What The Xbox One X Has Besides A Terrible Name

First teased at E3 2016 under the codename Project Scorpio, Microsoft’s answer to native 4K gaming is expecting a December release just in time for the holidays. But before it was a contender for the top spot on your Christmas wish list, it underwent a striking name change. At June’s E3 press conference, the new system was christened the Xbox One X. It’s a terrible name for what has the potential to be the “the world’s most powerful console”. Only time will tell if it performs well enough to ignore its handle.

 

We understand why its name got a revamp. Project Scorpio doesn’t exactly fit with the existing Xbox brand, but it sounds a hell of a lot cooler than what they came up with. How long they spent cooking up that ‘X’ to add on to the Xbox One, we’ll never know, but someone was paid a lot of money for that singular letter.

Too bad it’s a bit of a mouthful. Even the people responsible for it can’t quite get their tongues around the new name. In a cringe-worthy moment immortalized on YouTube, Microsoft’s MC stumbled over its new name at E3, calling it the Xbone before correcting himself quickly. Believe me, once you write this egg corn down, you’re stuck writing Xbone every time you mean Xbox.

This is a digression. What’s in a name, anyways? As long as the newest console is as powerful as Microsoft says it is we can look the other way when it comes to its ID. So what are we waiting for? It’s time to outline what we can expect from the former Project Scorpio.

Performance, Graphics & Library

In terms of power, its CPU will pack a wallop of a punch. At 8 core 2.3 GHz backed by 12 GB of GDDR5 RAM, it narrowly beats out the PS4 Pro which boasts an 8 core CPU with 8 GB of GDDR5. Where the two machines digress is their GPUs. The One X’s 6 teraflops leave the Pro’s 4.20 in the dust. This translates into smooth gameplay with an impressive clarity of detail and sharper shadows. It also possesses HDR capability, or the ability to show a High Dynamic Range of luminosity.

 

These visuals will work best on a 4K TV. Without 4K support, many of the perks that make the One X unique get lost in the lower resolution. On the flip side, Xbox One X-enhanced games native to 4K won’t degrade too much when played on an HD TV — leaving some consumers to question why they should make the upgrade at all.

The new console will support all of the Xbox One’s existing games. Its backwards compatibility is nice for those who have immense game libraries and who are unwilling to lose any saved progress. But most of these games won’t support the extra features the One X brags, even on a 4K TV.

Design

When it comes to its looks, the One X will see modest changes to the typical Xbox prototype. It will look most like the Xbox One S with a slightly smaller frame than the original Xbox, but Microsoft is dropping the S’ clean white color for a disappointing space grey in addition to stock black.

 

Fans of vinyl decals or skins know a boring color isn’t the end of the world when it comes to a device. Manufacturers like dbrand offer up exciting new ways to revamp a tired looking console with exclusive designs. A facelift a la dbrand could include Bamboo, Dragon Skin (totally in right now thanks to Got), and Marble, but you would know that if you already custom ordered your Xbox One skins online when you first got the original console.

Color is only console deep. As for its hardware, that’s built right into the machine. Besides the power button, you’ll find a disc slot, controller sync button, 1 USB port, and an IR receiver on the front. Around the back, the loss of the Kinect port makes way for a HDMI in- and out-puts, a singular IR out, an Optical Audio port, Ethernet, and 2 USB ports alongside the power connector.

Looking at its design, CPU, and graphics, the Xbox One X has potential. Whether it meets expectations is up to fate and whether or not you have a 4K TV. Pre-orders for the One X are open now ahead of its November 7 release. No news if it will star in any insane Black Friday deals this year, but it’s a good bet the One X will be left under the tree for kids (and adults) around the country.