Xbox One X | UK release date, price, enhanced games, where to pre-order and everything you need to know
Microsoft’s Xbox One X will soon be joining the bulging selection of video game consoles on the market with its release date on the horizon. The high price, 4K-enabled, souped up Xbox One X will join Sony’s PS4 Pro as one of the premium choices for players high-end gaming fix. It will release alongside its more affordable, if less technologically capable sibling, the Xbox One S. Both Xbox Ones will be compatible with Xbox One games, with the X offering some technological benefits. But which console is right for you? Here is everything we know about Microsoft’s new box.
What is the Xbox One X release date?
The Xbox One X is released worldwide on 7 November 2017. Just in time for Christmas, of course.
What will the Xbox One X cost?
The recommended retail price for the Xbox One X has been set at £449.99.
Where can I pre-order the Xbox One X?
You can buy the Xbox One X at the selected retailers below.
Xbox One X where to buy
What is the Xbox One X anyway?
Formally known as Project Scorpio, the Xbox One X is a mid-generation, upgraded version of Microsoft’s existing Xbox One console. While all games released for the consoles will need to be compatible with each model, the Xbox One X is set to offer significant technical benefits. The most obvious being the ability to display a ‘true’ 4K HDR picture on suitable ultra high-definition televisions.
That’s the headline feature, but the console will also offer other graphical and technical enhancements to a selected list of existing and upcoming games. The type and extent of the technological boost varies between each title. For the audiophiles among us, the X will also be Dolby Atmos compatible.
What also impresses is just how sleek the box itself is, a little black number that is considerably smaller and more stylish than the original Xbox One design. It goes for a similar aesthetic to the lovely white Xbox One S, but is packing a lot more under the hood.
The specs: How powerful is the Xbox One X?
The official specifications of the One X are below.
CPU - Custom eight-core 2.3GHz processor
GPU - Custom unit running at 1.172GHz
RAM - 12GB GDDR5
Storage - 1TB hard disk
Disc drive - UHD Blu-Ray player
Video output - 4K resolution, HDR 10 support
Audio - DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1,Dolby Atmos, PCM 2.0, 5.1, 7.1
Wireless - Bluetooth, dual-band Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, IR blaster
Connectors - 2x HDMI, 3x USB 3.0 ports, IR out, S/PDIF, Ethernet
In layman’s terms this means that, in terms of pure technological grunt, the Xbox One X is the most powerful video game console ever made. A point that Microsoft are understandably keen to drive home. It isn’t as capable as the highest end gaming PCs, of course, but has more going on under the hood than the PS4 Pro. Sony’s premium console also outputs in 4K and offers graphical upgrades to certain titles, but Microsoft will be hoping that their assertion that game will run best on Xbox One X pans out. Xbox has lagged behind PlayStation in the performance stakes this generation and performance doesn’t always rely just on what technology a machine is packing. But the One X’s much vaunted CPU speed of ‘6 teraflops’, which is faster than the PS4 Pro’s 4.2 TF, will give the console a fighting chance.
What it means in a practical sense is that games may run smoother, achieving target frame rates more consistently, and offer a clutch of graphical improvements in lighting, texture and, of course, resolution. You will only see the main benefit of the Xbox One X on a suitable 4K television, but owners of 1080p TVs are promised that many of the finer details will apply. It is also suggested that, much like PC games, many graphical settings will be customisable so that you can select the mode that will benefit you the most. Full 4K resolution may be able to be traded in for a faster frame rate for instance, a feature that was present in the PS4 Pro version of Rise of the Tomb Raider, but will reportedly be more widespread in Xbox One X games.
List of Xbox One X enhanced games
Microsoft have been very clear that all Xbox One games will work on all members of the console ‘family’, but over 130 of those games will benefit from the X’s technological boost. Here is the official list of existing and upcoming Xbox One X enhanced games. The benefits that each game will vary.
A Plague Tale: Innocence | Focus Home Entertainment
Anthem | Electronic Arts
ARK: Survival Evolved | Studio Wildcard
Ashen | Annapurna
Ashes Cricket | Big Ant Studios
Assassin's Creed Origins | Ubisoft
Astroneer | System Era
AWAY: Journey to the Unexpected | Aurélien Regard & "Jim" Gennisson
Battlerite | Stunlock Studios
Below | Capybara
Biomutant | THQ Nordic
Black Desert | PearlAbyss Corp.
Brawlout | Angry Mob Games
Chess Ultra | Ripstone Publishing
CODE VEIN | BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc.
Conan Exiles | Funcom
Crackdown 3 | Microsoft Studios
Crossout | Gaijin Entertainment
Danger Zone | Three Fields Entertainment LTD
Dark and Light | Snail Games
Darksiders III | THQ Nordic
Dead Rising 4 | Microsoft Studios
Deep Rock Galactic | Coffee Stain
Diablo III: Reaper of Souls - Ultimate Evil Edition | Blizzard Entertainment
Dishonored 2 | Bethesda Softworks
Dishonored: Death of the Outsider | Bethesda Softworks
Disneyland Adventures | Microsoft Studios
DOOM | Bethesda Softworks
Dovetail Games Euro Fishing | Dovetail Games Ltd
DRAGON BALL FighterZ | BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc.
Dynasty Warriors 9 | KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD.
