Xbox One X review: A console that keeps up with gaming PCs

The Xbox One X is the ultimate video game system. It sports more horsepower than any system ever. And it plays more titles in native 4K than Sony's PlayStation 4 Pro. It's just about everything you could want without investing in a gaming PC.

[freshslicepizza]

For $500 it's quite an impressive piece of engineering ingenuity.

[Cobra951]

Yes, but it's still a console. $500 is too dear for a console. Just a couple more C notes gets into good game-PC territory. Still impressive, no doubt. Rendering compatible 360 games at 4K is a bit of genius too.

[Darkwatchman]

But can I get my pc games physically? No? Then I think I’ll stick to console gaming. Thanks

[JackBNimble]

I bet all your movies and music are physical media copies too.

[Darkwatchman]

@Jack. Music is not an industry or medium I care about so I don’t give two shiiits if my music is digital. As for film, I own well over 115 blu-ray movies and that’s all old stuff. I haven’t actively been into film and collecting movies in 6-7 years because unlike most people I know, gaming is essentially my only medium. I only listen to music to have something while at the gym and I barely watch movies and never watch tv.

I only play games. And I only play games because I am passionate about video games. Since I am PASSIONATE about video games, I want to be able to own as many physical games as possible. That’s why I have bought several physical games through LimitedRunGames, including a physical copy of the 25th Anniversary release of Night Trap, a really crappy game that nonetheless has a legacy and I still wanted to own physically because I’m genuinely interested in the industry at large and Night Trap has a place in history. I own 106 physical ps4 games. I was waiting until the Xbox One X to buy an Xbox. And I’ll continue to grow my physical game collection. Thanks!!

[SinkingSage]

Yeah, you can get your PC games physically. What makes you think you can't?

[spreadlove]

It's a monster borne out of MS engineering ingenuity. It's a beast!!!

[christocolus]

Nice.

[morganfell]

"Xbox One X review: A console that keeps up with gaming PCs"

I will be specific. Which gaming PCs? Not mine, I know this. Of course mine isn't every gaming PC. Engadget,a site long since fallen is at fault in this statement because of issues like this:

"Gears of War 4 runs natively in 4K at 30 FPS with Dolby Atmos and HDR (high dynamic range lighting) support. It looked great -- especially with HDR, which highlighted bright elements like lightning strikes -- but I noticed the frame rate dip occasionally.

You can also play in Performance mode, which bumps the frame rate up to 60FPS and uses higher quality graphical effects, while rendering it lower in 1080p. Personally, I preferred this, since it makes the game much smoother -- as if you're playing it on a high-end gaming PC, not a console."

A high end gaming PC, not a PC but a high end gaming PC will run Gears 4 in 4K AND 60fps. So no Engadget, stating gaming PCs is a bit misleading. I pre-ordered a Scorpio Edition but let's be honest about the performance.

[Fishy Fingers]

“The Xbox One X exceeds not only its predecessor, but also matches up to more than half of gaming PCs today—and for only $500. Pretty impressive, for a console.” - PCWorld https://www.pcworld.com/art...

I’d say “more than half” makes the statement rather accurate. Unless maybe you think PCWorld don’t know much about PCs.

[morganfell]

Did you even read what I wrote? When someone writes it keeps up with gaming PCs and then puts in their article that it keeps up with High End PCs...and then in the same article by their own acknowledgment it doesn't come close to high end PCs in a 1st party title then I have an issue. You are going to be in continual frustration mode until you accept the fact the X1X is a great console but it isn't a high end PC.

I ordered one but I am honest about the performance. Try looking at it without the plastic worship.

[Fishy Fingers]

Yes I read it and was addressing “no Engadget, stating gaming PCs is a bit misleading”. Seems pretty accurate to me (and several PC sites).

I’m a PC gamer with no intention of buying an XBX but merely giving credit where it’s due and when PC focused sites are doing the same and happy to serve up the same comparison then you’re merely splitting hairs.

And the quip about plastic worship as if labelling me a console fan negates my comment? Pretty weak.

[agent4532]

The lucky/smart PC gamers that bought the NVIDIA GTX 1070 before the bitcoin cryptocurrency craze got a 4K 60 frames per second gaming rig for $600.00-$700.00

[4Sh0w]

Fishy Fingers you nailed it, PC World is a highly respected site for PC gamers:

“The Xbox One X exceeds not only its predecessor, but also matches up to more than half of gaming PCs today—and for only $500. Pretty impressive, for a console.” - PCWorld

-Engadget and other tech sites also consider X in line with higher speced pc's than the average pc gamer owns,
so at $500 for an X they were very impressed= I think I'll take their word for it rather than morganfell's.

[morganfell]

"Fishy Fingers you nailed it, PC World is a highly respected site for PC gamers: "

It doesn't change the fact they contradict themselves in their own article. They say that it is the equivalent of a high end PC but then detail how a 1st party title can't run 4K 60fps. I know you have your hopes and dreams wrapped up in this console but facts are stubborn things. It isn't the equivalent of a high end PC and PC world should know better than to call it one. Just keep those blinders on if you want but the truth isn't going away.

