Image via Microsoft
Microsoft are about to shake up the gaming world with their latest drop.
Releasing on November 7th, the Xbox One X is being marketed as the world's most powerful console – beating the PlayStation 4 Pro that launched last year – offering true 4K gaming for the first time ever.
Four years on from the launch of the original Xbox One, this is the biggest leap forward we've seen in the console wars since the most recent generation of consoles was launched. Microsoft are still calling the X part of the "Xbox One family" but make no mistake, this is an important upgrade and a sign of where the future is headed.
We went hands on with the Xbox One X at a secret location in London one month before launch. This is everything you need to know about the biggest console launch of the year.
1. It Really Is the World's Most Powerful Console
The "world's most powerful console" sounds like a wonderful bit of publicity spin but in actual fact, Microsoft aren't playing around when they make that claim.
The Xbox One X outmuscles Sony's PS4 Pro in every department and you can rest assured that when you switch on Microsoft's new creation, you're getting the best possible visual experience when it comes to home gaming.
To run you through the numbers, the Xbox One X's CPU clocks at 2.3GHz (PS4 is 2.1GHz), the GPU offers six teraflops (1.8 more than the PS4 Pro) and 12GB of GDDR5 memory (the PS4 has 8GB). And most importantly, it contains a 4K UH Blu-Ray drive, which the PlayStation 4 Pro does not.
When it comes to power, the hype is real.
2. 4K Gaming Is Finally Here
The biggest selling point of the Xbox One X is that it truly brings 4K gaming into our homes for the first time ever.
For those who aren't sure, a 4K screen resolution is 3840x2160p and offers four times as many pixels as a regular HD transmission. With a 4K Blu-Ray drive, the Xbox One X is the first console to ever truly offer this advancement.
Amongst the games that will be playable on 4K are Forza Motorsport 7, Assassin's Creed: Origins, Call of Duty: WWII, Star Wars: Battlefront 2, FIFA 18 and Gears of War 4.
Certain games will also be undergoing updates from the developers to make them 'Xbox One X Enhanced' and Microsoft have started to identify what games are capable of on new packaging.
As a final footnote, all Xbox One games will work on the new Xbox One X and there'll be no exclusive releases on the Xbox One X that won't work on the earlier generations of this console.
3. You'll See an Improvement on 1080p TVs, Too
One of the reasons that the Xbox One X supporting 4K screen resolutions is seen as such a big deal is because it's still a relatively new technology when it comes to the mass market.
In a statistical report released earlier this year, it was revealed that just 16% of households in the United States are equipped with a 4K TV and the numbers are thought to be similar in the UK. As a result, it's important for most of us to know that the Xbox One X will also have an impact on 1080p TVs, too.
Thankfully, those still working with a regular HD set up will see an improvement from the Xbox One X. The X introduces new anisotropic filtering technology, which gives greater clarity to complex textures, and supersampling, which renders games at high resolutions at downsizes them to 1080p, giving sharper imagery than was previously possible on the original Xbox One.
4. It's the Best Looking Xbox Console So Far
The original Xbox released way back in 2002 was a behemoth and ever since, the Xbox consoles have perhaps been unfairly characterised as heavy and unbeautiful. The Xbox One X should finally lay that notion to rest.
The Xbox One X is Microsoft's smallest console to date, measuring 30 x 24 x 6 cm. After the Xbox One S was released in white, perhaps an homage to the 360, the new X is back in black and it's sleeker and more beautiful than ever before.
5. You Need to Play Forza Motorsport 7 on This Console
Once the Xbox One X was announced, Forza Motorsport 7 was elected as the 'poster game' of the new console as the game that best reflects the power and beauty of 4K gaming – and that was a very smart selection.
The Forza games are always stunning but when running on the Xbox One X, graphic subtleties shine brighter than ever before. As a first-party game, Microsoft have been able to give Forza every inch of power from the X and the improvements are best seen across the game's variety of tracks and real world environments.
With the ability to race in countries as diverse as the United States through to Dubai, with varying landscapes and extreme weather at both ends of the spectrum, Forza Motorsport 7 gives the Xbox One X the widest gamut upon which to demonstrate its unique power. If you get one game with the Xbox One X, make it this one.
