Executive Talks Pivotal Advantages of Owning an Xbox One X
Xbox rekindled the hype train of Xbox One X when they gave us a little more at Gamescom. The Project Scorpio Edition went as fast as it came, pre-orders flying off the shelf. Still, if the Xbox One X is going to sell for $499, gamers need to justify the price point when there are consoles like the PS4 Pro available. Xbox General Manager Dave McCarthy recently talked about its advantages.
We know about the 6 teraflops and 4K textures, but McCarthy talked about the basic addition of a 4K Blu-ray player and consistent framerate. He mentioned as much in an interview with Official Xbox Magazine UK (OXM; Issue 55, October 2017). Xbox One X, thanks to its sheer power, is more like a higher end PCs than its PS4 Pro counterpart:
“Well on some levels I think there’s aspects of even Xbox One S that I’d compare [to the PS4 Pro] in terms of HDR gaming, 4K videostreaming capabilities, 4K Blu-ray support. There are only two consoles in the world that support 4K Blu-ray, and they’re both Xbox Ones – Xbox One S and Xbox One X. I make more of a comparison [with Xbox One X] to what the higher end PCs are doing right now.
“There is a big difference with 40% more processing power, in terms of ensuring that consistent frame rate, including that frame buffer that’s going to get you all those 4K textures, ensuring the spatial audio is going to be at a premium for you. So it really is that top-end experience.”
In sum, McCarthy is touting Xbox One X’s potential over the PS4 Pro as a result of its hardware. More power along with all the benefits Xbox One owners are currently seeing in the original Xbox One and the S: Backward compatibility, Xbox Play Everywhere, and so forth. The one thing McCarthy couldn’t promise yet was exclusives. The only game that will fully utilize the X’s features and releasing this year is Forza Motorsport 7. Nevertheless, the company is promising plenty of third-party titles that will utilize 4K. You can discover our compiled list. Additionally, here’s footage of Rise of the Tomb Raider in 4K.
Lastly, McCarthy talked about original Xbox games on the new console; it pertained to the use of old discs:
“We’re working through all that stuff now. I can tell you this much – it’s going to be a library of games. So it’s not just Crimson Skies, which we showed [at the conference]. You know, we understand that there’s obviously a delivery model we have to sort out. We have a plan on it, we’re just working through the details, and we will be sharing stuff more throughout the year on exactly how it’s going to work.”
Obviously, there’s a serious benefit to purchasing an Xbox One X. But considering the hardware and lack of first-party content, would you spend $499? Let us know.