Xbox One X: Everything About the Most Powerful Console on the Market

In early April, we discussed the specifications of Project Scorpio, the new entertainment platform from the Redmond giant, which promised to break several rules and write new ones. The numbers were already staggering back then, backed by solid 4K60p demos. With E3 2017 underway, we have much more. Microsoft confirmed the official name as Xbox One X, its release date, and its price, which, by the way, will force Sony to make several adjustments.

Project Scorpio becomes Xbox One X

The keynote lasted almost two hours. Although we have seen broad presentations in the past, lately companies have leaned toward compressed events. Now, we all agree that Microsoft made the right decision here. The heir to the Xbox series deserves it, especially considering everything that has been leaked and shared to date. We have reached a point where it is difficult to call this device a console'. Without a doubt, its main role is running games, but it packs so much processing power inside that it could do just about anything (if the manufacturer allowed it, of course). The preliminary data for Project Scorpio is impressive; however, in Redmond they concluded that they should hold nothing back. All guns blazing: This is the Xbox One X.

The most powerful console in the world, thus Microsoft opened the presentation. They also highlighted its true 4K capability, with more than eight million pixels on screen, full HDR, Dolby Atmos Premium support, and 4K UHD Blu-ray playback. The specifications are in line with what we saw in April: eight-core processor at 2.3 GHz, 6 teraFLOPS GPU at 1.172 MHz, 326 gigabytes per second of bandwidth, 12 GB of GDDR5 memory, and a 1 TB hard drive. A very important change is that initially, 8 of those 12 gigabytes would be available for developers, but a second round of optimizations freed up an additional gigabyte. If games don't have the ability to use the full memory, the excess will work as cache. Microsoft placed some emphasis on backward compatibility: All Xbox One games and accessories will work on the Xbox One X. New games will be rendered in 4K, but those that support 1080p natively will gain quality with the intervention of supersampling.

Hardware and performance

In fact, the main chip of the Xbox One X chews data so intensely that it requires vapor chamber cooling, and a series of extra optimizations for its power consumption. Fortunately, these cooling demands do not translate into larger physical dimensions. Quite the opposite: Microsoft says it is the smallest Xbox ever made, and when compared to its gamepad, I think we have to give Redmond credit.

Games showcase

Games, let's talk about games! As mentioned above, everything available on the Xbox One should work even better on the Xbox One X, but in addition, there are 42 new titles, of which 22 will be exclusive to the platform (give me a couple of minutes and I'll conjure up the list). On stage we saw things like Forza Motorsport 7, the new Metro: Exodus (which left several with their mouths open in the hall), Assassin's Creed: Origins, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (a sleeper hit in recent weeks), State of Decay 2, Minecraft in 4K (¿?), a Dragon Ball game, Code Vein, Sea of Thieves, a special version of Lucky's Tale, the sequel to Life Is Strange (which seems to be divided into several episodes)... and I think I'm still missing half.

Backward compatibility and VR

Returning to the topic of backward compatibility, the truth is that when players think of it, they automatically travel to the classics of Xbox and Xbox 360. Before giving rise to speculation, we have to make a clean cut: No, none of the physical Xbox and Xbox 360 discs work on the Xbox One X. As an alternative, Microsoft confirmed that 'some' of the most popular titles will come to the new console under the designation 'Xbox One X Enhanced'. We don't have big details yet (Microsoft didn't share many either), but we'll keep the radar on. There are many games that deserve a legitimate return.

Those with a more trained eye might have noticed something missing from Microsoft's presentation... and it's virtual reality. It's not my intention to disappoint enthusiasts, but the company didn't say a single word about it. Personally, I'm convinced that the Xbox One X has the right specifications to receive a VR headset; however, that technology doesn't seem to be a priority... for now. Maybe it's a strategic matter and it plans to play its cards later, or perhaps there's a much deeper statement associated with this absence...

Price and release date

And to close, the two key elements: price and release date. There was a lot of speculation about the cost of the Xbox One X in the past due to the wide margin allowed by its unconfirmed hardware parameters, but now that that's cleared up, Microsoft wants $499 for the console. It's not a low number... nor fundamentally terrible, to say the least. Each user will have to assess for themselves whether they need this system immediately in their lives, or if it's worth waiting for the first price cut. On the other hand, with the announcement of the One X, the Xbox One S loses $50 on its price tag. Its debut is scheduled for November 7, a couple of weeks before Black Friday.

(Editor’s note: List of games! Although I have 52 here, not 42…)