Xbox One X's raw power has finally closed the gap with PC gaming

Now that they hype train is finally pulling into the station, we can all sit down and enjoy just how powerful Xbox One X really is. Make no mistake, its arrival marks a watershed moment for consoles. By unlocking 4K and including high-end hardware under its hood, the imposing chasm that stood between consoles and the PC gaming market has finally shrunk.

[Gazondaily]

Obviously it's not as potent as some of the crazy gaming rigs out there but what it's doing, for that pricepoint, is very very impressive.

[CP_Company]

it does not matter how you spin it, 30fps is not impressive.

[Lennoxb63]

If all games were 60 fps on console next gen then the graphics jump wouldn't be big enough. And graphics sell games not frame rate. It's not worth it. Especially for single player games that aren't focused on skill and twitch fast inputs.

[kevnb]

Call of duty proves that frame rate is actually more important than graphics.

[aconnellan]

I'll tell Driveclub's 30fps that you said that.

On topic, 30fps has its place - largely when devs are prioritising other elements in the game that they want to improve (not just straight resolution, but things like particle effects, players on screen, etc)

Of course I'd take 60fps 9 times out of 10, but when it's 30 it just mean something there's other stuff happening in the game that devs thought was more important

[bluefox755]

@Lennox From a marketing standpoint, you are right. From a gamer's standpoint, it's a terrible idea. Every gaming experience benefits from 60fps, the game literally plays smoother. A resolution boost does not make the game play better. Graphics are pretty, but unless you're just looking at the game and not playing it, it's not a good tradeoff.

[zb1ftw777]

Exactly.

$2500 for a barely 4k 30fps PC gaming rig is indeed a waste of money.

You should get an XB1X for a fifth of the price instead.

[LastCenturyRob]

Well, its a good thing many games are 60 fps....also, if a game is running at native 4k with graphics and effects turned up to ultra and running at 30 fps locked that is actually pretty impressive...Even from a higher end pc point of view.

[Sirk7x]

Until console developers have more resources than they know what to do with, they're almost always going to choose to max out graphics and run 30FPS, because shiny graphics are a higher selling point than smooth gameplay.

[Prem8tuaProcrastin8a]

Wtf are you talking about? If it's not impressive to be able to run games in 4k at the same frame rate as the x1s, why don't all consoles do it? Or why don't ALL gaming rigs do it? Oh yeah, it's because a tiny fraction of steam survey p.cs can even run games in 4k at all, and it takes large amounts of power to run in 4k/30. Ms said from the start that they would build a console that could run games in 4k without sacrificing existing frame rates, they have delivered. People said it wouldn't be able to do 4k at ANY frame rate, it does. People said if it could do 4k it would be 700+dollars, it doesn't. Now you're claiming that 4k/30 isn't impressive, IT IS. Your comments reek of jealousy. Go buy some taco bell, maybe you'll win yourself an X.

[Unspoken]

Uh yeah, the 1080 Ti hits 30-40 fps in Origins and Shadow of War.

[Father__Merrin]

nothing wrong withg 30fps, you make it out as if this is somehow unplayable or sluggish it plays perfectly fine depending on game type, 30fps done correctly plays very smooth on a tv setup. on a pc minitor it looks more jagi for some reson but on tv its fine

[The_KELRaTH]

The gaming industry should just kill off 30fps as it doesn't sync with any current screen technology.

I recently installed GT Sport and it turns out that the menus don't run at 60fps. Now you would think this rather unimportant as after all it's just the menus.
Unfortunately PD chose to use side scrolling (ticker tape) text at the bottom of the screen and because it's not in sync with the TV (or my PC monitor) all you see is a unreadable rubber band effect.

It reminds me that for all the CPU & GPU power, in some areas of technology we've gone completely backwards as this type of side scrolling was completely smooth as far back as on Atari / Commodore 8 bit home computer hardware as the hardware speed was locked to the raster TV display so devs couldn't choose to slow things down.

[AAWELLS09]

Right and every PC out there cant run every game at 60FPS "only the top end" and not everyone that owns a PC owns the top end of tech. No matter how many claim they have the best of the best. PC owners can just say they have whatever and cant really prove it.

[That_Guy244]

@zb1ftw777
Problem is my 2500$ pc will do much more than just gaming. I can do gaming,streaming,editing, us it as a media hub, and us it for work and alot of that at the same time. So yea will keep my pc when there is an xbox than can do everything my pc can do at the same lvl cheaper I will buy one till then I have zero interest in one no mater how cheap it is.

As far as the 30fps stuff I will never play another game in 30fps. Its just terrible and unplayable for me even 60fps is not that great once you play at 120+fps for so long. So if i had to choose 1080p@144hz or 4k@30/60hz I would pick the 1080p@144 every time.

[lelo2play]

The CPU my friend... the CPU is holding back the Xbox One X.

Xbox One X is still a good console... but it could have been better. 30FPS on the most demanding games isn't great.

[Bigpappy]

An you would be here writing the $699.99 price is too much. I mean they could have gone with an i7 and a 1080ti. But how many people would buy it.
You guys kill me when you sit there and act like you know something that the engineers at M$ don't. Pompous!

