We are just days away from the launch of the most powerful gaming console ever, the Xbox One X. The system will be available on November 7, and the reviews coming in are for the most part promising.
Whether you buy into the “console wars” or not, Sony has been winning the battle for quite some time thanks in large part to constantly keeping the games coming. The latest battle is set to take place in the realm of 4K, Sony kicking things off with the PS4 Pro almost a year ago and now it’s Microsoft’s turn with the Xbox One X.
Xbox One X Console Controller Front Tilt Top
As mentioned above, early reviews for the console are positive with critics calling the Xbox One X a console capable of competing with gaming PCs. But there were also some things to consider if you are on the fence when it comes to buying one. Here’s what some of the reviews have to say about the Xbox One X.
Devindra Hardawar of Engadget on the Xbox One X:
Ultimately, the Xbox One X offers some major performance upgrades that gamers will notice — especially if you’re coming from an original Xbox One. But it’s also a bit disappointing since it’s coming a year after the PS4 Pro, and it doesn’t offer VR yet. For Microsoft fans, though, none of that will matter. It’s exactly what the company promised: the fastest game console ever made.
Tom Warren of The Verge on the Xbox One X:
That said, the X does offer the best graphics currently possible on a console. If you don’t care about Sony’s exclusives then the Xbox One X will be the best console to play all the cross-platform games coming out. If you already have a large stack of Xbox One games and you’re using the original console, this is going to be a nice upgrade if you own a 4K TV.
For anyone else, this probably isn’t the console for you. Sony really has some impressive exclusives on the way, and it’s hard for Microsoft to counter this despite its great job on the hardware. Microsoft promised the best hardware, and it delivered — but that’s nothing without games.
Napier Lopez from The Next Web states:
A one practical concern I didn’t consider was that 1TB definitely won’t be enough in the long run. 4K assets are huge, and chances are you’ll soon need to pony up for an external hard drive.
Like the PS4 Pro before it, the Xbox One X is a weird console. It improves graphical fidelity, but doesn’t meaningfully add to the core gaming experience. In Microsoft’s case, you don’t even have access to VR titles yet. As such, it’s not an obvious recommendation the way the usual generational upgrades would be. But as I’ve written before, it’s about time the old console cycle died anyway, and giving consumers the option to spend more money for better graphics is a good thing.
In other words, it’s up to you to decide whether the visual bump is worth your $500 for what basically amounts to the same gaming experience. For those who want to squeeze every ounce of graphical detail, the visual improvements are significant, and it’s remarkable that the Xbox One X manages to be the world’s most powerful console in such a small, quiet, and inconspicuous package.
Brandin Tyrrel from IGN:
The Xbox One X is a very impressive collection of hardware crammed into a sleek case. It runs cool and quiet as it delivers impressive performance in the enhanced games we’ve been able to test out so far. It’s hard to believe Microsoft exclusives like Gears of War 4 can look so good and run so smoothly on a box that costs less than half of what you’d pay for a high-end gaming PC. Plus, it caters to home theater enthusiasts with 4K ultra-HD Blu-ray playback and Atmos sound. However, the big question of how it compares to the PlayStation 4 Pro in running third-party games remains, for now, unanswered. We won’t know for sure until those enhanced updates come out around the November 7 launch, but if I had to score it now…
So if you’re an Xbox purist this new console focuses on you more than luring in new Xbox owners. It is without a 4K gaming monster but is it worth it at this moment? All of the games it’s ready to run at 4K at launch you can purchase on PS4 Pro like Assasin’s Creed: Origins with the exception of Xbox exclusive titles like Killer Instinct, Super Lucky’s Tale, Forza Motorsport 7 and Gears of War 4. They do promise there are 130 Xbox One X-enhanced games on the way, but they won’t be ready for the console’s launch.
The $500 price is also another factor to consider especially if you don’t own a 4K capable television to fully take advantage of the X’s abilities. But what it really boils down to is the games and Sony has them beat by miles in that area with plenty of console exclusives like Death Stranding, Spider-Man, The Last of Us Part II, God of War and Final Fantasy VII Remake on the way. Microsoft’s current lineup is pretty sad compared to that list, honestly.
We don’t see the rush in owning Xbox One X yet, but it definitely should become a part of your console family. Outside of Xbox One S owners, there is just not enough games on the market for the system to lure you in.
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Photo: Microsoft
