There’s been a lot of hype surrounding Project Scorpio (now the Xbox One X), the new Xbox that would be the successor to the Xbox One S this coming holiday season. Microsoft officially announced it at E3 2017 a couple days ago, dubbing it as the most powerful console yet. And while it is powerful, it’s certainly not everything Microsoft made it out to be. In fact, there’s a lot of negative areas that come with the new console.
That said, here’s a few reasons why you shouldn’t buy the Xbox One X.
Hardware
If you were expecting a revolutionary new console, the Xbox One X isn’t it, but it is packing some great hardware, at least on paper. As far as the processor goes, it’s packing an 8-core AMD Jaguar clocked at 2.3GHz, a whole 0.2GHz faster than the same processor in the PlayStation 4 Pro and significantly faster than the CPU in the Xbox One S.
It’s also packing 12GB of RAM and an integrated AMD GPU capable of producing 6 teraflops (which is basically the amount of calculations the One X will be able to perform per second).
On paper, this is without a doubt a very powerful console; however, you’re not going to notice much of a difference between the One X and the current One S when playing games, at least not straight away. Developers won’t take full advantage of the powerful hardware in the One X, just like they didn’t in the One S. It’s going to take some time for the to catch up.
The One X is supposed to be able to handle 4K HDR gaming at 60 frames-per-second, but developers are already announcing that they’re upcoming titles will be locked to 30fps. And this is because many game engines are programmed to handle around 30fps — updating game engines to work with the new and improved hardware can take a lot of time.
It’s expensive
Let’s face it: the Xbox One X is ridiculously expensive at $499. In contrast, the PlayStation 4 Pro, which is also supposed to be able to handle 4K HDR gaming with no problems, comes in at a whole $100 cheaper — $399. There’s not too much of a hardware difference between the two either.
Design
Were you looking for something new and exciting to replace you old Xbox One S? Well, the One X might be superior to it under the hood, but you’re still getting the exact same design. The only real difference is that it’s just a little slimmer than the Xbox One S.
You’re going to need a 4K TV
Microsoft says that the Xbox One X will be able to support “true 4K gaming.” However, you’re not going to be able to see any of that if you don’t have a TV that doesn’t support 4K resolution. Some people might already have such a TV, but there’s still plenty of consumers out there that haven’t bought into 4K technology yet.
When it comes to the Xbox One X, you need a 4K TV. Sure, 1080p looks really good — graphics even load faster in 1080p than they do in 4K. However, with the One X, you’re paying for that 4K experience. So, if you don’t have a 4K TV, you’re not going to get that experience. If you don’t plan on buying one, you’d be better off sticking with the cheaper route: the Xbox One S, which is still only $250.
It isn’t for everyone
The Xbox One X isn’t going to be for everyone. In fact, Microsoft’s Phil Spencer — Head of Xbox — in an interview with Ars Technica even said that the everyday gamer probably isn’t going to buy into the Xbox One X. They still plan on marketing and selling the Xbox One S, which the large majority of gamers will be just fine with, especially with the lower price point. The Xbox One X is more for those that are looking for the best experience possible.
Microsoft’s first round of hardware always has problems
Microsoft historically has problems with its first round of hardware, leaving many early adopters frustrated with their systems. Early adopters with both the Xbox One and Xbox One S consoles ran into plenty of issues with hardware. It usually only affects a small number of consoles, but to completely avoid any of these issues, it might be worth waiting a month or two after launch to make sure all the quirks are worked out.
Closing
The Xbox One X will most definitely be Microsoft’s best console yet, but for many consumers and everyday gamers, the Xbox One S will work just fine. The Xbox One X is going to be expensive to buy into, especially if you don’t already have a 4K TV. After all, you could be looking at upwards of $1000 for both an Xbox One X and a proper 4K TV.
Right there is a good chunk of change that many aren’t willing to let go of to have a only slightly better gaming experience. For now, most are better off sticking with a Xbox One S, at least until the Xbox One X can come down in price.
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