Can the Xbox One X reclaim the gaming market - PC comparison
The Xbox One X (née Project Scorpio) was at the centre of attention last night at Xbox's E3 press conference and while everyone that appeared on the stage referred to it as the 'most powerful console ever', but how does it stack up against a similarly priced PC?
It's worth noting at this point that we don't have a UK price point for Xbox One X, with the US RRP sitting at $499. Given the current state of affairs, you can expect the console to sit anywhere between £450-£500. So, to get us started, here's how the X fits into the existing Xbox One family with the full spec sheet:
Spec | Xbox One X | Xbox One S | Xbox One |
Size | 30cm x 24cm x 6cm | 29.5cm x 23cm x 6.5cm | 34.3cm x 26.3cm 8cm |
Weight | 8.4lbs | 6.4lbs | 7.8lbs |
CPU | Custom CPU @ 2.3 GHz, 8 cores | Custom Jaguar CPU @ 1.75GHz, 8 cores | Custom Jaguar CPU @ 1.75GHz, 8 cores |
GPU | Custom GPU @ 1.172 GHz, 40 CUs, Polaris features, 6.0 TFLOPS | Custom GPU @ 914 MHz, 12 CUs, 1.4 TFLOPS | Custom GPU @ 853 MHz, 12 CUs, 1.3 TFLOPS |
Memory | 12 GB GDDR5 @ 326 GB/s | 8 GB DDR3 @ 68 GB/s, 32 MB ESRAM @ 218 GB/s | 8 GB DDR3 @ 68 GB/s, 32 MB ESRAM @ 204 GB/s |
Flash | 8GB | 8GB | 8GB |
Internal Storage | 1TB HDD | 500GB, 1TB, 2TB HDD | 500GB, 1TB HDD |
Optical Disc Drive | 4K UHD Blu-ray | 4K UHD Blu-ray | Blu-ray |
PSU | 245W, Internal | 120W, Internal | 220W, External |
HDMI resolution and framerate | 2160p @ 60Hz AMD FreeSync HDMI Variable Refresh Rate (when ratified) | 2160p @ 60Hz | 1080p @ 60Hz |
HDR10 Support | Yes | Yes | No |
Content Protection | HDCP 2.2 | HDCP 2.2 | HDCP 1.4 |
Video CODECs | HEVC/H.265, VP9, AVC/H.264, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 Part 2, VC1/WMV9 | HEVC/H.265, AVC/H.264, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 Part 2, VC1/WMV9 | AVC/H.264, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 Part 2, VC1/WMV9 |
HDMI audio, encoded | Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1, PCM 2.0, 5.1, & 7.1; Dolby TrueHD w/Atmos (from games) | Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1, PCM 2.0, 5.1, & 7.1; Dolby TrueHD w/Atmos (from games) | Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1, PCM 2.0, 5.1, & 7.1; Dolby TrueHD w/Atmos (from games) |
HDMI audio, passthru | Dolby TrueHD (opt. Atmos), DD+ (opt. Atmos), DTS-HR/MA (opt. DTS:X) | Dolby TrueHD (opt. Atmos), DD+ (opt. Atmos), DTS-HR/MA (opt. DTS:X) | Dolby TrueHD (opt. Atmos), DD+ (opt. Atmos), DTS-HR/MA (opt. DTS:X) |
S/PDIF audio, encoded | Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1, PCM 2.0 | Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1, PCM 2.0 | Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1, PCM 2.0 |
CODECs decoded | AAC, MP3, MPEG1, WMV | AAC, MP3, MPEG1, WMV | AAC, MP3, MPEG1, WMV |
Wireless | IEEE 802.11ac dual band (5GHz & 2.4GHz), 2×2 wireless Wi-Fi with Wi-Fi Direct for home networks | IEEE 802.11ac dual band (5GHz & 2.4GHz), 2×2 wireless Wi-Fi with Wi-Fi Direct for home networks | Dual band 2.4GHz and 5GHz spectrums, compatible with IEEE 802.11/a/b/g/n networks |
Ethernet | IEEE 802.3 10/100/1000 | IEEE 802.3 10/100/1000 | IEEE 802.3 10/100/1000 |
Accessories Radio | Dedicated dual band Xbox Wireless radio | Dedicated dual band Xbox Wireless radio | Dedicated dual band Xbox Wireless radio |
USB Port | 3x USB 3.0 | 3x USB 3.0 | 3x USB 3.0 |
HDMI Out | 2.0b | 2.0a | 1.4b |
HDMI In | 1.4b | 1.4b | 1.4b |
S/PDIF | Yes | Yes | Yes |
IR Receiver/IR Blaster Port | Yes | Yes | Yes |
IR Blaster | Yes | Yes | No |
Kinect Port | External USB Adapter | External USB Adapter | Yes |
With all of that in mind I scouted about the internet for a couple of similarly priced gaming PCs and came up with these two from Chillblast and Overclockers. I've taken out a lot of the fluff details from above (I'm sure you won't be losing any sleep when you find out that you can't use Kinect with the PCs).