[Cobra951]

I much prefer 1080p@60Hz myself. Sorry to disagree with Engadget, but the console only keeps up with the GPU side of a good game PC. The CPU side is very weak in comparison to i5s, i7s and equivalent Ryzens. High resolution is easy for the new Xbox, but frame rate is not. The Jaguar CPU will struggle to keep a 60Hz pace with demanding game code. I would have much rather seen a balanced approach to the hardware upgrade, with 1080p and 60 fps as the target.

[Imalwaysright]

Visually, the most jarring thing to me is 60 fps and upwards vs 30 fps but for those that want a console with graphical fidelity similar or close to what a high end PC offers then the X1X is the way to go.

[agent4532]

It would of been better if the Xbox One X had the Ryzen CPU and the new AMD GPU

[Many-hat5]

Yes, I agree. CPU is a joke. Using a 6TF GPU, 12GB memory, excellent engineering and leaving it with a laptop CPU, is indeed a mistake. Still, I do think if devs develop from the ground up, playing to it's strengths. We may all be pleasantly surprised. If not, well there's next gen on the distant horizon.

[LateNightThirst]

The console's aim is for 4K visuals, its literally designed around 4K televisions, so why would Microsoft prioritize frame-rate at 1080p? Thats like shitting on a AMG or M car for not having good gas mileage lol

[Many-hat5]

I understand your point, but I do think you are underestimating X1X, and overestimating high end PC's. I would argue that while a true high end PC completely destroys the X1X on specs, there's a couple of slight issues with your comparison. I'd suggest that no matter how powerful your PC, no game will utilise that power fully, because no game knows your exact PC specs. If that was the case, current games would only run on the highest spec PC's, nothing else would work. However, by it's very nature, a PC is a generalist piece of equipment and brute force approach will only get you so far power wise but, it won't make it more efficient. Consoles are a known quantity to all developers. Yes, usually, their spec is well below a gaming PC, but not the X1X. While it's certainly no where near a high end PC, it is far more efficient at using the power it does have. I'm not writing anything you don't already know yourself. Of course, major problem with X1 is crappy CPU, but even that will be used more efficiently than a PC CPU that is an unknown quantity. Condensed it goes like this. Consoles will exceed their paper spec's through efficiency gains, PC's will fall short of theirs, but compensate through brute force. I'm not disagreeing with your assessment overall, but I think once X1 actually has titles designed from ground up for it's hardware, you may be pleasantly surprised. Enjoy your gaming, morganfell.

[morganfell]

I'm not. I have a high end PC underestimating an X1 and overestimating a high end PC. I am running dual Asus Rog Strix GTX 1080ti cards, an Asus Formula IX motherboard, 64GB of Corsair Vengeance DDR4, and a Kaby Lake 4.2. And I preordered an X1. And I know the performance between those two is farther apart than the X1X and a PS4Pro. The problem is too many console gamers do not understand the capabilities of a high end PC.

[morganfell]

Cup of Joe, I have dual 1080s in my system. When running Deathwing, an Unreal 4 game I have to run a single card since that game does not currently support SLI. I run 4K maxxed and can hit 75 - 90FPS.

[Many-hat5]

@morganfell
That's a very powerful rig you have, but surely you would agree that's above what most people would deem high end. That's quite extreme. You are prepared to run multiple GPU's knowing that you won't get near to doubling the power of a single GPU because of architectural hardware and software inefficiencies, for instance. And that to me illustrates what I'm saying. SLI or Xfire is a method of diminishing returns. Use two GPU's, and performance gain over a single GPU are substantial, but not close to doubling their power in real world operations. Assuming you can find something that will even try to utilise them, efficiently, which is still rare. Use three or more GPU's and the benefits reduce greatly. You are clearly an enthusiast, and yes, your system makes X1 look puny in raw power. However, I would still argue that the X1 may actually be more efficient at using the limited power it does have. Either way, your system is awesome, enjoy.

[morganfell]

It is a powerful rig and it is high end. Hence why comparing the X1X to a system like mine is something PC World should know better than to do. My setup is not that uncommon among PC enthusiasts either. That's another issue. Regarding SLI there are too many titles where, when they do support SLI I see frames increase by 1/3 to 1/2. Unreal 4 just received SLI support in February.

In reality it doesn't make a lot of difference to me. That's what is so humorous to me. I am simply one of those people who when purchasing something that matters tends to throw the kitchen sink at it. In reality I couldn't care if my games run in SLI or not. Whether they run in 4K or not. Think of it as a guy that has a really fast car who doesn't actually care if the car is fast. He just bought something that was high end and it happens to push you into the trunk when he steps on the gas but it actually is something of no consequence to him.

But what I do not care for is when people BS about the speed of a car even though I do not happen to care about how fast my car will go.

No where do I question the X1's ability to be efficient. In that I think you are quite correct. Yours is a very well written and thought out post. My remarks in this thread really are not aimed at the X1 per se but at PC World for their erred comments and people that so want to believe in a piece of plastic that they ignore raw fact.