[lelo2play]

@Bigpappy
The only thing that Microsoft engineers worried about were teraflops... nothing more. As long as the XB1X had more teraflops then the PS4 Pro, Microsoft was happy.

Instead of 6TF, why not a 5TF console but with a better AMD CPU and keep the 500€ price tag?... Ryzen CPU perhaps? ... Ryzen are good AMD CPU's, not very expensive. Ever heard of them?

[bluefox755]

@Big They could have gone a step down with the GPU, and a step up with the CPU and kept the price. Don't pretend like you need an i7 and a 1080ti to run 60fps, those run circles around x1x.

[LastCenturyRob]

I have to disagree with you. Had they brought in a new CPU it would have increased the price of the console. Even with all you get with the X anything over a $500 price point would have been suicide on the retail front. That being said, yeah the enhanced CPU they are using is no prize pig but it isn't awful either. The GPU is pretty darn good and the amount of ram is unprecedented for a console. Overall, MS delivered the goods big-time this time around!

[Kyizen]

Yeah if they some how got the Ryzen in there it would be a beast but they missed that and it is launching out of date

[arbi]

it's very sad to see you getting downovoted buy saying the obvious..... its says a lot about the community here and the fanboysm that exist.

[FyBy]

Yeah for the pricepoint its very good. I cant imagine build pc with 4K capable for that price and size. And thats it. Everything has its pricepoint. MS could do for 600USD XOX with much bettter CPU (Zen family). Also there were speculations Sony considered ZEN for Pro which would be 100 USD higher. But everything is about price. As we could see in case of PS3, which was for 599 USD and that was big problem for many.

But XOX should be high end premium device. I think , that if there was a way to incorporate better CPU for 100 USD higher....that would be much better. But also next 100% gen.

[ABizzel1]

The real issue is the CPU really. Everything else is fine. They could have waited and gained another 2 GFLOPS of GPU power by launching a new console in 2018 instead of a mid-gen upgrade, but the CPU is the only thing keeping it from a constant 60fps and truly rivaling PC.

[Gazondaily]

I guess it would have raised the price of the console a bit too much. Some people already think the price is rather steep; any higher and it would really become even more niche of a product

[ABizzel1]

For the XBO-X for sure, for a 2018 console possibly not. The hardware pricing is based on what AMD has to offer currently so we know on the GPU side it's based off the RX 480 / RX 580 line, so waiting a year could have gave them a RX 680 for a similar price GPU wise which should have some hints of Vega architecture in it, and there they could have popped another $30 - $40 towards the CPU.

They would have took a loss early on, but they would have got ahead of next-gen and it would have hopefully gave them the restart they needed just like the Switch.

[ScreamingMeat]

Made ground? Yes. And as Septic says, amazing for the price point. Closed the gap? No. Sorry. When it's running Ultra-equivalent settings in 4K native at 60fps... THEN it's closed the gap. 30fps, medium-high with resolution scaling means there is still a big gap.

[Cartman55125]

Gamers in general (not just Xbox fanboys) should be celebrating. This will raise the bar for what consumers can expect of consoles.

[iNcRiMiNaTi]

I did an Assassin's Creed Origins test at 4k with an i7 8700k, gtx 1080Ti + 32gb ram on ultra high settings and the lowest I've seen the game dip is around 40fps. If the 1x manages to keep a consistent 4k 30fps then I'd say it's not that bad seeing how it's cheaper than my gpu

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

[AspiringProGenji]

It may be closed to a mid range PC in power but it still doesn’t offer the full benefits that a PC do. Even steam machines offered more benefits yet they failed... I believe to close the gap to PC you need more than power. This will sure please a lot of people that want more power or have been anxious to have the better version of games, but a PC is still the better investment plus MS is putting their exclusives there too. This is only the beggining for MS to make more iterative consoles to keep the power crown, so I wonder how much people will be able to spend to keep up when they can build a PC now and be 3 generations ahead and still beat the next Xbox X

[skydragoonityx]

All that power.. yet so few games

[freshslicepizza]

http://www.opencritic.com/b...

The Xbox One receieved over 20 titles in October alone, how many can you play in a month?

[BeRealisticNow]

@Moldy Come on dude, you know Multiplats don’t count as games s/

[Platinum_Fan]

@moldybread

That sounds great till you realize PS4 has over 30.

[Unspoken]

Games must not count as games.

[SojournUK]

I lol'd and I've got one pre-ordered.

[DivineAssault]

Skydragoon youre right but theres no denying its a nice console.. Especially for $500... Unlike the 1st iteration that came with kinect.. I dont want the thing until i see unique software but i definitely have to give them props on the box itself.. Too risky to buy if some devs put minimal effort to bring out the strengths imo.. Maybe when Red Dead 2 comes out and theres a sale ill consider it for 3rd party..

[LastCenturyRob]

You should learn to count before you comment. Ignorance is not bliss.

[maybelovehate]

It is actually close to high end machines. Witcher 3 at 4k and steady 30fps is not something a mid range PC can pull off. Hell my Titan X has issues pulling it off at medium settings.

[Toby_1981]

Don't worry by early next year Nvidia and AMD new Gpus are specifically designed for 4K and 60fps. It's funny how PC technology evolves so quickly.

[SCW1982]

I call bull.