EA Sports FIFA 18 | Electronic Arts
EA Sports NBA Live 18 | Electronic Arts
EA Sports Madden NFL 18 | Electronic Arts
EA Sports NHL 18 | Electronic Arts
Elex | THQ Nordic
Elite: Dangerous | Frontier Developments Plc.
EVERSPACE | ROCKFISH Games GmbH
F1 2017 | Deep Silver
Fable Fortune | Mediatonic Ltd.
Fallout 4 | Bethesda Softworks
Far Cry 5 | Ubisoft
Farming Simulator 17 | Focus Home Entertainment
Final Fantasy XV | Square Enix
Firewatch | Campo Santo
For Honor | Ubisoft
Fortnite | Epic Games Inc.
Forza Horizon 3 | Microsoft Studios
Forza Motorsport 7 | Microsoft Studios
Gears of War 4 | Microsoft Studios
Gravel | Milestone
Greedfall | Focus Home Entertainment
GRIDD: Retroenhanced | Antab Studios
Halo 5: Guardians | Microsoft Studios
Halo Wars 2 | Microsoft Studios
Halo: The Master Chief Collection | Microsoft Studios
Hand of Fate 2 | Defiant Development
Hello Neighbor | tinyBuild LLC
Hitman | Square Enix
Homefront: The Revolution | Deep Silver
Immortal:Unchained | Sold Out Sales & Marketing
Injustice 2 | Warner Brothers Interactive
Jurassic World Evolution | Frontier Developments Plc.
Killer Instinct | Microsoft Studios
Killing Floor 2 | Tripwire Interactive LLC
Kingdom Come: Deliverance | Deep Silver
L.A. Noire | Rockstar Games
Life is Strange: Before the Storm | Square Enix
Mafia III | 2K
Mantis Burn Racing | VooFoo Studios Ltd.
METAL GEAR SURVIVE | KONAMI
Metro: Exodus | Deep Silver
Middle-earth: Shadow of War | Warner Brothers Interactive
Minecraft | Microsoft Studios
Minion Masters | BetaDwarf
Monster Hunter: World | CAPCOM CO., LTD
NBA 2K18 | 2K
Need for Speed Payback | Electronic Arts
Nine Parchments | Frozenbyte
OKAMI HD | CAPCOM CO., LTD
Ooblets | Glumberland
Ori and the Will of the Wisps | Microsoft Studios
Outlast 2 | Red Barrels
Paladins | Hi-Rez Studios
Path of Exile | Grinding Gear Games
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds | Microsoft Studios
Portal Knights | 505 Games
PES PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2018 | KONAMI
Project CARS 2 | BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc.
Quantum Break | Microsoft Studios
Raiders of the Broken Planet | Mercury Steam
Railway Empire | Kalypso
Real Farm | SOEDESCO
ReCore: Definitive Edition | Microsoft Studios
Redout: Lightspeed Edition | 34BigThings srl
RESIDENT EVIL 7 biohazard | CAPCOM CO., LTD
RiME | Tequila Works
Rise of the Tomb Raider | Square Enix
Roblox | Roblox
Robocraft Infinity | Freejam Ltd.
Rocket League | Psyonix
Rugby 18 | Bigben Interactive
Rush: A Disney Pixar Adventure | Microsoft Studios
Sea of Thieves | Microsoft Studios
Slime Rancher | Monomi Park, LLC
SMITE | Hi-Rez Studios
Sonic Forces | SEGA
Star Wars Battlefront II | Electronic Arts
State of Decay 2 | Microsoft Studios
STEEP | Ubisoft
Strange Brigade | Rebellion Developments
Super Lucky's Tale | Microsoft Studios
SUPERHOT | SUPERHOT Team
Surviving Mars | Paradox Interactive
Tacoma | Fullbright
Tennis World Tour | Bigben Interactive
The Artful Escape | Annapurna
The Crew 2 | Ubisoft
The Darwin Project | Scavenger Studio
The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind | Bethesda Softworks
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition| Bethesda Softworks
The Last Night | Raw Fury
The Long Dark | Hinterland
The Surge | Focus Home Entertainment
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | CD Projekt
Titanfall 2 | Electronic Arts
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands | Ubisoft
Tom Clancy's The Division | Ubisoft
Train Sim World | Dovetail Games Ltd
TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge | Bigben Interactive
Warframe | Digital Extremes
Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide | Fatshark AB
We Happy Few | Gearbox
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus | Bethesda Softworks
World of Tanks | Wargaming.net
WRC 7 FIA World Rally Championship | Bigben Interactive
Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection | Microsoft Studios
What about virtual reality?
When Project Scorpio was first announced, Microsoft highlighted the machine’s ability to handle virtual reality. However, since that announcement the VR revolution hasn’t taken off as many have hoped. So the focus for the Xbox One X has moved away from VR and there will not be any kind of headset at launch or in the immediate future.
Never say never, though, as Microsoft has been rather coy about their approach to VR with the One X. The box is apparently VR-capable, but Microsoft’s Mike Nichols told the Telegraph at E3 that the company’s interest in VR was currently focussed on PCs, claiming the current, heavily wired headsets as unsuitable for a living room setup. There is a chance that Microsoft will revisit a headset for Xbox One X in the future, depending on the market and technology, but for now: no VR for Xbox One X.