Microsoft has unveiled the latest games console in its line-up, a more powerful version of the Xbox One called the Xbox One X.
The tech giant touted the machine’s specs, including its ability to run games in 4K ultra-HD, ahead of the E3 games show in Los Angeles.
To be released on 7 November, the Xbox One X will cost $499, or £449 in the UK. One analyst said Microsoft was keen to keep attracting hardcore gamers.
The system, which also runs games at 60 frames-per-second (fps), was labelled “the most powerful console ever made” on stage by Phil Spencer, head of Xbox.
It is also the smallest Xbox yet. It joins the Xbox One S – a slimmer version of the Xbox One that supports 4K video streaming – in the roster of consoles that make up Microsoft’s latest console generation.
The Xbox One X’s name raised a few eyebrows, with some gamers describing it as a “tongue-twister” online.
Sony, too, has a console with 4K capabilities – the PS4 Pro – which it released in November last year.
However, the PS4 Pro’s specifications – including memory and processor speed – are lower than those of the Xbox One X.
It boasts 12 gigabytes of RAM to the PS4 Pro’s 8 gigabytes, for example, and 6 teraflops of graphics processing power compared to 4.12.
However, while the Xbox One X is capable of supporting virtual reality gaming, there was almost no mention of this during the presentation and no demonstrations of games that use VR headsets.The console will also be immediately compatible with all existing Xbox One games.
However, he added that the broader spectrum of gamers would likely be more interested in new titles exclusive to the console that might tempt them into buying it, BBC technology reports.
Xbox wants all the games to be completely backwards-compatible with the cheaper Xbox consoles, and so the only improvements will be visual – no new gameplay experiences making use of that extra computing power. At $499, that’s a big additional cost when – to its credit – the Xbox One is still a graphically brilliant console.
