Microsoft Admits Xbox One X Isn't For Everyone As It Goes All In To Crush PS4 Pro
We have less than a month to go before Microsoft releases its powerful Xbox One X console to retail. Priced at $500 in the United States, the Xbox One X is an upgraded version of the Xbox One that is built to tackle 'true' 4K resolution gaming at 60 frames per second. The added graphics and processing muscle will also benefit users who do not own a 4K-capable television. That said, Microsoft's Phil Spencer admits that similar to the Xbox One Elite controller, the Xbox One X is "not for everybody."
"Whether you're on a 1080p TV or a 4K TV, you're going to have a great experience. But it's not everybody," Spencer told GameSpot at the Brazil Game Show. "It's like when we built the Xbox One Elite controller, we didn't try to say to everybody, 'If you need an extra controller, go buy the Elite controller.' We sold a ton of those controllers. We know in the gaming segment, there are a lot of people who play games casually and there's also people where gaming is their number one hobby. Their number one form of entertainment, and we want to give them the very best experience."
In other words, the Xbox One X is a more powerful version of the Xbox One that Microsoft anticipates will be in demand by a lot of gamers, though not all of them. For players who do not want to spend a premium on a muscular console, the Xbox One S will continue to sell alongside the Xbox One X, at a cheaper price. If we were to offer an analogy, think of it as the decision to order a sirloin steak or a porterhouse—both will fill you up, but the latter is a tastier (to many people) premium cut with a price tag to match.
While not for everybody, Microsoft is confident its Xbox One X will be a hit, especially with 4K televisions becoming more commonplace. It is a different situation in the home entertainment segment than when manufacturers tried to push 3D TVs. The majority of new TVs sold these days are 4K, offering four times the resolution of 1080p TVs, provided the content is rendered in 4K.
The Xbox One X is all about delivering 4K experiences, and though it comes to market a year after Sony debuted its upgraded PlayStation 4 Pro, Microsoft's bragging point is that its console sports more powerful hardware capable of producing true (native) 4K gaming experiences, as opposed to upscaled ones.
"I look at Pro as more of a competitor to S than I do to Xbox One X. This is a true 4K console. If you just look at the specs of what this box is, it's in a different league than any other console that's out there. When I think about techniques to somehow manufacture a 4K screen like what some other consoles try to do, this is different than that," Xbox boss Phil Spencer said earlier this year.
After all the posturing, we will get to see for ourselves if the Xbox One X can live up to the hype when it launches on November 7.
"Whether you're on a 1080p TV or a 4K TV, you're going to have a great experience. But it's not everybody," Spencer told GameSpot at the Brazil Game Show. "It's like when we built the Xbox One Elite controller, we didn't try to say to everybody, 'If you need an extra controller, go buy the Elite controller.' We sold a ton of those controllers. We know in the gaming segment, there are a lot of people who play games casually and there's also people where gaming is their number one hobby. Their number one form of entertainment, and we want to give them the very best experience."
In other words, the Xbox One X is a more powerful version of the Xbox One that Microsoft anticipates will be in demand by a lot of gamers, though not all of them. For players who do not want to spend a premium on a muscular console, the Xbox One S will continue to sell alongside the Xbox One X, at a cheaper price. If we were to offer an analogy, think of it as the decision to order a sirloin steak or a porterhouse—both will fill you up, but the latter is a tastier (to many people) premium cut with a price tag to match.
While not for everybody, Microsoft is confident its Xbox One X will be a hit, especially with 4K televisions becoming more commonplace. It is a different situation in the home entertainment segment than when manufacturers tried to push 3D TVs. The majority of new TVs sold these days are 4K, offering four times the resolution of 1080p TVs, provided the content is rendered in 4K.
The Xbox One X is all about delivering 4K experiences, and though it comes to market a year after Sony debuted its upgraded PlayStation 4 Pro, Microsoft's bragging point is that its console sports more powerful hardware capable of producing true (native) 4K gaming experiences, as opposed to upscaled ones.
"I look at Pro as more of a competitor to S than I do to Xbox One X. This is a true 4K console. If you just look at the specs of what this box is, it's in a different league than any other console that's out there. When I think about techniques to somehow manufacture a 4K screen like what some other consoles try to do, this is different than that," Xbox boss Phil Spencer said earlier this year.
After all the posturing, we will get to see for ourselves if the Xbox One X can live up to the hype when it launches on November 7.
