Xbox One X Review – Around April of this year Microsoft announced a new console into the Xbox 1 family – the X (Project Scorpio). Promising 4k UHD HDR gaming to the masses at a low price point. On November 7th 2017 that console launched and we were lucky enough to get our hands on one day one.
First things first, the console is tiny, if you have seen an Xbox One S in the wild, it has a very similar footprint. Yet it weighs in much heavier. This is not surprising considering the minor miracle Microsoft has managed to pull off with this console.
When the Xbox One X was announced, many experts in the field said that the console would retail for upwards of £550 at least. This was to get anywhere near the projected graphical power needed to compete with high end gaming PC’s. In reality the Xbox One X comes in at £449.99, which sounds a lot. When you consider that PC enthusiasts tried to make a comparable PC, that can do what the X does and couldn’t match it by spending upwards of £650, it is quite the bargain.
The first enhanced Xbox One X title I installed on my new hardware was Wolfenstein 2. The the second I started playing I could see the difference. The smoothness, the textures, the lighting, it all looks so amazing and adds to the immersion. At one point in the game Max Haas is doing some colouring on the wall. I put my controller down to grab a drink and when I came back I was amazed at the detail on screen. I could see every single thread in Max’s jumper!!
Many have said that it would be impossible to run a game like Wolfenstein in 60FPS, 4K with high/ultra settings on a console, but Microsoft have managed it. At present Microsoft has a list of 150 Xbox One X Enhanced games that are either out now, or in the pipeline. Many of the games you may already own. The developers have gone back and tweaked the settings and patched textures to make their games look even better on the world’s most powerful console. I was quite surprised to see Fallout 3 and The Elder Scrolls Oblivion had been given the X treatment. They look awesome and it adds a fresh feel to some older classic games.
The PS4 Pro has been out over a year at this point and has less than 70 enhanced games. People claimed that console parity would mean that the extra power of the X would not be utilised. So far multiplatform games such as Wolfenstein 2, Assassins Creed Origins and even Sony sponsored games such as Call of Duty WW2 and Star Wars Battlefront 2 all look much better on the Xbox One X.
Overall I have been blown away with how much of a step up from the original Xbox One this console is. Bear in mind that everything your Xbox One can play, this console can play too. Including Backwards compatible Xbox 360 and original Xbox games. It also features an Ultra HD Blu Ray player allowing you to watch 4K Blu Rays at home, something again that the PS4 Pro does not. If you have a gamer in your household that wants the best gaming experience possible this Christmas, look no further than the Xbox One X.
