Everything we know about the next Xbox, called Xbox One X
The new Xbox, previously codenamed Project Scorpio, was officially revealed today at Microsoft's Xbox conference in Los Angeles. Though we've already known some of the specs and power of the console, we now know what everyone with a wallet wants to know: the price, the release date, and, of course, the name.
The Name, Price, Release Date
The hardware refresh, known as Project Scorpio for the past year since its announcement at E3 2016, officially has a name and it's called the Xbox One X. It'll be available on Nov. 7 for $499.
The Console
According to Microsoft, the console is the smallest Microsoft has ever made, which will make it that much easier to fit the console into your existing multimedia set-up.
The Specs
Though Microsoft's Xbox One update comes a step behind Sony's already-released, beefed up PS4 Pro, they'll finally be ready to share hardware with competitive specs this November. The new Xbox supports 4K gaming and VR, boasting a six-teraflop graphics processor and eight-core processor.
A Microsoft-hosted Digital Foundry trip to the Xbox studios two months ago revealed that the Xbox One X, then still known as Project Scorpio, already tramples the PS4 Pro's power in raw numbers.
What all these numbers basically mean for the new Xbox: a consistent frame-rate, faster load times, no screen tearing, improved texture filtering that makes everything look that much smoother, and, of course, 4K support.
The Games
During the Xbox One X reveal, we also got a look at some of the titles coming to the new console, which include Forza Motorsport 7, Metro Exodus, Assassin's Creed Origins, and BioWare's answer to Destiny: a new IP called Anthem .
Also on display during the presentation were PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (exclusive to Xbox), Deep Rock Galactic, State of Decay 2, The Darwin Project, Minecraft (now with cross-console play), Black Desert the MMORPG, The Artful Escape, CodeVein, Sea of Thieves, Tacoma, the cyberpunk-themed The Last Night, Super Lucky's Tale, Cuphead, and Crackdown 3 (including an amazing trailer featuring actor Terry Crews).
But the massive list of titles shown off didn't end there. Also on display was Ashen, Life is Strange, and Shadow of War. And a lot more indies.
Backwards Compatibility
Microsoft also announced that they're essentially expanding their backwards compatibility program by what they dubbed onstage as Xbox One X Enhanced. The Xbox One X will also let you play games from the original Xbox's era (like Crimson Skies), but Microsoft will also provide 4K updates to certain titles for free. These include: Gears of War 4, Forza Horizon 3, Killer Instinct, Halo Wars 2, and Minecraft.
Microsoft kept us waiting long enough, but it appears the wait was worth it.
Tina is the Games Editor for Mashable. She is a born and raised New Yorker. She received a degree in Media, Culture and Communication at New York University, where she also began her writing career. Tina has been editing and writing about video games for 8 years, working across various outlets including Complex Magazine and the former Gawker's Kotaku. She's an excellent first-person shooter player but favors stories above all. She also has the world's softest cat.
