Microsoft unveils Xbox One X, starting at $499 this November

A whole year after its first teaser, Microsoft has officially unveiled its next flagship games console, the Xbox One X. Announced as a part of the company's E3 2017 press conference, the console will be available from November 7, starting at $499.

As previously announced by Microsoft under the codename "Project Scorpio," the Xbox One X is a premium device, which targets console gamers aiming for high performance. Powered by eight CPU cores clocked at 2.3GHz, 12GB of GDDR5 RAM and a GPU packing 40 Radeon compute units running at 1172 MHz – the console's six teraflops of graphical processing power far exceeds its competitors on the market. To somewhat of a surprise, the Xbox One X will also have a smaller footprint than all previous Xbox One consoles.

While the Xbox One X aims to provide 4K gaming at 60 frames per second (FPS), those with 1080p displays will also see visual benefits. Offering high dynamic range (HDR), Dolby Atmos and supersampling - the console's abilities extend beyond its high-resolution output.

However, unlike the generational leap between the Xbox One and Xbox 360, Microsoft's latest console will remain a part of the Xbox One family. Games and accessories will work between the original Xbox One and the Xbox One X, persisting as a part of the same ecosystem. The bottom line – the Xbox One X will supposedly bring unrivaled graphical fidelity to the Xbox platform.

Matt Brown

Matt Brown was formerly a Windows Central's Senior Editor, Xbox & PC, at Future. Following over seven years of professional consumer technology and gaming coverage, he’s focused on the world of Microsoft's gaming efforts. You can follow him on Twitter @mattjbrown.