Xbox One X review

Microsoft officially unveiled the Xbox One X back at E3 2017, calling it “the most powerful console ever”. That may be – you’d expect it to be better than everything before it – but is it actually be any good? We’ve spent a lot of time playing true 4K games on the Xbox One X, and here’s our review.

Separately, we’ve compared the Xbox One X to the  PS4 Pro, and also the  Xbox One S, so we won’t spend too much time mentioning those comparisons here.

In summary:

Xbox One X: Pricing and availability

The Xbox One X will set prospective buyers back £449.99 in the UK and $499.99 in the US. Brits can head to  GAME,  Amazon and the  official store (which comes with PUBG), while those in the US can check out  GameStop,  Best Buy,  Amazon, and the  Microsoft store. 

Oh, and those that were hoping to grab one of the ‘Project Scorpio Edition’ Xbox One X consoles announced at Gamescom 2017 are out of luck. The consoles sold out almost immediately, and Microsoft has no plans to stock any more units. You may be able to buy one on the likes of eBay, but you’ll probably end up paying over the odds. 

Xbox One X: Features and design

Looking at the hardware, to begin with, this is the smallest console Microsoft has ever made. And even though it’s only a little smaller than the One S, it’s remarkable considering it’s by far the most powerful console on the market. Compared to Sony’s bulky PS4 Pro, the Xbox One X is sleek and lightweight. 

That grunt comes from an AMD APU, which is basically a CPU and GPU on one chip. The custom-built eight-core CPU is like that used in the PS4 Pro, but at a higher clock rate (2.3GHz vs 2.1GHz). It may not be ground-breaking, but it’s required to power the biggest change in hardware – the GPU.

The custom AMD GPU boasts 40 compute units, each running at 1172MHz. This is a considerable bump in speed, especially when compared to the PS4 Pro’s 911MHz across 36 units, and confirms Microsoft’s claim of six teraflops of GPU power. The custom GPU is backed up by a whopping 12GB of GDDR5 RAM (vs 8GB in PS4 Pro), 9GB of which is dedicated purely to gaming – the other 3GB is dedicated to the system.

But what does that mean to us at home? Essentially, the graphical power should be a bit better than AMD’s  Radeon RX 580, which costs between £250 and £300.

And like any decent PC GPU, the Xbox One X needs a decent cooling system to keep everything performing optimally – especially when powering 4K gameplay. To that end, the Xbox One X features a vapour chamber heat sink with a custom fan, helping to keep the console cool, even with its incredibly small dimensions.

The aim of including all that tech is to deliver superb 4K graphics at 60fps (but not in all games), and that’s really the main selling point of the One X. 4K gaming on the console is nothing short of phenomenal, and it’s something we come to in a little more detail below.

4K gaming also goes a long way to justifying that £449 price. And don’t forget there’s a 4K Blu-ray drive as well – the PS4 Pro doesn’t have one of those. And for those without super-fast internet connections that support top-quality 4K streaming (which, let’s face it, is most people) this could actually be useful.

Plus, the relatively slim dimensions mean you should be able to pop the console in your TV bench without it being particularly noticeable. And, as you’ve probably spotted, it’s black as opposed to the more conspicuous white finish of the Xbox One S.

There’s no real change to the design of the controller, which too, is now black.

Unlike the PS4, the Xbox One X doesn’t support VR. Microsoft hasn’t mentioned anything VR-related at the moment, but it’s the perfect console to provide high-end VR experiences. Could we see an Xbox VR headset, or support for existing VR headsets like the Oculus Rift in future? We can only hope. 

We do know, though, that the One X supports AMD FreeSync 2 and 1440p resolutions, which could be appealing if you were planning to buy a new gaming monitor rather than a big TV.

Xbox One X: Performance

Let’s get down to the reason why the Xbox One X is so popular: the performance is phenomenal. We’ve used the 4K-enabled PS4 Pro since it was released at the back-end of 2016 and it simply cannot compare to what the Xbox One X offers, especially with graphically demanding games.

We’ve played a variety of games on the Xbox One X, including the likes of State of Decay 2, Forza Motorsport 7, Middle-earth: Shadow of War and Sea of Thieves, and we were hypnotised by the gorgeously detailed environments and smooth 4K@60fps playback. It’s true 4K too, and doesn’t rely on many of the upscaling tricks that Sony uses to provide 4K gaming on the PS4 Pro.

Whether it’s exploring the open sea as a pirate in Sea of Thieves or tearing up Brands Hatch in Forza 7, the difference between what’s offered by the Xbox One X and existing consoles is night-and-day. It really is an impressive feat when you consider the size (and price!) of the PC or laptop required to provide that kind of performance! 

It enhances the overall gaming experience, bringing it in line with what high-end PC gamers experience when playing the latest titles. And much like your PC brethren, Xbox One X-supported games can offer multiple graphical options to give you the experience you desire.

The only downside? It’s nothing to do with the power. In fact, it’s more to do with Microsoft’s Xbox One OS that has thrown up a handful of errors over our time with the console. It’s usually Xbox Live or internet connection-related and fixed within minutes, but it puts a slight dampener on the overall experience. 

Xbox One X: Do I need a 4K TV?

Microsoft has marketed the One X as a console for 4K gamers so, unsurprisingly, if you don’t have a 4K TV, you won’t get the full experience.

That’s not to say you won’t notice improvements in your gameplay, though: those with standard 1080p HDTVs are granted other enhancements like faster frame rates, quicker loading times and even the possibility of supersampling the 4K output down to 1080p for higher quality textures.

But as is the case with 4K owners, the focus may vary between games and developers – some may prioritise visual quality while others will enhance framerate.

The One S also has Dolby Atmos sound and a 4K Blu-ray drive, so they’re not new or unique to the One X. But if you do have a 4K TV and you’re still on an Xbox 360 or Xbox One, the One X should be very tempting indeed – so long as you don’t mind paying a little extra for the premium gaming experience.

Microsoft has realised that gamers want backwards compatibility, and you’ll be able to play older titles on the One X (as you can on the One and One S). Indeed, for 360 games it’s as simple as inserting the disc.

But it’s the new games, and those existing titles getting the Enhanced treatment, which will be the real reason to splash out on the One X. 

Verdict

The Xbox One X is massively powerful and comes at a steep price. But compared to the equivalent gaming PC, it’s exceptionally good value for money. Right now, the appeal is slightly limited by the number of people with 4K TVs in the UK, but if you’re a hardcore gamer, then there could be enough to tempt you.

Ultimately, the One X isn’t for everyone, but if you have a 4K TV that can take advantage of that extra graphical power, you’re in for a real treat.