On April 07th we have first reported about the planned Xbox Scorpio. In the meantime the E3 has moved into the country and the new, most powerful console in the world was introduced and listen to the name Xbox One X. You can find out everything about performance, price, games and release here in the second part of the story.
Small but powerful
The first surprise of the reveal was the sheer size of the new flagship console. The Xbox One X isn't bigger or the same size, it's smaller than its expiring brother. An octa-core processor with 2,3 GHz, 12 GB GDDR5 is installed RAM from which the integrated AMD graphics unit lives and a memory bandwidth of 326 GB/s. Those are impressive numbers that unsurprisingly leave the PS4 Pro far behind. Especially when it comes to the hyped teraflops, the One X with around 6 TFLOPs is well ahead of the PS4 Pro with a paltry 4,2 TFLOPs. Meanwhile, PC gamers laugh maliciously and refer to the GTX 1080 Ti and its 11,5 teraflops, but forget the biggest advantage of the consoles: all systems use the same hardware. This increases the optimization options for game developers enormously. That's why the numbers are the Microsoft shows impressive. And they should be. Because the stated goal is 4K resolution at best at 60 frames per second. Whether this goal can be met will only become apparent when the Xbox One X is released.
Furthermore, Microsoft installs an Ultra HD as standard Drive for 4K Blu-Rays, making the X the high end of media consumption in the living room. In addition, Microsoft reaffirmed that gamers without a 4K TV can also benefit from the new console through higher frame rates, supersampling and downsampling.
Downsampling is already being used by other tech giants. NVIDIA has been offering its Dynamic Super Resolution (DSR) system since 2014. In principle, this is always the same technique. The game's pixel count is calculated at a higher resolution and then scaled down to the monitor's native resolution. This improves the level of detail, reduces edge flicker and improves the overall image quality.
A headwind was to be expected
The price of the One X is estimated at €499 in Germany. While we and the vast majority of the trade press consider this to be a good price, the first critics are already coming forward. The analyst Michael Pachter is of the opinion that the Xbox One X is too expensive and could not prevail on the market at this price level. Pachter is not known for making impressive analyzes that are later fully confirmed. At the same time, it can be said that the prices of the competing models and also the own cheaper version (the Xbox One S currently costs around €250 in a bundle) are significantly lower.But anyone who seriously expects 4K at 60 frames per second on graphics settings similar to those of PCs does not understand anything about technology. If the One X doesn't cost at least 1000 euros, I don't think so. Many buyers will prefer to opt for the cheap models and postpone the technology from tomorrow to the day after tomorrow. The success of the console also depends largely on the line up of the developers. It will be imperative to set attractive incentives for players. Little was heard of this at E3. Now, a few weeks later, more and more games are being announced that want to harness the power of the X. For example, Bethesda, known for their love of Skyrim multiple releases, throws The Evil Within 2 and Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus into the ring. Also "Anthem" from EA's Bioware and of course the Forza series are mentioned.
By the way, I still stand by my words. The Xbox One X is sure to push 4K a step closer to standard. However, Microsoft will not be able to sell 4K on par with current high-end computers for €500. The Xbox One X was released on November 7th, 2017. In the last few weeks there have been rumors about production difficulties and a possible postponement to next year. We'll stay tuned for you and keep our ears open.