[Tazzy]

You're getting disagrees by those hardcore Xbox fans that think the Xbox One X is better than PC and as a person that only plays consoles I know that PCs are superior over consoles when it comes to graphics and frame rates PC gamers that go out and build PCs future proof their PCs they can play Forza 7 in 8k if they wanted to and laugh at 4k some even thought Rise of the Tomb Raider for Xbox One X looked better than PC and there's no way.

[spreadlove]

morgan,

You should be the least of all on this website to talk about not plastic worshipping, unless you meant actually plastic worshipping. Then I'm with you about you.

[rainslacker]

I know it's not really replying to what you're trying to say, but the performance mode of that nature is often going to look better than the 4K versions, because the base quality of the render is much higher, and nowadays, upscaling is pretty good so it can make it look great. Just looking a a regular blu-ray on a 4K TV is significantly better.

It's all those graphical effects which are the biggest focus of GPU improvements. Resolution just comes as a matter of course as power increases, and it's a pretty linear growth in terms of power. But those graphics effects are what make the most discerning differences in the grander scheme of things.

Obviously, if you can have all those graphics improvements at 4K, then it'll look better than a 1080 render, or at least sharper with all other things being equal. But more often than not, graphics rendering at different resolutions is usually a give and take proposition.

[SierraGuy]

Yeah and it drops frames while in HDR on a game like gears 4 at 4K native 30. Must be that middleware HDR. On the other hand it's phenomenal at 1080p 60... Equal to that of a high end PC?

I bet If gears team can't achieve 4K 60 not many others will be able to either.

[Unspoken]

4K and 60 FPS on Ultra/Insane is limited to less than 1% of gaming PCs, so Engadget is correct in their statement considering statistically the majority of gaming PCs can't hit that target.

Bye

[InTheZoneAC]

These articles do keep me entertained at the least

[Toby_1981]

One thing they forgot to mention is that the 4K textures and updates is over 100GB to install. So if you don't have an extra Hard Drive you are looking at $550 To $600 dollars to get a one X and bigger drive. They should have put in a bigger hard drive

[Many-hat5]

Drives are so cheap per TB these days, that I suggest if you can afford a X1, you are already aware of this requirement,and it isn't a major concern. Still, if it is an issue, then my suggestion would be not to purchase an X1. It's not like you can't play all the games on a standard S.

[Toby_1981]

Not to cheap when you have to buy both at the same time. Just one terabyte cost 55 dollars on Amazon

[4Sh0w]

Yeah, they are cheap and realistically at this point if you own a standard X1 you likely already own a couple hdd's. I mean really going forward if you game alot having extra storage space is just he new normal, games are only getting bigger.

[rainslacker]

You should be alright for a little while unless you want to install a ton of games at the start.

[Razzer]

“As promised, the Xbox One X is the most powerful game console ever. In practice, though, it really just puts Microsoft on equal footing with Sony’s PlayStation 4 Pro. ”

Hmmm

[agent4532]

Nothing beats PC in terms of hardware. Is a bloody ass shame that game developers are not taking advantage of NVIDIA Gameworks, Tres FX, ragdoll physics. Too expensive for them or so they say but still have the audacity to show cgi tech demos, or ultra realistic game trailers. It will make consoles look ancient. The Xbox One X is today's low end gaming PC nothing more nothing less.

[XxINFERNUSxX]

"Intel Core i7 4790k CPU running at 4GHz, 16GB DDR3 RAM and an NVIDIA GTX 1080 GPU."
I have pretty much the same setup except I have a 3770K, 1080p gsync, + the new sound blaster x ae-5. No need for 4k, at all. When 4k becomes the new 1080p, in terms of FPS above 100+ then I will upgrade. 4k+60 will not cut it, at least for me. Exception: MMO's which are more CPU intensive anyway when there are hundreds of players in the same area, and the FPS dip below 60 even with a 1080p monitor. I like my FPS above 100+fps with everything maxed. So far I do get that even in the new Wolfenstein game. It will be a few more years before we can even get 4K+100FPS all the time. Might invest in 1440p later down the line before 4k.

[Many-hat5]

That's a decent rig, and I'll wager your system was substantially above the price of an X1:) ? I do agree 4K isn't really required, but the industry wants us to have it, kind of like loot boxes.

[XxINFERNUSxX]

Exactly, it's all 4K+HDR in your face, I favor 100+fps more than 4k. Yes a bit more expensive but only now upgraded to a GTX 1080+sound blaster ae-5. :D

[CP_Company]

keeps up with gaming PC? :D you want to say xbox x doing 4k 60fps on ultra? or 1080p on ultra with 144fps? or even 120fps?
30fps is not gaming PC, it is lowest end pcs. give me a brake with this PR nonsense.

[Tazzy]

Comparing a PC to a console is like going out and saying a PC is a Porsche and a video game console is a Punch Buggy which one wins in speed? The Porsche wins big.