- What would they call it?
- What would it cost?
- When would it go on sale?
- Would any XBox exclusive games debut along with it?
The answers, it turns out, are:
- XBox One X (which Kotaku immediately dubbed the XOX, pronounced "Zox," although XBO-X may end up being the more obvious abbreviation);
- US$499, which is exactly double the XBox One S (henceforth referred to as the XBOne S);
- November 7th, and
- no, not really, since XBOne runs Windows 10 anyway, so everything released for the platform will also be coming to, at the very least, Microsoft's Windows Store on PC.
The one remaining question: Will enough people care about XBO-X to revive it as a viable gaming platform? The answer to which seems to be: Probably not.
As a gaming console, the new XBO-X is very technically impressive, and if Microsoft had launched with the more impressive specs at the start of the current console generation, it might have made a real difference to the way things unfolded. But they didn't, and we're now several years into Gen8, and Steam is the dominant platform in games, with Sony's PS4 as a solid #2, and Nintendo's Switch occupying the "new hotness" niche nicely. Considering that the average consumer only buys one gaming platform each generation, it's pretty fair to say that gamers have all picked their horses for this race, already, with only the Nintendo fans getting a changes to switch to a better horse mid-race.
So, XBO-X doesn't have the same sales job to do that XBone did; it doesn't just have to be the best console, starting out on an equal footing with all the other consoles, and with consumers having yet to make up their minds. It has to change peoples' minds, convincing them to buy a 2nd console at the highest console price point at a time with Steam and PS4 are dominant, with Switch ascendant, and XBO-X not even available until November. Oh, and everything it can do, your PC can also do, without costing you anything extra.
Everything, that is, except for 4K gaming, which may be why Microsoft harped on it so much, apparently oblivious to the fact that basically nobody has 4K TVs. 4K is not a thing, people; 4K gaming isn't going to become a thing, anytime soon. Seriously, VR has a better chance of becoming a thing than 4K does, and VR's chances suck.
The new XBO-X is a decent-enough, $499, budget-to-midrange gaming PC that sits in your living room and runs Windows 10. If that's what you're in the market for, then the XBO-X is a decent-enough option, and the end of Moore's Law means that it will continue to be a decent-enough option for years, so Microsoft will eventually sell enough of them to be able to declare XBO-X to be a success. But I don't see it changing any PlayStation owners' minds; if you've already picked a different horse for this race, there's nothing here that can justify switching now. And if you already own a better-than-average gaming PC, there's really nothing here for you, either.
Meanwhile, big game publishers like Square Enix are dropping the XBox logo from their new releases, having apparently decided that the XBox brand isn't relevant to the current gaming marketplace anymore. And did I mention that XBO-X isn't available until November?
It was a pretty slick presentation, I'll give Microsoft that much, but it's several years too late, and this gaming generation has already passed XBox by. People have been asking for months if "Scorpio" could turn things around for XBox, but the big assumption underlying that question was that the market would stand still until Microsoft could releasing the thing. But the market hasn't stood still for them; Nintendo have successfully cast the Switch as Gen8's console comeback kid, and Microsoft have just been too slow getting XBO-X out the door. Time will tell, of course, but I have the feeling that XBO-X is just a little too little, and a little too late.
Sorry, Microsoft. It was almost good enough, and almost soon enough, but now? It's just not enough. And I doubt you'll get a 3rd chance to make this 1st impression, either.