Xbox One X Criticism: It's the Ultimate Xbox

Here's the Xbox One X. It's the fastest and the smallest Xbox and the first to offer games in 4K. At $ 499 the highest resolution comes at a high price. After a week with the console and hours of play, I can firmly say that the Xbox One X is the best Xbox to date. This Xbox has everything.

Think about it. The Xbox One X is the culmination of the Xbox project and, at present, at this point in history, the system does not lack functionality or critical capability. I am happy to report that it behaves as advertised, too. It's fast, smooth and able to play games from the past and present with the best possible graphics.

Even though the Xbox One X offers the best Xbox experience possible, it may not be a system for everyone.

From 480p to 4k

The Xbox One X is the third version of the third generation of the Xbox. The original was released in 2001 with Xbox 360 stores in 2005. The current generation began in 2013 with the Xbox One. The Xbox One X shares many similarities with the first Xbox One but lacks a feature of the original: Kinect. Microsoft has bet the future of the show on movement and voice commands. We are there, four years later, and the Kinect is dead, and the controller is standing.

With some games, pop graphics and shimmering colors in a way that was not possible on past consoles. The quality leap is significant with the One X. The increase in quality looks more like the jump from the Xbox 480p to the Xbox 360 720p rather than the jump from the Xbox One 360 ​​to 1080p.

Quite simply, the game at 4K is awesome. Gaming at 4K with a faster refresh rate is even better, and this Xbox casts down. Games optimized for higher resolution and faster refresh rate are more aesthetic and fluid. Similarly, games that are not optimized still benefit from the extra power of One X with faster loading times and improved graphics. J & # 39; imagine. Sometimes I thought the older Xbox One games worked better on the One X than on the One S, but that could have been just because I was using an Xbox that did not pull a full hard drive.

New games like Gears of War 4 are beautiful in 4K and 60 frames per second. I found the graphics almost as good as anything that is available on a PC. Even during the most intense fights, the gameplay was beautifully smooth. This was not always the case. Sometimes with previous systems, there was a little slowing down when the action accelerated. I played the last Gears last month and yet I played through a good part again – for TechCrunch players, of course – and for the first time in a Gears game, felt that the system had enough leeway to provide the smoothest experience possible.

I literally said "wow" during the opening fight scene on Gears of War 4. I had been playing the game since it was released last month, so it was like the right place to start. The game is already beautiful, and even on a One S, the gameplay is fluid. However, on the Xbox One X, the gameplay is smoothed to a silky experience.

It becomes messy

All graphic enhancements can be complicated.

For Gears of War 4, players have several options. In the game configuration menu, players can choose between Visual or Performance modes. Select Visuals and the game is played in 4k at 30 fps (the pretty mode). The Performance option hits the framerate at a speed of 60 fps and maintains the resolution at 1080p (the smooth mode). But this switch is only for campaign mode. Horde mode plays at 60 ips in 4k with an adaptive scaling scale to maintain high frame rate.

And these options are the settings for Gears of War 4. Each game offers different settings and modes and some offer none.

This is only the beginning of the confusion. Other games have been updated to support the HDR format which offers a wider range of colors and contrasts. HDR allows the clear parts of the image to be brighter and the darker parts to appear darker while providing more color between the two. Only a few games come out HDR and 4K and some games support HDR or 4K. It's a confusing mess, and the consumer will suffer.

Games like Gears of War 4 have been updated to support both 4K and HDR. Others like Halo 5: Guardians or Killer Instinct only support 4K and not HDR. As a consumer, I find the situation insulting and a disadvantage to buying the console at launch. Finally, most games will support at least 4K, but until then, players will have to suffer through the increasing efforts of Microsoft to convince developers to release games in 4K.

Microsoft is smart to point out that the extra power inside the Xbox One X enhances graphics even on a 1080p screen. If patched for hardware, these games look slightly better on older screens.

Sometimes, the differences are inconsequential for a person with a 1080p screen and a One X. Most users would find it hard to notice the difference apart from a few games. On the Home screen, the One S works just as well as the One X thanks to the new Microsoft user interface launched last month.

It is important to note that the Xbox One X does not automatically make a 4K game. And of course, the system must be connected to a 4K TV. In addition, some 4K TVs offer HDR rendering for better color and faster refresh modes for smoother graphics. It becomes complicated. There are many variables, and these variables can be expensive.

At the present time, 4K titles available on disc must download a patch for higher resolution output. There are also 4K titles available on the online store. In either case, it's a chore to discover games available at a higher resolution. Right now, at launch, the best place to find 4K games is with this comprehensive list on the Xbox website.

Users can search for 4K games through the online store, but some of the results are not 4K games. To check if a game is available in 4K, users should click and check the Capabilities dialog box on the product page of the game. It's a tedious process and Microsoft would be well advised to add a label to the title mailbox that appears when browsing the catalog.

Sony had a similar problem when launching the PS4 Pro, and it seems that Microsoft is managing it a little better. The online list is easier to analyze and display more prominently. When it comes to retail availability right now, it's just as difficult to find an Xbox 4K game as it was a 4K PS4 game. Eventually, the Xbox games will have a label on the back of the title showing its graphics capability, but the stores I've visited are still working on the stock back and have not yet secured any titles with the new labels. I've checked two Best Buy stores and Forza 7 was the only game labeled as 4K capable. The selection will improve over time but it might be difficult during the holidays for mom and dad to identify 4K games to buy for your new 4K gaming system.

Amazing performance, dubious value

Microsoft proudly proclaims that the Xbox One X is the most powerful console of all time. And by all accounts, that's true. It contains more computing power than the PS4 Pro, which up to now, held this title.

Listen, the Xbox One X is the best Xbox that a player can buy. Fingers in the nose. It is smoother, faster and smaller than the Xbox One S. If the One X replaces the One S at the same price, it would be easy to recommend. With the One X priced at $ 499, for most people, the Xbox One S at $ 279 is the smartest way to spend money. It offers, in most cases, a similar gaming experience and, in some cases, a little less beautiful graphics – that you will certainly not miss if you do not use a 4K compatible screen, or watch your TV at the right distance

There is a call to play in 4K although I question the current value of the game in 4K. Are Xbox One X graphics better than the Xbox One S? Yes, but sometimes the differences are marginal and often meaningless for the gameplay.

The purchase of the Xbox One X right now is an investment. 4K TVs are quickly becoming the norm and now that Microsoft and Sony are offering 4K systems, developers will start designing games with 4K as standard. There will be a moment when 1080p is an afterthought and it is then that the Xbox One X will be justified. And by then, the price of the Xbox One X will probably be lower and the games in 4K will be easier to find.

When the Xbox 360 came out, it was a fleeting shot. The difference between Xbox and Xbox 360 is massive. Then the $ 500 Xbox One came out and the difference was less dramatic on the Xbox 360. The Xbox One X $ 500 is a leap in quality even less significant compared to its predecessor and players will have a hard time justifying the $ 30. buying an X One One For me, it's not worth it. At least not now. If you are the person who needs the best Xbox possible, the One X is the system you need.