The new Xbox One X console. Image: Microsoft
Microsoft has revealed its new console, the Xbox One X, which is set to take on the PS4 Pro in the 4K gaming stakes.
The release of an upgraded Xbox One console was by no means a secret among gamers, having gone under the name of Scorpio for the past number of months.
However, the company decided to go with an altogether less cool name, revealing the Xbox One X at its launch event at E3, following on from the release last year of the smaller Xbox One S.
Despite the name, Microsoft has boasted that the new console will be the most powerful gaming device on the market, with the ability to support native 4K resolution for dozens of games when it goes on sale on 4 November.
In terms of technical spec, the Xbox One X has some impressive hardware, including a six teraflop processor running at 2.3GHz and 12GB of GDDR5 memory.
In terms of looks, the black machine is actually smaller than the downsized Xbox One S, but otherwise follows a similar box design.
The console will also come with a 4K Blu-ray player to allow games to appear at their best possible quality, along with audio improvements including Dolby Atmos surround sound.
These features alone are enough to give the Xbox One X an edge over its main rival, Sony’s PS4 Pro, which has been on the market for a number of months now.
Most powerful and most expensive
However, while the hardware might surpass that of the PS4 Pro, Microsoft might struggle to convince people to pay €499, a price tag that makes it the most expensive console on the market.
By comparison, the PS4 Pro was launched at a price of €399 back in November and is expected to fall to around the €250 mark in the near future, possibly within the next few days.
While 4K TVs remain a luxury item for most, Microsoft has assured those without the devices that standard HD TVs should still see a graphical boost with games designed for 4K, along with faster loading times.
For fans of older Xbox games, Microsoft said that it is expanding its backward compatibility library to include nearly 400 games, while existing Xbox One titles such as Rocket League and Final Fantasy XV will get free graphical updates for 4K.
Microsoft is hoping this will be enough to convince more gamers to switch or buy an Xbox for the first time, as sales have only been around half that of the PS4.
According to figures released in April, the PS4 passed the 55m mark in sales, while the Xbox One sold less than 29m units.
