The new Xbox One X is already among us, and you can buy it worldwide for a not inconsiderable amount of 499 Euros.
The Xbox One X, entitled “the world’s most powerful console”, marks the next evolutionary step in the console market with 6 teraflops of performance, native 4K, 60 FPS, Dolby Atmos sound and HDR support, all with full access to all Xbox One and Xbox One S games and accessories.
With an undeniable performance and a very simple design, with matt surfaces and slightly smaller than the Xbox One S, the latest console from Microsoft is doomed to success. This is what players expect from Redmon, who has described this new game console as “a bridge machine that opens the doors to the future, with the most advanced technology of the moment, applied to Xbox One games”.
Technical data, weight, and size
The Xbox One X is powered by a powerful 2.3GHz custom X86 eight-core processor. This chip offers up to 6 teraflops of performance or 6 billion calculations per second, making the new Xbox One X 31% faster than the Xbox One and 43 times faster than the Sony CPU with its 4.2 teraflops). The heart of the new Microsoft Beast is a 6 teraflops AMD Radeon GPU and 40 custom arithmetic units at 1172 Mhz, allowing the console to operate at high speed. In addition, it will have 326GB/s memory bandwidth and a 1TB 2.5-inch hard disk. The Xbox One X is not only more powerful than the PS4 Pro, it also features a 4K UHD Blu-ray player.
In addition, the device has 12 GB of GDDR5 memory, which is standardized at 6.8 GHz on a 12-channel 32-bit memory interface (a total of 384 bits). This does not directly affect the performance of the console, but ends the separation of RAM and ESRAM from Xbox One and makes it easier for developers to create their games for this console, as its structure is more similar to that of PC and PS4.
Of this 12 GB of memory, 8 GB is available to developers and 4 GB is reserved for the system. From here we conclude that Xbox One X has reserved 1 GB more memory for Xbox One, an extra needed to move games to native 4K resolution. In this section, the games have 60% more memory and the 1TB hard drive 50% more bandwidth to ensure constant loading times.
Xbox One X can play Blu Ray UHD movies (with 4K and HDR resolution). In addition, we have been able to download applications for digital video streaming such as Amazon Prime, Netflix or Hulu since the release date.
These applications also achieve maximum resolution but require a separate subscription. The device is sound compatible with the most demanding standards on the market, such as Dolby Atmos (the application is free for home cinema and paid for headphones) and DTS X. When it comes to Blu Ray content, the console can play Dolby Digital 7.1.
On the other hand, the Xbox One X can centralize different media sources thanks to its HDMI input connector.
Here is a comparison of the features of Xbox One X compared to its direct competitors.
| XBOX ONE X | PS4 PRO | XBOX ONE S | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | AMD, X86 architecture 8 custom cores 2.3GHz | AMD 8 Jaguar 2.1GHz cores | AMD 8 cores Jaguar 1,75GHz |
| GPU | 40 “personalized” units at 1,172MHz | 36 Radeon GCN at 911MHz | 12 Radeon GCN at 914MHz |
| MEMORY | 12GB GDDR5 | 8GB GDDR5 1GB DDR3 | 8GB DDR3 32MB ESRAM |
| TFLOPS | 6 | 4.2 | 1.4 |
| BANDWIDTH | 326GB / s | 218GB / s | 219GB / s |
| HDD | 1TB in 2.5 inch format | 1TB in 2.5 inch format | 1TB / 500GB in 2.5 inch format |
| UNITY | 4K UHD Blu-Ray | Blu-Ray | 4K UHD Blu-Ray |
| PSU | 245W | 289W | 120W |
| Dimensions | 30x24x6cm | 32,7×29,5×5,5cm | 29.5x23x6.5cm |
| Weight | 3.8 kilos | 3,3 kilos | 2.9 kilos |
| Price | 499 euros | 400 euros | 250 euros |
Design and Development
As I said, the new Xbox One X is quite compact, 30 x 24 x 6 cm, slightly smaller than the Xbox One S, although it is much heavier, 3.8 kg.
From left to right are the HDMI input, output and power cable, two USB 3.0 ports (plus one on the front), an IR receiver, a digital SPDIF audio port and an Ethernet port.
Xbox One X Connections
The disc tray not only plays Xbox games but also 4K Blu-ray, so you can enjoy this kind of content as if it were a home theater.
The design is matt, straight and, in short, rather elegant for an extremely calm body. To give you an idea of this statement, the sound of the Xbox One X is 25~26 decibels, more or less the sound of a whisper, while the PS4 Pro displays about 40 decibels, about as much as a conversation between two adults.
Another aspect that worries every good player the most is the warm-up, in this sense, we can say that the Xbox One cools very well. After one hour of play, the temperature rose from 25 to 43 degrees Celsius, and this data must be seen in perspective, as it shows a temperature 3 degrees lower than the PS4 Pro, resulting in lower energy consumption.
Microsoft has improved heat dissipation through steam cooling with a turbine. The heat sink used by the console to prevent heating consists of thin aluminum sheets containing the vapor/liquid content.
The operation is easy when the console is fully loaded, the liquid heats up in the chamber and becomes steam, which rises to the top, where it is cooled and re-condensed. It then returns in its liquid state to the lower zone and the process is repeated. A rather ingenious (and quiet) way of collecting the heat generated and then releasing it again. To support the entire process, and here the Xbox One X is special, the heatsink turbine collects cold (external) air through one of its sides to support the steam condensation process. This cold air is then “pulled” against the cooling chambers and the warm air is blown out on the other side.
The control is the same as on the Xbox One S but in matt black instead of white. The difference to the gamepad of the first Xbox One is that the underside is rough: just as ergonomic as the original, but non-slip. It is one of the best wireless controllers ever developed, so there was no need to change anything. The only disadvantage is that it runs on two AA batteries (included with the machine), although it allows us to buy a charging and play kit. Also, note that Xbox One X will support keyboard and mouse control in the not too distant future.
The console package
The Xbox One X Basic Pack includes the device, a high-speed HDMI cable compatible with 4K and HDR content, the power cord – the source is inside the console itself – and a control knob. It also contains codes that allow us to test access to Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass.
The cables on the Xbox One X are the same as on the S model, so if you replace one machine with another, you don’t need to replace it. In this case, you can also install the games on an external hard drive, which makes it easier to move from one computer to another. The following explains how to transfer the profile between the two Xboxes.
Xbox One X-Controller
All Xbox One games and accessories are compatible with Xbox One X, but if you want to connect Kinect, you will need an accessory that is sold separately.
Advanced Xbox One X Games
So far, the Xbox One X is presented as the best option on the market, but the space on the 1TB hard drive is limited, very limited, so it seems important to have an external hard drive.
Many Xbox One games are about 50 GB in size or even larger, like those optimized under the Xbox One X Enhanced program, which can double this number.
And despite Microsoft’s efforts to shorten download times, if you don’t have a fast Internet connection, you’ll probably have to wait a few hours to download certain games.
When we introduce a game for the first time, in our case Gears of War 4, we have to do a double installation. 43.09 GB of game information will be installed from the hard disk and a 60.03 GB patch with the improvements that are only available on the new console. Not only native 4K resolution and HDR output is available, but also in a variety of formats.