After discontinuing the original Xbox One and replacing it with the Xbox One S, Microsoft released another version of their flagship console - the Xbox One X. So if you're thinking of stepping into the world of Xbox, you only have two consoles to choose from at the moment, the Xbox One S and the Xbox One X.
However, if you're a Microsoft veteran and you own the original Xbox One but you want to upgrade your system, you probably have a lot of questions as to which of the new machines is best suited to meet your needs.
We're gonna help you decide where to spend your money as we break down all the differences between the three consoles. So let's get started.
GPU
One of the biggest differences between the three consoles is in the graphics department. The original Xbox One supports neither 4K nor HDR. The Xbox One S does support HDR gaming, but not the 4K resolution. The only place where you can experience true 4K with the Xbox One S is if you use it to watch 4K videos. Native 4K gaming however is not supported on this device, though it does upscale full HD content to a 4K resolution, much like the PS4 Pro , however, it is still not the real deal.
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Xbox One X supports both native 4K gaming and HDR - it's not called the world's most powerful console for nothing, you know. To get technical about it, we can see in the image above that the original Xbox One and Xbox One S have very similar GPUs, but these are absolutely destroyed by the X's super-powerful graphics card which boasts a whopping 6 teraflops of performance. Note that you will need a 4K HDR TV to truly experience the power of the Xbox One X.
CPU
When it comes to CPU power, there is almost no difference between the original Xbox One and Xbox One S. The S version boasts a slightly more efficient CPU which gives the developers the additional processing power needed to take advantage of HDR. However, the Xbox One X comes with an upgraded processor which is around 30% faster than the original Xbox One, going from 1.7 to 2.3GHz.
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Apart from having a better CPU, the four additional gigabytes of RAM memory is another reason why the Xbox One X runs much faster. These extra 4GB are reserved for the console's system, leaving the remaining 8GB for games only. This is a very significant increase because both the original Xbox One and Xbox One S have only 5GB of RAM memory available for games.
Dimensions
The difference in size between the Xbox One S and the X is not vast, but it's important to note that the Xbox One S is around 40% smaller than the original Xbox One. However, the biggest difference between the original Xbox One and the newer consoles, is that the original is the only one that comes with a pretty bulky external power brick. Both the Xbox One S and the X have an integrated power supply unit.
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As far as the appearance goes, the Xbox One X is basically a clone of its predecessor.
Storage and ports
All Xbox One consoles come with the same connectivity ports, apart from the original Xbox One who doesn't have an HDMI 2.0 port. This is due to the fact that this console does not support any form of 4K content like we said. It also supports only Blu-Ray and DVD optical drives, whereas both the Xbox One S and the X have both 4K and HDR Blu-Ray drives.
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When it comes to storage, the original Xbox One packs a 500GB hard drive, whereas the Xbox One S has multiple storage options, ranging from 500GB to 2TB. The Xbox One X has only a 1TB hard drive.
Games
Even though there are many differences in performance between the three consoles, they all offer the same games. Microsoft gave a promise to their players that there will be no exclusives for any of the consoles, so whether you own the original Xbox One or any of the newer systems - you will be able to play all the latest Xbox titles. The only difference will, of course, be in how the game performs. The newer the console, the better the game's performance - simple as that.
Price
Now, as is of course natural, better performance comes with a higher price - and so the Xbox One X costs about £449, whereas the original Xbox One costs around £200 less. The Xbox One S comes with different price tags, depending on what storage size you decide to get.
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Conclusion
So let's break it all down: if you have the original Xbox One but you don't own a 4K HDR TV and you're a casual gamer who just wants to play a game or two on your Xbox machine every now and then, then there's really no need to upgrade to any of the newer systems.
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However, if you don't own any Xbox One consoles and you're looking to get one just the experience the world of Xbox for the first time, we recommend going for the Xbox One S, as it offers the best value for the smallest amount of money: HDR gaming and 4K videos, all in a cool looking small machine.
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But, if you're serious about your Xbox gaming career and you do own a 4K HDR TV, then you should definitely consider spending more of your hard earned cash and getting the Xbox One X, as it is the best of the console gaming world at the moment.
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