[morganfell]

"It is actually close to high end machines."

No. Not close. Not in the ball park. Not in the parking lot attached to the ball park. Maybe some people should conduct a little research and see what a high end machine can actually do. Titan X? You should know better.

https://www.youtube.com/wat... - 2015 video.

https://www.youtube.com/wat... - 60fps with a GTX 1080ti.

[kevnb]

With the hair garbage turned off it can.

[SojournUK]

Titan X and those issues? Sounds like you have a bottleneck somewhere

[bluefox755]

30fps and "high end" don't belong in the same sentence, and you're wrong about 30fps and mid-range PCs. You're being dishonest about Titan X: https://www.youtube.com/wat... 4k/60 @ ultra

[MadLad]

I am running a GTX680, i5 that was built a year before the original PS4 came out, and the thing runs Witcher 3 at 1440p at an average of around 40 fps with everything at max. The hairworks nonsense turned off. I keep it capped at 30 because of the fluctuation.
The Witcher 3, On an X released 5 years after, runs things at medium at 30fps.

If so, fix your computer.

[Many-hat5]

Having been a PC gamer for many years, as well as a console gamer, I would like to commend your honesty. The reality is, PC's are miles ahead at the leading edge, but average gaming PC's are not all that many PC gamers claim. Even with the very best high end rigs, problems often occur running games. It has nothing to do with pure power, it's simply the problem of getting drivers,OS and games working effectively on unknown spec's right from a weak PC to a bleading edge. This is a problem of efficiency that consoles don't suffer from, at least at the hardware level. When they work well, a good PC run's rings around the X, but it's not simply a question of owning the hardware. I would challenge any honest PC gamer to deny this is true.

[Sokol]

I'm pretty sure it' offers more then mid tier pc In terms of power and performance..
I would know since I have one.

[343_Guilty_Spark]

It’s not mid range at all. Everyone who has tried to build a more powerful high end PC under $500 has failed.

[SCW1982]

That’s because you can’t build high end at that price, thus it being a mid range equivalent.

[kevnb]

Who said you had to? Who isn’t spending $500+ on a pc every few years anyway? The cost of a gaming pc is the effort and the gpu/power supply. $500 gets you quite a bit of gpu.

[Tapani]

I do own a PS4 Pro and Switch, and have been thinking of buying the X, but just because 8700K and Volta are coming, I won't. Even if the Nvidia's 138% more power is half right, the next GPUs from Nvidia will be astounding.

Instead of the X, I'll assemble a PC in the Spring from Nvidia's next flagship GPU (non-Titan), an overclocked 8700K, 3200mhz DDR4, NVME drive, better more silent cooling and casing and high-quality motherboard. Sure it will cost me a lot, but gaming is my biggest hobby and I am an adult with a job, so I can afford to invest a few thousand in it for the next five years. Nowadays kids hobbies cost five times more a year anyway. Good craft beer, annual gym pass, high fidelity A/V and gaming gets most of my extra money (the money after investing and saving for travel and on a bank account.)

So yeah, I don't think the gap has particularly closed compared to the set up above. In fact, I think the very opposite. I believe with PS4 and Xbox One the gap widened and they just played catch up with these mid-cycle consoles. And they just about caught up the mid-range, not the high-end. This is even statistically true, if you look at the past console generation cycles.

And don't tell me people can't afford $2500 gaming rigs. The same people are buying the iPhone X. I'm probably the very average 30-50 years-old consumer out there in the Western world who grew up with gaming and has some extra cash and wants the latest of the latest every few years and strategically buys stuff when there is a generational leap.

I would have to disagree with the article and honestly can't wait to see what my new PC with Volta can do instead of the X! Also, Switch and PS4 (Pro) has great exclusives, which X doesn't (but PC does!)

[kevnb]

Even a 1070 trounces the x, I can see them going for 300 or less next year.

[conanlifts]

The problem you have is that on paper the X is effectively running an amd 580, which is an overclocked 480. So this makes it seem like a mid gen pc. In reality however due to it being a closed box and the nature of consoles it will outperform its pc counterparts. Look at the gpu in xbox one and ps4 and then compare it to their pc counterparts. They massively outperform their pc equivalents. This will remain the same. I guess the argument also comes down to what is mid range and what is high end. Realistically it should not be able to outperform a 1070, but in reality in some games it will. Is a 1070 mid range or high end ? ( I would argue it is the the starting level for high end ) . On occasion it might even perform equal to a 1080, but this is likely to lack of optimisation on pc.
The pc that you build from the sound of it will feature unreleased tech, so should easily outperform the X. My PC is running a 970, which will see an upgrade when the 1180 or 2080 ( whatever it is called) is released. Until then the X is a cheap alternative.

[Condemnedman]

not for the same money you can't build a pc at the same level for 500 bucks without compromises yes you can spend more bit that's not what the X is aimed at

[iofhua]

19 xbox artards disagree with reality.

[madforaday]

The answer is simple, if Xbox One X had some exclusives game to literally show off the power of the X, people will be talking about this so much more. Even the first comment on here is Septic and his last point is about the new Xbox generation already.

