Cost in 2017: $499
The XBox One X is Microsoft's most advanced console yet. But regardless of whether you're Team XBox, Club PlayStation, or a diehard Nintendork, we can all agree on two things: the "XBox One X" is a mouthful of a name, and Microsoft sure wants lots of money for it. At launch, the console costs $499 for the system alone. Is paying half a G for the shiniest video games around really worth it?
Sadly, maybe not. With 4K graphics, 12 gigabytes of memory, and the ability to both play XBox One games and make them look better, XBox One X certainly sounds awesome and badass. Here's the problem, though: it's all style, and no substance. As Aaron Greenberg, head of XBox Marketing, admitted over Twitter, the XBox One X — for 500 beans, remember — will offer no new, exclusive games. It will simply make your existing XBox games look prettier and sound better. Meanwhile, you can get a regular XBox One for half that price these days, and its graphics aren't exactly godawful either. Why pay half a grand for what's essentially a nifty little makeover?
Then, there's the 4K issue. According to Fortune, very few people have 4K TVs. In 2016, maybe 10 percent of people had one. More of us may have them in the coming years, but it's still incredibly risky for Microsoft to sell its new system relying on a technology that a huge chunk of its audience simply doesn't have.
Maybe with a price drop and some actual exclusive games to justify the purchase, there may be hope for the XBox One X. Otherwise, best just save your money for Microsoft's next actual system, which will probably have an even goofier name. Hopefully it'll be the "XBox 2 XL."
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