USB 3.2’s horrible new branding scheme may create confusion for PC buyers [Video]

The USB standard has just gotten even more confusing for end users. If you’re one of the three people in the world who actually knew the difference between USB 2.0, USB 3.0, USB 3.1 Gen 1/Gen 2, and so on, …well, sorry: USB 3.2 has been announced, and all the names change once again.

On the bright side, the USB-IF makes it explicitly clear (PDF) that the latest USB 3.2 specification provides a whopping 20Gbps of throughput. But that’s about the only thing that’s straightforward, because USB 3.2 sucks up the previous specs and makes them part of its own. The new, horrifically-named spec is “USB 3.2 Gen 2×2.”

It’s hard to sum it all up, but we’ll give it a try.

• USB 3.2 Gen 1 (previously referred to as USB 3.0, or formally as USB 3.1 Gen 1) has a 5Gbps transfer rate and is officially known by the marketing name SuperSpeed USB.
• USB 3.2 Gen 2 (previously referred to as USB 3.1, …