Microsoft Xbox One X

The Xbox One X is a very impressive collection of hardware crammed into a sleek case. It runs cool and quiet as it delivers performance a step above any of its console competitors. It’s hard to believe Microsoft exclusives like Gears of War 4 can look so good and run so smoothly on a box that costs less than half of what you’d pay for a high-end gaming PC. Plus, it caters to home theater enthusiasts with 4K UHD Blu-ray playback and Atmos sound. Though much of the Xbox One X's impact depends on developer support and the quality of your display, it delivers exactly what was promised: the most powerful console you can buy right now, by a significant margin, with plenty of potential left to tap.

For anyone else, this probably isn’t the console for you. Sony really has some impressive exclusives on the way, and it’s hard for Microsoft to counter this despite its great job on the hardware. Microsoft promised the best hardware, and it delivered — but that’s nothing without games.

With a gaming PC's worth of graphical horsepower housed inside a deceivingly small package, the Xbox One X does what no console has done before: Native 4K HDR gaming. However, while games look absolutely stunning, with a fantastic level of detail accentuated by the console's HDR support, their larger file sizes will mean that the 1TB hard drive fills up fast. Minor faux pas aside, the Xbox One X fulfills the promise of 4K HDR gaming and offers the most premium gaming experience on a console, bar none.

The Xbox One X is a capable all-consuming box of 4K tricks, even if it isn’t the final word in outright quality.

The Xbox One X is the most powerful console yet, with 4K and HDR graphics for games that support it. It's still no replacement for a gaming PC, though.

Don’t get me wrong—Microsoft has pulled off something impressive here. 4K gaming previously required a noisy desktop PC with a flamin’ hot graphics card, and now it’s something you can get for $500 that fits under your TV.

All things considered, the One X is best taken on face value. It’s the ultimate games console for anyone with a 4K TV. Nothing more, nothing less.

Xbox One X is a sound investment at launch, and but Microsoft needs to do a better job of supporting it with first-party games. Rolling out the classics isn’t an enticing way of selling new hardware.

Multiplatform titles will almost certainly look better on Xbox One X than on PS4 Pro, sometimes very noticeably (and elements like increased draw distance and smoother frame-rates can have a palpable effect on your gameplay experience), but is it worth the extra £100? That’s a conversation you need to have with your aesthetic standards and your wallet.

The Xbox One X is massively powerful and comes at a steep price. But compared to the equivalent gaming PC, it’s exceptionally good value for money. Right now, the appeal is slightly limited by the number of people with 4K TVs in the UK, but if you’re a Forza, Assassin’s Creed or Gears of War fan, then there could be enough to tempt you. Ultimately, the One X isn’t for everyone, but if you have a 4K TV that can take advantage of that extra graphical power, you’re in for a real treat.