Imagine if Scalebound and Crackdown 3 came out when X came out, and those games were made specifically for the Xbox X. It would be HUGE news but yet we just have old games that look better. We are buying into the unknown and that is what MS wants. With all that said, it is a great machine with power but power doesn't win, the console with the games usually win. It is a simple concept that MS for 3 generation has failed on.

[XiNatsuDragnel]

Not close to high end pc but mid PC yes but that power is great but bigger issue is upon us like 1st party

[NoPeace_Walker]

No worries. State of Decay 2, Crackdown 3, Seas of Thieves, Ori 2, Firza Horizon 4, Halo 6 are all scheduled to be released in 2018. Plenty of first party to satisfy XB1X owners.

[Razzer]

“Forza Horizon 4, Halo 6”

No, there is nothing “scheduled” for those games. I hope your assumption is correct. I’m looking forward to more Forza Horizon.

[conanlifts]

@Razzer, Forza Horizon 4 is scheduled for September. Forza is never disclosed until mid way through the year, but MS have been open in saying they are annual franchises.

Halo is also supposed to be an annual Franchise, If Halo 6 is not released next year I would say they will release Spartan assault 2 or some other Halo game.

A quote regarding Forza

"Microsoft had an interview with an online publication recently and Chris Tector, Turn 10 Studios software architect, revealed that Forza ‘is now an annual franchise’"

[Razzer]

@sd11

Hope you are right, but isn’t Playground working on new IP?

[conanlifts]

@razzer. Yes i think they are working on a new ip as well. But horizon 4 should still be 2018. From memory Forza 7 was only unveiled in June this year.

http://www.egmnow.com/artic...

Regarding the new ip apparently they opened a new studio to make this. I didnt realise they had expanded.

https://www.google.com.au/a...

The bigger question is whether this is an ms game or multiplatform title.

[maybelovehate]

No, it is actually close to High End PC. Try playing Witcher 3 on a mid range machine on 4k. And good luck to you on anything higher than Low Settings.

[LP-Eleven]

It really isn't, because a High End PC can still hit resolutions and frame-rates the Xbox One X won't ever be able to. And never mind the Enthusiast bracket of PC gaming.

[maybelovehate]

@LP-Eleven: Depends on what you classify as a high end PC. Sure dual GPU setups that cost 1600 plus will out perform.. But duh?

[LP-Eleven]

Well, the "duh" is what many people are trying to convey to those of you who choose to remain in the dark regarding a hyperbolic statement like: "Xbox One X has closed the gap with PC". If we're talking Low/Mid-Ranged PCs, then yes, the "duh" is appropriate, but that's what we're trying to tell you. Consoles have always been fairly close to those types of machines, so it's a moot point.

It has NOT closed the gap with a High End PC machine (which, again, isn't even the highest grade of PC RIG). And you don't need dual GPUs for that.

[maybelovehate]

@LP_elevel: The issue is that high end graphics cards like the 1080 are actually giving similar results as we are seeing with the One X. So the message you are conveying is false. Xbox One X definitely closes the gap to high end PC's at this time. Does it close the gap with the Highest End PC's no. But that was not the statement made.

[ocelot07]

Try playing the Witcher 3 on Xbox One X at 1080p 60FPS.

[Ricegum]

maybelovehate

Conveniently you left out mentioning frame rate there buddy. 4k at 30fps on the Xbox One X right? I'll take the 60fps of a PC thanks.

[maybelovehate]

@Unreal: Good luck getting 60fps at 4k on Witcher 3. It is possible but we are talking dual gpu setups.

[SCW1982]

Stop saying this nonsense. It’s closest equivalent is a 1060.

[kevnb]

A 1070 easily beats what the x can do.

[LP-Eleven]

Your problem is with thinking that the Xbox One X is on the same level as a 1080, and that a 1080 is a full on High-End card. Neither is the case. High-end is the 1080 Ti , and beyond that, until the Xbox One X is running 4K games at higher than 60fps, it'll never be able to really compete with the high-end market of PCs. And, like I said before, that's not even the highest grade.

So, no, at this time, the Xbox One X is about as powerful as a mid-ranged PC (1060-1070 - at best).

[OpenGL]

Most PC gamers would never play at 30fps. If they were willing to compromise performance they could hit 4K fine on something like an RX 580.

[343_Guilty_Spark]

Stop lying.

[343_Guilty_Spark]

DF said the X is a 1070 equivalent

[ocelot07]

In terms of GPU power yes the X in fact even the Pro has a better GPU than mid ranged PC's. However, Both the CPU's in the X and Pro are pretty much potato's compared to mid range PC's. While it maybe true both the X and Pro will be playing the likes of Watcher 3 or Destiny 2 at a higher resolution than most mid range PC's. Most mid range PC's will be playing those games at 1080p 60FPS.

Until consoles can start doing at least 1080p 60FPS for all games. They are still a way off even from the mid range PC's. Personally I would rather playing the likes of Skyrim, Witcher 3, Player Unknown's Battleground, GTA V at 1080p 60FPS than 1440p or higher at 30FPS any day of the week.

[PiCOSMOiP]

Power and OPTIMIZATION...everyone forgets this part of the variable. High end PC sound great on paper, but how many games are truly taking advantage of the hardware when coding for PC is poorly optimized for a lot of games?

