Xbox One X: Review

              Xbox One X: Review
  Does it really make a difference at all?

If you’re interested in 4K gaming, you’ll almost certainly be reading several Xbox One X reviews. They’ll all tell you the same thing: the hardware is great but it’s far too expensive, and the games library can’t match that available to the Sony PS4 Pro.

I’m not going to offer an alternative view, but I’m also not going to slate the console for that reason alone. There are still plenty of reasons why you might want to buy the Xbox One X anyway, in preference to Sony’s PS4 Pro.

The One S is compatible with all the same titles as the One X and is a capable console in its own right. Even though it can "only" play games in 1080p, it has support for HDR gaming with some enhanced titles and there’s still a 4K Blu-ray drive built-in, so you can at least watch your favourite movies in ultra-high definition.

Before I go on, though, it’s important to note that not all enhanced games will run in native 4K. Some will run with checkerboarding like the PS4 Pro and some will offer enhanced frame rates while others will use the power of the new console to offer a dynamic resolution, increased texture detail and higher polygon counts. Some, of course, will do all of these things and look stunning – the point is, not all will.

And, it must be noted that that the same was true of Sony’s 4K library when the PS4 Pro launched but  Sony does have a year’s head start, so there’s a much larger current selection of games than is available for the Xbox One X right now.

That brings us to the question, should you buy the Xbox One X? The answer at this early stage is, well, maybe. It all boils down to what you have right now, whether you’re desperate for 4K games and whether you’re up for spending this much on a games console that doesn’t offer a huge amount extra over and above a console costing half as much.