The Xbox One X is just around the corner, so I decided to talk about my final thoughts on the system. I want to keep in mind that most of what I say will be an opinion, and that I could be wrong on everything. If you think I am wrong on anything, tell me in the comments and lets have a discussion. Anyways, here are my quick thoughts.

My general opinion of the console is still the same as it was back when this machine was announced. Honestly, I don't think it is a good machine. And recent news stories have come out that make my opinion for the console a little worse. That being said, I don't think this console is entirely bad. So let's start with the positive.

I think this is a really dumb quote for the new machine, but it does hold truth: "The Xbox One X is the world's most powerful console." I think that quote is so dumb because of course the newest console is going to be more powerful than any other previous console. Anyways, that quote holds true for this console, because this thing is a powerhouse in terms of console hardware. The hardware is pretty far ahead of the PS4 Pro (all of those teraflops), and its no wonder why the E3 press conference had a heavy focus on the tech. Another thing that is good about this console is its backwards compatibility. Not all of it is out yet, but the X promises backwards compatibility of their games from their previous two machines. I think that having backwards compatibility is great, even if the backwards compatibility for the Xbox 360 so far has not been used that much. Finally, more games can run at native 4K resolution than with any other console.

With the positives out of the way, I want to look at what is bringing my opinion down on this console. Lets start with the games. Microsoft promised a lot of exclusives for the console, but that number is actually a lot smaller than it should be. They say that twenty-two of the forty-two games announced at the press conference are going to be exclusives, but leave it to Xbox to make the term 'exclusive' murky. Most if not all of these 'exclusive' games will at least be on PC, and some of these games will be on PS4. They call all of these games exclusives by making up their own terms like "console launch exclusive" for PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds when the game is already out for PC and will come out for PS4. Technically, none of these terms are wrong; I just find this as a scummy way to bloat exclusivity numbers when in actually the number for true Xbox One exclusives are close to zero.

The Xbox One X can render 4K better than any other console, but that doesn't stop it from going head-to-head with its biggest competitor: itself. And by itself I mean the Xbox One S. Yes, the S doesn't do as good of a job as the X in 4K, but this console still does 4K. This is still a viable console to purchase that was only released a year ago that is meant for 4K TVs, which means that the S is in competition for the X. But why buy the S when the X is so much better? That reason is down in the next paragraph where I talk about the next big issue: price.

The Xbox One X is 500 USD. I personally don't think that number is a bad number for a console, but the situations surrounding it make the price bad. For starters, the console they only released a year ago that also does 4K and will come bundled with a game is at 250 USD. This is the big reason that these two consoles are in clash with each other. The second issue with the price is the history of the 500 USD price tag. Back when the PS4 and Xbox One were announced, Xbox started at a 500 USD price tag. Yes, many other issues plagued the console, but the price tag was one of the biggest things that lead to PS4 coming out of the gates strong. Even to this day, PS4 has outpaced Xbox in overall sales. Despite that, Xbox has been recouping, and they have been on top with monthly sales. Ever since Phil Spencer took the reigns, the Xbox has been heading in the right direction. It's just seems so backwards to me that right when they were coming out on top, they decide to price their product at the same price as their initially failed console.

The final issue that has come up recently is about their storage. The console is sold with a one terabyte hard drive, but that is not proving to be enough. All of the additional files needed to upscale the games for the X are chewing through its storage. This is a problem that also exists with the Switch, and that is one of its biggest flaws. So to see how much storage is really being used is a little disheartening.

In the end, this is what I see: A console that has a lot of power, but with no other selling points. It is a machine that doesn't have any game to stand behind because it has no true exclusives and is in direct competition with itself. When the One S and the PS4 Pro released, it was jokingly said that the consoles are acting like phones in terms of releases. Now, it is actually true, with this new console only one year after the One S.

So what is a good replacement? I would actually say a PC. Normally, I would say that if you don't like one console, stick to the other console. But I actually think saving up for a high-end PC would be a better fit. I think that power and 4K is the big selling point for this console, and what better place for those two aspects than a PC. On top of that, the PC has recent Xbox 'exclusives' for those looking for those exclusives, and has a lot of older games for those looking to play older games. I know saving up for one isn't cheap, but if you are someone who has payed for two Xbox One consoles so far and is planning on paying for the third, then I think that could've been money saved for a PC.

Well, those are my not-so-quick thoughts. I would love to hear your thoughts on the console or if you have one and haven't read this until you got one. In the end, I think that this is an underwhelming console, but I also think it will do fine financially. But only time will tell.