There are exclusives on Xbox. I’ll keep preaching this again and again. Average gamers buys multiplatform games on both these platforms. Stupid exclusive narrative and moving goal posts.

[XiNatsuDragnel]

How what exclusive that are actually on Xbox that are only on Xbox. Evidence over the past 10 months ppl will buy exclusives and they can be successful so start chirping.

[343_Guilty_Spark]

@xiNatsuDragnel

Did you finish your sippy cup?

[XiNatsuDragnel]

Did you finish being useless gulity spark?

[Razzer]

That is just hyperbole. One X hasn’t closed the gap. PS5 won’t either. Fact is PC gaming is always moving forward. That is just do to the nature of consoles and their cycles. Nothing wrong with that, but no need to embellish what consoles achieve.

For example...

http://www.eurogamer.net/ar...

[maybelovehate]

It has definitely closed the gap. You cannot build a PC that can compare to Xbox One X in the ball park of the price. And pulling off 4k graphics on a PC is still a challenge. Getting a game like the Witcher 3 to run at 4k and a steady 30fps is a feat for a high end pc.

[Razzer]

Not at all. This is Witcher 3 on ultra on an GTX 1070. Not high end.

https://m.youtube.com/watch...

[maybelovehate]

@Razzer: You will notice he has the advanced lighting post processing turned off. The framerate is also pretty bad based on what we see on screen. And you are still looking at a semi high end PC. That GPU alone cost what, 450 dollars? That is most likely at least a 1000 dollar plus computer and still has to turn features off to get decent "personally looks unacceptable too many peaks and drops" performance at 4k.

[PowerControls]

@maybelovehate Pretty bad framerate? Is ~40fps pretty bad? Then ~30fps on Xbox One X is...what? Extremely bad?;-)

[Razzer]

If this were about price/performance then that would a different discussion altogether. I’m saying no, the One X does not bridge the gap with PC gaming. You said getting 4K 30 FPS was a “feat” on high end PC. The video shows otherwise and 1070 is hardly top of the line. You can dissect the settings if you want, but you didn’t put any qualifications in your statement.

[maybelovehate]

@PowerControls: The framerate in that video was all over the place. Could he have locked it at 30? Not sure, but he probably should have because that wasn't acceptable.

[SCW1982]

Keep acting like it’s comparable to a 1080 and 1070. It makes you look like an idiot.

[ProjectVulcan]

Every new more powerful console closes the gap to high end PC. It narrows it to a smaller gap than existed before. But it never entirely closes it.

Then 6 months later PC widens the gap again. Which widens once more every 12-18 months consistently with new GPU generations until after about 2 years it's restored a large disparity.

This is called every console generation ever.

6 months time Nvidia will deliver a new series of graphics cards that will annihilate Xbox One X beyond the beating it gets anyway from anything better than a GTX1070. 6 months time and a GTX1080 which comfortably beats X1X NOW will be at best, a mid range card. A mid range card will totally tonk X1X in just 6 months. I guarantee it.

[ProjectVulcan]

Do you think The Witcher 3 will run with all effects at the highest level of PC? Tomb Raider and Gears of War and Forza 7 have demonstrated they don't match everything perfectly on Xbox One X, and they don't always hold onto their framerate either.

GTX1070 offers a better experience than X1X on The Witcher despite it not technically being a high end card, AND it's 18 months old. You read that right, 18 months ago you could have been playing all these games in 4K with better performance than X1X all this time later. I have!

A GTX1080ti can max that game in 4K and do 60FPS. That is the standard of high end. X1X is nowhere near that if you're honest.

While it's an expensive card in 6 months it'll be far more accessible with a new generation, leaving X1X totally for dead. You'll still forever be stuck with the hardware inside X1X.

[LP-Eleven]

Well said.

[maybelovehate]

@Razzer: By your own admission, you showed a gaming PC running Witcher 3 with similar results of an X1X, in fact probably worse results. So according to you, it has closed the gap. Even if you are trying to argue otherwise.

[Razzer]

Again, that was not the high end of PC gaming. This is pointless. Believe what you want.

[maybelovehate]

@Razzer: So now your argument is it doesn't close the gap with the Highest End PC's. Ok, that is fair. But it definitely closes the gap with gaming PC's in general.

[Razzer]

Now? I never said otherwise. And if closing the gap means in comparison to any arbitrary gaming PC then PS4 Pro can make the same claim. But it is still a silly claim as PC simply has more powerful hardware available than ANY console. That gap remains wide open.

[PowerControls]

@maybelovehate I am not sure why you are not sure as it was constantly over 30fps:-)

One more thing. It wasn't "all over the place". It was fluctuating between 38-44 during the gameplay, so 40fps lock could be achieved quite easily imho.

[PiCOSMOiP]

Witcher 3 is locked at 30 FPS on consoles. It has to do with coding, not poor hardware.

[iofhua]

No console can close the gap. It's impossible. Consoles are called such because they can't be upgraded like a desktop computer can.

This whole article is ridiculous and is turning xbots into trollbait because they're likely kids who don't understand computer technology.

[tontontam0]

When xbox or xbox 360 was released it was also hard to build a pc at the same pricepoint during its "FIRST YEAR OF RELEASE". wait at least a year and the gap will again widen.

