How many skins are in a Counter-Strike case? Anyone even slightly interested in the game can answer: seventeen. This has become the golden standard, and although there are exceptions, much revolves around this number. However, Counter-Strike 2 has a collection consisting of just one skin. Today, CS.MONEY Blog tells the not-so-well-known story of the X-Ray Collection and its only skin, P250 X-Ray.
Skins are an important part of gameplay, and with their help, you can make history. CS.MONEY‘s mission is to help you find that perfect skin and easily purchase it on our Trade at a low price!
What Makes P250 X-Ray Unique?
Let’s start with a description of P250 X-Ray. Basically, it’s a turquoise skin that shows the internals of P250. It’s currently inexpensive, looks stylish, and has a cool background story, making it pretty popular. However, it has several interesting features.
It’s not about the StatTrak module or the float capped at 0.30. Those aspects are not unique. P250 X-Ray is the only skin that can be Genuine. In this case, it cannot be sold or traded because it serves as an important tool to dodge the law of France.
P250 X-Ray as a Tool for French Players
In France, opening loot boxes is strictly regulated by local laws. Lootboxes are considered gambling and thus not allowed. For this reason, Valve came up with an interesting scheme to bypass the rules. You’re not gambling if you know exactly which skin you’ll get, right? This is how X-Ray appeared in Counter-Strike. French players must scan a case before opening it. Once they see the future content, they can decide whether to buy the skin or not.
However, you can’t infinitely scan all cases in an attempt to find the desired skin—you can move to the next case only after buying the previous one. Nevertheless, you can stay one step ahead. And here, Valve made an interesting move.
The scanner itself is not free. You have to buy X-Ray P250 Package, which contains the skin and the scanner. This box costs about as much as a key, thereby catching you up, depriving you of the advantage of one unpaid case. A very clever move.
How P250 X-Ray almost became a sole state exclusive
Initially, the scanner and this skin were meant to be exclusive to France. For a while, P250 X-Ray could not be purchased in any other country. However, soon after, listening to player requests, Valve made its global version which you most likely see on the server and certainly see on various trading platforms.
Whether it is an ordinary skin or has a StatTrak module—if this P250 X-Ray can be traded, it is the global version. The French were left with the Genuine version, which you cannot trade, simply because having this skin grants the ability to open scanned cases.
Is It Worth Investing in P250 X-Ray?
The answer is obvious: no. As we described above, Valve designed it so that players do not gain any advantage from foreseeing the case contents. In this regard, it’s pointless to make your account French. The skin itself is inexpensive, and selling an account with a Genuine skin or looking for a rare float on the regular version makes little sense.
For this reason, P250 X-Ray should be treated as a beautiful skin and a necessary technical loophole for French gamers to play Counter-Strike. The rest is history because if it weren’t for this skin and Valve’s solution, there’s no telling whether we’d have in CS2 such powerhouses as Team Vitality and the Chosen One ZywOo.
