Xbox One X

Custom tuned with hovis

To maximize performance and minimize power consumption, Xbox One X uses the hovis method, a cutting edge digital power delivery system that custom tunes each console’s voltage.

Garth wrote:New Avatars coming this year:



Fancy!

BID0 wrote:I'm looking at Panasonic 4k 65" OLEDs online :fp:

The Xbox One X is aspirational in the purest sense of the word

You might be ready, but is your living room?

he Xbox One X is aspirational in the purest sense of the word. It's Microsoft's direct response to people saying that the standard Xbox One wasn't powerful enough in comparison to Sony's PlayStation 4. With six teraflops of processing power and a raft of other specs that have already given fanboys plenty to brag about, that's no longer the case. But what's it like to actually play around with the console? Well, I can't tell you. Microsoft's "Xbox One X Experience" at E3 this year was a hands-off theater presentation. The company had mock-up consoles outside its demo area, but inside, everything ran on developer kits. Yes, those really cool looking white boxes with the LCD display on the front of them.

While I didn't get to pick up a gamepad myself, Microsoft tried wowing the press in its hands-off demo area with Forza Motorsport 7, Gears of War 4 and Minecraft running in 4K. The most impressive of the trio wasn't car porn, however, nor did it involve chainsawing aliens in half. Forza and Gears look great, but the same can be said for their 1080p counterparts too.

Surprisingly, it was Mojang's blocky world-builder's "Super Duper Graphics Pack" that borrows from high-resolution total conversion mods on PC to make Minecraft look as good as it possibly can. Things like railroad tracks now have geometric depth to them (they were previously flat), the water almost looks real enough to drink and, all around, the lighting has received a massive upgrade. The sunrise in the trailer below looked absolutely gorgeous on the theater's massive HDR display. Believe me: I'm as surprised as you are that Minecraft was the most impressive looking demo.

If you don't want to upgrade your TV, the Xbox One X uses supersampling to push more detailed graphics to your existing HD display. Microsoft unfortunately didn't showwhy someone with a 1080p should really be interested in the upgraded hardware, though, which makes it hard to know why someone like me with a TV that looks markedly better than a majority of affordable 4K sets should care about the new console.

To get the most out of the One X, you need to spend even more than the $500 Microsoft is asking for. 4K TVs have dropped in price dramatically, so taking advantage of HDR video and UHD's millions of pixels is less of a bank-breaking proposition. But if you're the type who's after pristine image quality -- seemingly who the target market is here -- an entry-level Vizio isn't going to do it for you. Which makes upgrading to the One X an even more expensive proposition

And then there's audio. Dolby and Microsoft had their theater kitted out with a 7.4.1 Atmos setup; seven surround sound speakers, four ceiling-pointed ones and a gigantic subwoofer. Most people play games either through their TV speakers or dedicated headphones, though. Atmos is something exotic and likely incredibly out of reach for most people -- even for someone like me with a dedicated 5.1 surround sound system in a modest apartment.

No matter, because whether you'll be able to use it or not, this fall, Microsoft will issue a patch for Gears of War 4 that adds native support for Dolby Atmos.

How does it sound? Based on the demo I saw (and heard), really good. At one point, a helicopter hovering behind me fired off some rockets and hearing the sound of them whoosh overhead, from the back of the room to the front, was undeniably cool. Very subtle, yes, but still very cool.

Sure you could always use a pair of headphones paired with Dolby's relatively new Access app (which uses software to bring positional audio to any pair of existing cans), but it's really hard to beat the spatial separation of having discrete speakers placed around a room. Specifically, it's incredibly difficult for headphones to trick your brain into thinking that dialog from the center channel is firing directly at you.

Right now, it'll cost at least $1,600 ($500 for the One X, around $700 for the speakers and receiver and $428 for a Vizio E series display) to actually use the One X to its fullest potential -- four years after spending $500 for the Xbox One, or a little over a year after spending $400 on a One S. There's still six months before the system's November 7th retail release, though, so we still have time for Microsoft to prove the One X's value proposition for everyone -- not just the well-heeled.

HSH28 wrote:

BID0 wrote:I'm looking at Panasonic 4k 65" OLEDs online

The new one? Isn't that £7000?

BID0 wrote:

HSH28 wrote:

BID0 wrote:I'm looking at Panasonic 4k 65" OLEDs online :fp:

The new one? Isn't that £7000?

I think so. I was just looking on the Panasonic site itself to compare the different models.

There's another one out this year by the looks of it too. I need to figure out what the mode numbers stand for a pick something from there.

And also do I really want an OLED over an LED

I really don't want to get shot of my plasma though, the picture quality is amazing even though the resolution is low compared to modern day screens.

Venom wrote:Polygon.com always quick to be scathing of any Sony misstep has yet to write a critical comment on the pricing or the positioning of the Xbox One S! Although there is this one about the best Xbox One S announcements.

HSH28 wrote:

BID0 wrote:

HSH28 wrote:

BID0 wrote:I'm looking at Panasonic 4k 65" OLEDs online

The new one? Isn't that £7000?

I think so. I was just looking on the Panasonic site itself to compare the different models.

There's another one out this year by the looks of it too. I need to figure out what the mode numbers stand for a pick something from there.

And also do I really want an OLED over an LED

I really don't want to get shot of my plasma though, the picture quality is amazing even though the resolution is low compared to modern day screens.

Just had a look its the top of the range 65" EZ1002 which is £6999, the EZ952 is available in 55" and 65" versions and can be had for £2999 and £4799 at the moment.

Top of the range has an "Absolute Black Filter" and a built in speaker along the bottom of the set.

EDIT - Was reading a review of the top of the range model and apparently it has unrivalled colour accuracy compared to the LG and Sony OLED, basically the same as professional reference monitors.