[Cobra951]

No. No, it has not. (Do I have to do this on every story on this console now?) It's still a console. It lives in a restricted, closed environment. It has little if any flexibility in how you can alter or enhance it or its peripherals. It has a seriously weak CPU compared to what modern PCs routinely use.

I think it's a super console--CONSOLE. It does not and cannot take the place of a PC.

[Rhythmattic]

Its def closed the Gap on Pc's, But theres still a huge gap.

[Cyro]

That doesn't even make any sense.

[LP-Eleven]

Closed the gap? Nope. What it has done is brought things closer. But, again, with hyperbolic statements like these, it will only put the console under a constant microscope it doesn't need to go under, as well as, place unrealistic expectations on it. As an owner of an Enthusiast powered RIG, I know better. Consoles won't ever close the gap entirely. Just too much additional technology will always be involved. At least for the sake of SOME clarity, he acknowledges that. Plus, with more and more devs not taking advantage of PC hardware, this is more a fundamental situation than a technical one. Star Citizen is proof enough.

Then again, the title, of course, will be enough for some readers. Very clever way to generate hits.

[MagicBeanz]

"closed the gap", LOL yeah sure.

[corroios]

Close the gap? There is no such thing with gaming pc, there always something much more powerfull. 6 teraflops is not high end on pc gaming, like all gamers know that

[datriax]

Sure has. See you in half a year when PC pulls away again. You know, like has been the case since beginning of consoles?

[Pantz]

What gap? The cheapest you can get a GTX 1080 for is $500. The thing is, you can't do anything with a graphics card by itself.

[kevnb]

And nobody buys a pc for anything but gaming? And why bother with a 1080 when you can get a 1070ti?

[Pantz]

You can do a lot more on a console than just gaming too. What's the point? I've heard mixed reports of if 1080 or 1070ti is more powerful and they are around the same price. So I dunno about that.

[ossyc]

Yeah the X is really powerful...

...that's why the latest games like AC Origins and D2 are 30 fps - LOL

I'll go back to playing those games at ultra 100+ fps.

Have a good day!

[PiCOSMOiP]

Because it’s locked to 30 FPS from coding on consoles, not because the hardware.

[ossyc]

You keep telling yourself that, if it helps you sleep at night.

[kevnb]

There’s a reason why they capped at 30, and it’s not just for fun.

[ocelot07]

Do you honestly believe that? I put it down to it having a poor CPU. Great GPU power poor CPU power.

[ZehnDrachen]

It definitely took a leap, but it hasn’t ‘closed the gap’.

[Lionalliance]

Gap? Yes is powerful and all, but where are the games?

[_LarZen_]

When the majority of console games runs at 60fps we can have this discussion again.

[PiCOSMOiP]

You mean “when developers decide to unlock the frame rate on games for consoles, then we can have a discussion.”

[ossyc]

They have to lock the fps at 30 because they're shite.

[_LarZen_]

Many games could run at 60 fps if game developers prioritized it yes. But many could not because of CPU limitations. Even on the new X.

So until developers dumps 30 fps or/and consoles gets a better CPU there’s not much to discuss as far as the gap is closed compared to PC.

[SegaGamer]

Picosmoip, instead of repeating yourself, maybe you should ask yourself WHY developers lock the frame rate on consoles. It's because consoles can't handle a consistent frame rate above 30fps and they certainly can't handle 60fps consistently.

[PiCOSMOiP]

The latest GPU on the Pro and One X can support 60 fps. Very few games put the workload on the CPU hence final fantasy 15, just cause 3, and Assassin creed. Sure the CPU can be a bottleneck on some games because of poor optimization. Majority of games are GPU driven. Go to digital foundry, they found out that the unpatched version of assassin’s creed unity can run at a steady 45-60 FPS on the One X because it had unlocked frame rates.

[PiCOSMOiP]

@SegaGamer

Fair enough. My point is it’s possible.

[meday354]

"One X's raw power has finally closed the gap with PC gaming." Hmm, really?

[ossyc]

This is a joke. The X is the most powerful console but not the best, the Ps4 Pro is the best for games of the two.

And, please don't compare it to a high end PC config, it's no-where near, it's an insult.

Also, the X will be around for 2-3+ years. With the PC market ever evolving on a month to month basis, in 12 months alone, it will be light years behind.

Keep dreaming.

[Asuka]

yeah it really depends on what you are considering high-end desktop gaming. For me, a gtx 1070 paired with an i7 7000s series isn't very high-end. now Titan Xp SLI + 7900X on a custom loop... that i would consider Highend as the 7900X is quite literally Intel's Highend Desktop (HEDT) platform. Sure the pricing between an HEDT and the Xbox ONe X isn't even anywhere near the same ballpark, but performance wise to say that XbX is closing that gap isn't exactly accurate if we are talking purely on performance and not factoring in the cost.

