbox One prototype in it. Maybe it was a computer error that switched his laptop order for an Xbox One prototype. Maybe something else entirely! Either way, off one went.

At the time, Li had no idea what Microsoft had sent him. There was no Kinect or controller, just the Xbox One device, power and TV cords, and some paperwork. Curious, Li plugged the device in and booted it up. On the screen was the phrase “Kryptos”, which was one of the codenames given to the Xbox One at the time.

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Li got in touch with Microsoft, which sent a representative out to pick up the console. Li received a new Xbox 360 console and Kinect for his troubles, along with the laptop he initially ordered.

While the experience was a fun and unique one for Li, it’s not likely to happen again. Granted, it’s become fairly common for gamers to receive games a couple days, or even weeks, ahead of an official release, but console manufacturers are usually stricter about how prototype items are handled. That said, it’s happened once and could surely happen again.

What do you think about Li’s experience receiving an Xbox One ahead of the console’s announcement? How would you react if that happened to you?

Source: Business Insider