Review for Xbox One X. Game for Xbox One X, the video game was released on 07/11/2017
The most powerful console in the world
This has been the motto that has accompanied Xbox One X since its announcement in that famous E3 2016, during which it was presented under the code name of Project Scorpio. There are many questions and doubts that hover around the new console from Microsoft, released on 7 November 2017 at the price of 499 Euros and one of these refers to the famous Redmond slogan: is it really the most powerful console in the world?
The answer to this first question is easy to give, as the data we have in hand are quite evident and objective, especially when compared with Playstation 4 Pro, the updated version of the Sony console that last November 2016 officially decreed the advent. of the "mid gen consoles", that is the gaming platforms between this generation and the next.
Without going too specific and technical, let's examine three main characteristics of the two consoles and compare them: on the one hand we have Xbox One X, and with a 8 GHz 2.3 core CPU, a 6 TeraFlop GPU it's a RAM from 12 GB, while the other Playstation 4 Pro is "limited" to an 8 core CPU at 2.1 GHz, 4 TFlop GPU and 8 GB Ram. As you can see, the numbers speak for themselves and are all in favor of the newcomer in the Xbox One family, which boasts 40% more power than previous versions.
All this power has a single and precise goal: to bring in the homes of gamers the possibility of finally playing with a true 4K resolution in HDR and with greater prestige of all the titles that will run on Xbox One X.
Let's be clear, Xbox One X does not guarantee native 4K for all games as it is up to the developers to decide whether or not to exploit the full power of the console, but at the moment we have titles like Forza Motorsport 7 that have already demonstrated the muscles of the newcomer. Microsoft, not only for the impressive technical sector in 4K, but also for the ability to maintain a constant 60 FPS. A console racing experience that is literally unprecedented.
Where there is a game not able to present a native 4K, an already large array of titles still manages to offer excellent UltraHD performance thanks to the checkerboard rendering technique - already widely used on PS4 Pro with amazing results - or with the simple upscaling of the console and the application of filters such as antialiasing and anisotropic.
This is demonstrated by games like Assassin's Creed Origins and The Shadow of War, two of the third-party titles par excellence that have driven the marketing of Xbox One X and have taken on the burden of showing the true quality of those games to the general public. that boast the Enhanced label, or those games that through a patch can fully exploit the hardware power of the machine (unfortunately compared to a few GB of downloads).
In reality, the potential of Xbox One X does not stop there, because the results in terms of graphics and performance are tangible even on titles without patches and, above all, in some backwards compatible titles for Xbox 360 and Xbox, thanks to a technique called "the Heutchy Method" that allows the emulator to run the games of the past generation at their maximum potential and, above all, with drastically reduced loading times by up to 50%. Among these titles we find Halo 3, Gears of War 3, Fallout 3 and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
We remind you that Microsoft is focusing a lot on the retro compatibility factor, continuing to expand the library of playable titles on the Xbox One family consoles thanks to Services such as Xbox Game Pass - which allows you to access more than 100 games for the modest sum of 9.90 Euros per month. - and the Live Gold service, which gives away 2 Xbox One games and 2 Xbox 360 games every month.
In order to avoid confusion, since we have not yet specified it, we would like to reassure that the benefits of playing games on Xbox One X do not apply only to owners of monitors or TVs ready for 4K and HDR, but also to those who possesses a simple Full HD, although obviously to a lesser extent.
For those who love to enjoy multimedia content, we remind you that, as in the case of Xbox One S, Xbox One X also comes with a 4K UHD Blu-ray player, a factor not to be underestimated especially if we consider that, in a way still inexplicable to date, the competitor PS4 Pro is totally without it (limiting itself to a simple Blu Ray player). And to those of you who have not yet seen a film or documentary - in our case Planet Earth 2, available in the box arrived at the editorial office - in 4K UHD + HDR, we guarantee that the visual experience is truly unprecedented.
In conclusion, we must answer the fateful question: is Xbox One X worth buying? The answer, as you can guess, is a clear and direct "it depends".
Difficult to recommend it to those who already have an Xbox One or those who do not have a 4K TV, since although there are actual game boosts, a cost of 500 euros could hardly justify them. If you do not yet have an Xbox One console and, even more so, you have a UHD screen at home, then the purchase is highly recommended.
Xbox One X is an incredible game machine that from an engineering point of view currently has no rivals on the market, detaching itself quite clearly from Playstation 4 Pro. The improvements of the optimized games are tangible and concrete, both from the “Enhanced ”Than not, with an ever-expanding catalog. Xbox One X is nowadays the perfect platform for those who want to play cross-platform titles and Xbox exclusives at their best.
In this regard, someone will certainly object to the lack of great exclusives on the Microsoft front, which have been in hiding a bit during this 2017 and with a 2018 that creates more doubts than certainties. The truth is that Xbox One X could prove to be just a great starting point for the American giant, which now has the road paved to start investing in games and, above all, in players, thanks to a machine capable of giving them this. they want.
At the moment, Xbox One X seems to be enjoying critical public acclaim - as well as ours - but the real success and relaunch of the Xbox brand will all depend on Microsoft's next moves, which we can't wait to see.
► Xbox One X is a Console type game developed and published by Microsoft for Xbox One X, the video game was released on 07/11/2017