Besides anyone considering either a HEDT or the Xbx shouldn't really be concerned with the cost. The Xbox One X is a premium console, and you would need to pair it with an appropriate panel that could run you an additional ~$2000 USD to see the best results. Generally someone spending $2K on a tv won't mind spending $499 on a good player/console, just as how someone spending $2K on graphics cards won't be bothered spending $1K on a CPU as they are already spending a shit ton of money. I for one am not one of those people... jeez im still on my OG PS4 and i got that used xD

Btw for reference the Xbx and its AMD based graphics is about ~6 Tflops in theoretical compute performance. The RX480/580, also AMD based graphics, is also ~6 Tflops in theoretical compute performance and that is a ~$250 card. ~$250 graphics card is NOT high end.

[Valkron1]

Really looking forward to it! The PS4 Pro hasn’t been utilized enough outside of PSVR. I’ll still get to play TLoU2 and GoW4 (I hope that annoying kid gets killed off early on) but all my multi platform games will be on the X! For an extra $100 you get a faster hard drive, 2 more tflops, a 4k Ultra blu ray player, and enhanced BC. Good enough for me 😘

[gamer7804]

some people really enjoy tweaking their expensive rigs for the best performance a gamer can get, but if MS can keep up every 3 years with a new console at 500$ that is an incredible value and while it probably won't keep up with the top of the line gaming pcs but up their with typical higher end gaming pcs.

[Condemnedman]

yep pay this silly prices to play games

have a good day too

[kevnb]

This has happened before, it doesn’t last.

[sk8ofmnd]

Obviously only for a week or two...

[Grievous]

Actually not at all. The biggest benefit of PC gaming is higher framerates.

[Mithan]

It is ok for the price. A bit more gets you a much better PC.

[frostypants]

This happens with every console leap. In a year or two PC will be well ahead again. At the end of the day it's the games that matter.

[LucidIllusion]

Really overrating this thing

[LP-Eleven]

They have been since it was unveiled. Journalists and many Xbox supporters alike. Nothing wrong with excitement, so I'm not hitting against that, but when many discussions about this thing surround the hyperbolic nature of its marketing ("TRUE 4K", "Closed the gap with PC", "4K era arrives with the Xbox One X"), then they've opened the floodgates to extended criticism.

[UltimateRacer]

X is a good console but one that will ultimately be bought by MS die hards looking to upgrade and maybe a few casuals, I feel as though MS have lost there purpose to making consoles ever since they released there exclusives on PC giving me and many others no reason to buy an Xbone or X were as Sony and Nintendo have the kick ass exclusives and new Ips that are worth buying the PS4 or Switch for.

[Rebo00]

Where is the vote website down button? Poorly written article with grammar, punctuation and even missing words

[windblowsagain]

Both PRO and X are capable machines. Although Processors should have been better.

But both should give people options of either 1080p/60fps or 4k 30 upscaled or not.

[bluefox755]

No...it isn't. My PC doesn't have to sacrifice a decent framerate to achieve 4k with dynamic scaling or checkboarding. It's still not even close.

[abra511]

its not even close to the gtx 1080 released almost 2 years ago

[conanlifts]

The gtx 1080 is one of the most powerful GPU's in the world. To put it in perspective a 1080 in Australia costs between $1099 and $1199au. AN Xbox X on the other hand costs $649. It would be a bit terrible from a gaming perspective if the 1080 could not outperform the X.
I also think the fact that GPU's like the 1080 and above are even mentioned is a great indicator of how impressive Xbox X actually is.

[DivineAssault]

In my day consoles chased arcades until the dreamcast perfected it.. Now theyre chasing PC/hyper realism.. I prefer unique games with style.. Graphics are nice but shouldnt be the main focus..

[Segata]

When 360 and PS3 launched they were pretty on par with gaming PC's of the time. Lasted about 1.5 years..maybe 2. Heck, even Dreamcast was considered a beast (Soul Cal looked better on DC than in Arcades) when it launched and quickly became a weaker system. XBO-X will be in the ballpark for a short time before it's back in the dust. Just the nature of console gaming.

[MadLad]

The $500 X is around a $1000 PC, but without the customization allowance.
Nothing more. Nothing less.

An exceptional example of cost to performance, but nothing more.
It's still a console; held back to the confines that comes with console.

[Foraoise]

It's impressive for its price point, but in no way does it "close the gap" with PC gaming. Holy shit whoever wrote this is an idiot.

[OpenGL]

Not really, the gap between the most powerful console and top end PCs in 2013 was probably smaller than it is today. That AMD Jaguar CPU is just not a good fit for modern games and will ensure the Xbox One X can never run things like GTA V at 60fps.

[Subzero100x]

"Xbox One X's raw power has finally closed the gap"

lol no it hasn't even xbox 1 is old tech, and there is no closing the gap. pc gaming is always evolving, because every few months something new and expensive comes out.

[Bolts]

PC doesn’t have fake resolutions, absurd dynamic scaling and run at shit 30 fps. Actually 30 fps is usually considered as failure on the PC. To even be associated with 30 fps or the perceived inability to reach 60 fps consistently will lead to massive calls for refunds. So in short, until the X can run games at 60 fps it’s not in the same zip code. I’ll stick with my Pro thank you very much. Same fake resolutions, same shit 30 fps but better exclusives and no pretentious “true 4K” marketing bullshit.

