So I went all in. New Xbox One X, new 4K TV and a new smart kettle. My girlfriend thinks I’m having a midlife crisis, but I’ve told her that I’m winning at life. So much so that I haven’t seen her for three days. But was it worth it? Was the expense, the emotional toil and the huge indecision making worth it for some shiny new graphics? Well… yes it was.
I won’t talk about the new Xbox One X in detail, as others have talked about it with much more intelligence and clarity then I ever could. But I can talk to you about the simpler stuff – the fact that I like it a lot, it’s faster, it signs me in automatically and it never ever makes a noise. What I can also talk about are the games I played on my original Xbox One and the difference made when playing these same games on the new shiny One X. I will however just drop a quick note to say that my TV is a mid range LG Ultra HD model. I don’t know, or particularly care, about many other details except that it’s bloody huge, it makes every film look like I’m in the scene with the actors, and that my girlfriend can’t switch it on.
So let’s start with a game I reviewed a few weeks back… the stunning Assassin’s Creed Origins.
Now Assassin’s Creed Origins is a pretty fabulous looking game without 4K support, but when I fired up the new upgraded version of the game, even the logo seemed to ping out from the TV in a different way. Let’s be clear I’m not going to talk about frame rates, and upscaling, and stats that only 2% of the world understand. I’m talking about what I feel and can see with my actual eyes.
After starting from where I left off, I found myself slap-bang in the middle of Alexandria. Straight away I’m astonished by how much clearer and sharper everything feels. The lighting and shadows seem more precise and dynamic, with the detail in viewing the horizon more accurate than ever before. I found myself just wandering around the city, looking closely at the smallest detail in the buildings, open-mouthed and amazed because it all seems so… real. When you look at the character design there are little differences, and I don’t feel that the game plays any differently from the old standard Xbox One version, but I just feel even more a part of the living breathing world then before. When you climb a building and look at the view, you instantly feel the most amazing, most descriptive words come out of your mouth. But the only one that is really needed is ‘wow’.
Another game that I have reviewed and played thoroughly that has had an update – although not as detailed as Origins – is Dishonoured: Death of the Outsider. Again this has always been a very pretty and beautifully designed game, even before the updates, so I was interested to see the differences. Again it’s all about lighting, detail and textures. Everything looks amazing, and the character design seems to be a whole load better. You feel more involved than ever, and the world is brimming with a stunning beauty. Like I said, it already looked great before, but when you drop in the mixture of all the added features, then yet again ‘wow’ is the word that sums everything up.
There are other games I have now played that I can’t compare to previous versions, but I will briefly talk about first impressions. Firstly there is Forza 7 which is just the most beautiful racing game in the world. Participating in a night race as dawn approaches the nearer you get to the end of a race, sees Forza 7 come across as a work of genius. There is even Wolfenstein II, looking pretty with its cut scenes and attention to detail, whilst Rocket League is hugely impressive on a new super bright TV – even though I’m still terrible at it.
At the end of the day, there is not an ounce of regret in my decision to jump in with a new console, a new TV and a new kettle. I like shiny new things and maybe I’m serving my midlife crisis, but the extra additions in power, lighting, texture and draw distance make the costs all worthwhile.
For now I can definitely spot the differences between Xbox One and Xbox One X – and they are stunning.
I went all in too, and it is simply amazing. It’s funny you said the Origins logo stick out to you, I noticed it too! I can’t wait for future releases designed more specifically for this hardware
I love my new (X)box of tricks but my TV is letting the side down. I’m trying to convince my wife that we NEED a replacement for my 2 year ish old 4K Sony model. When I’ve finished grinding my way up to level 55 in Assassin’s Creed Black Flag I’ll give either Wolfenstein 2 or Shadow of War a blast and see what they look like.
Convincing your wife that you need to replace a 2 year old 4K TV? Don’t envy you – or fancy your chances! hahaha
Amen to that, it really is a technological marvel that they’ve packed all that power into such a small and silent little box. Can’t wait to give Assassins Creed a blast on Christmas Day. Can’t comment on the kettle though – I’ve only got a standard dumb one 😉