Spec | Xbox One X | ||
Size | 30cm x 24cm x 6cm | 26cm x 28cm x 19cm |
|
CPU | Custom CPU @ 2.3 GHz, 8 cores | Intel Pentium G4560 @ 3.5 GHz, 2 cores | AMD FX-4 4300 @ 4.2GHz, quad core |
GPU | Custom GPU @ 1.172 GHz, 40 CUs, Polaris features, 6.0 TFLOPs | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050, 2GB GDDR5, 1.8 TFLOPs | AMD Radeon RX 460, 2GB GDDR5, 14 CUs, 2.2 TFLOPs |
Memory | 12 GB GDDR5 @ 326 GB/s | 8GB DDR4 2133MHz | 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600MHz |
Flash | 8GB | 8GB | 8GB |
Internal Storage | 1TB HDD | Seagate 1TB 7200RPM HDD | Seagate 1TB 7200RPM HDD |
Optical Disc Drive | 4K UHD Blu-ray | None | None |
PSU | 245W, Internal | 500W, Internal | 450W, Internal |
HDMI resolution and framerate | 2160p @ 60Hz AMD FreeSync HDMI Variable Refresh Rate (when ratified) | Maximum resolution: 7680x4320@60Hz | Maximum resolution: 4096 x 2160@60Hz |
Content Protection | HDCP 2.2 | None | None |
USB Port | 3x USB 3.0 | 4x USB 3.0, 4 x USB 2.0 | 4x USB 3.0, 4 x USB 2.0 |
Operating System | Custom Windows 10 | Windows 10 Home | Windows 10 64 Bit |
VR Ready | Yes | No | No |
Price | $499 (£450-£500) | £499.99 | £529.99 |
On paper then the Xbox One X is actually pretty competitive with the PCs and has it beat in a couple of respects when it comes to memory and having more cores in the CPU department. The resolution is the big selling point of the X, with Microsoft stating that gamers will be playing in full 4K at a consistent framerate. While the Chillblast PC can potentially run at a ludicrous 7680x4320, realistically with the specs that it and the Overclockers PC have you'll be looking at 1080p and a solid 30-60 fps depending on the title and graphics settings.
Obviously it's worth bearing in mind as well that the console comes with a controller while you'll have to stick on an extra £100 or so for a decent mouse and keyboard.
I can safely say that I am impressed with the Xbox One X. What is underneath the hood of the smallest Xbox ever is competitve, but the biggest drawback for some may be the price. In the PC gaming community consumers are used to paying upwards of £500 for a decent rig, but consoles are an entirely different market.
By contrast, the PlayStation 4 Pro retails at £349.99/$399.99 – a full $100 less than the X. And that's before even considering that Sony may announce a price cut at its press conference on Monday. Meanwhile, the Nintendo Switch sits at £279.99.
Ultimately developers will determine the success of the Xbox One X. While you can boast all you like about specs, unlike a PC where modders can improve a game's look or performance or creators can take advantage in video/audio/photo editing, a console is all down to the games (and Netflix, but a toaster can run Netflix in 2017).
If the Xbox One X has the support from developers it can flourish and, potentially, draw the gamers who moved over to PC back in.