[FyBy]

Sorry, CPU is out of date. Same like in PS4/Pro. GPU and optimalizations are great though.
So any physics computed on CPU is second class (on all consoles - it isnit anti xox). I think the best thing what was developed specially for consoles is checkerboard rendering. Its like 1080i in tv broadcast (Or other standards like PAL 576i etc...). This really can bring better picture with lower demand. But as was seen in Just cause 3 (which wasnt superb optimized, thats true), cpu is cpu.

[PCgamer98]

Most games are still 30fps on the one x though. Graphicwise then yeah.

[Father__Merrin]

as long as a console can goto 4k/50 then anything else extra on pc is a mnoot point, next gen will be interesting if you have a plug play box that does 4k/60 for around £400 then thers no point gaming on a pc unless u only play pc centrik games

[The_KELRaTH]

I think it's very impressive that it's not power just for new titles. Watching the update texture pack results for Oblivion was very impressive and this is good not just for this console but also the PC as MS intend to support upgrades for both.

[Animal Mutha 76]

Listen I love my xbox but that headline is sensationalist bollocks. At best you could say that a £450 console can now punch its weight with a mid tier PC - at best. The CPU tech is way behind PC.

[Kyizen]

Its not out yet and there is already cpu/gpu combos that crush it and these will equal or less than the price of the X in a few months.

[iofhua]

LOL no.

One X CPU: 8 core 2.3ghz
AMD Ryzen Threadripper: 16 core 3.4ghz

One X GPU: 6 TFLOPS
AMD RX Vega: 12 TFLOPS

You can always stick more RAM in a desktop. The One X is stuck with 12gb.

The One X comes with a rotating rust HDD. Even the Nintendo Switch has moved into the modern era with all solid state storage. Have fun with those load times, Xbox gamers.

This is ridiculous. No console will ever be "up to par" with computer technology. The very fact that it's a console means you cannot upgrade the hardware. New computer hardware comes out every month. The One X is obsolete now. It will become increasingly obsolete every month after launch.

* Which is why you buy consoles for their exclusives, not the hardware!

[zaherdab]

Well thas mostly how consoles have vehaved in the first couple of years of release while PC hardware continues to advance and surpassing it greatlya few years down the line... most console to pc comparisions showcase similar performance in the first period....

[deividpaulo]

So much Power to play old games...

[liran]

@30fps - PC have a CHOICE to lower res to get 60 - consoles don't

[D1SC0K1NGZ]

I am buying the scorpio edition tomorrow, however, I'm sorry, but 30fps is not good enough at native 4k. The frame-rate is as at least as important as the resolution to me. I'd rather have upscaled-4k@60fps than true 4k@30fps, because, the difference is not really all that noticeable to me TBH. It looks almost the same but you lose half the frame-rate, nah, no thanks. I would like them to provide the option to do what the PS4 Pro does with 4K to give us a 60fps option. Then we can chose.

[battlegrog]

Nothing beats the custom gaming on steam though

[nondescriptcitizen]

PS5 will do 20K resolution, like this all matters after all

[Vizigoth04]

I think it would at least be beneficial for gamers to be able to adjust the settings on their consoles. To be able to select optimal support for 4K 2K or 1080P or even less. Alternatively be able to choose 60fps, 30fps or something in between. Maybe for Horizon Zero Dawn you want that 4K throughout. And with Call of Duty you want 60fps. With graphic degredation of course. Even on console you should be set to the standard the manufacturer defaults to.

[staggerlee3769]

Unfortunately the specs don’t touch most higher end gaming rigs. My PC destroys these specs. I am not bragging or showing off. I actually have a point. I love the PS4 and the XBOX I just wish they would focus more on games than to try and compete with hardware they can’t touch at any reasonable cost. Right now we went from PS4 to PS4 pro and XBOX One to XBOX One S to XBOX One X it’s not just MS I’m complaining about it’s Sony too. They need to focus on producing more great titles that run on their existing platforms and exclusive than to upgrade the hardware and force their fan bases to spend hundreds to keep up. Neither one can realistically compete with gaming rigs so focus on what made us want to buy the systems in the first place and focus on games.

[Nybz]

For sure it’s closing the gap, but really what it’s doing is allowing developers to have more fun and explore robust ideas without worry.

[staggerlee3769]

It’s closing the gap with low end gaming rigs only. The impressive part is that it would require you to spend at least $300 more than the cost of the system to build a comparable PC. The question is is it worth it? If you are going for power you are looking at the low end of the PC Gaming spectrum. That’s not the major gap closer they are trying to hype. So if power is all you really care about save up and build a much better PC. I am actually fan of XBOX and PlayStation, but I bought them for the games. If they really want to compete with PC gaming hardware there is no way for them to do it at a reasonable price point. They need to focus on exclusives and games not hardware. Unfortunately the PS4 Pro and XBOX One X are not game changers. More exclusives will sell me on on a console. Not hardware. I have a PS4 Pro, Xbox One S, Vita, Nintendo Switch and my PC is running dual GTX 1080ti through SLI. If they really want to close the gap I’ll gladly pay them for appealing exclusives.

[Kyizen]

Its not cause every game has to run on OG Xbox One so they cant use the hardware to its fullest

[Ulf]

Unbeatable for the price, plain and simple. It's not even close, and the thin console OS just widens the price/perf gap even more.

[agent4532]

Dump the restrictive console hardware in favor of digital distribution.