The Essentials: To Buy or Not to Buy an Xbox One X?

The Essentials is a reoccurring column where I talk about what I use to write, work, game and honestly, survive the week.
This week, Microsoft opened up pre-orders for the Xbox One X and it looks like things are going well for the new console. The company is also 'sweetening' the pre-order offer with a limited edition Scorpio iteration of the console for those who are willing to be early adopters but the question becomes, should you pre-order the console?

The question is quite simple but for everyone, the answer will be unique and with this iteration of the Xbox, it gets a bit more complex as well. The key benefit of the Xbox One X is the higher resolution output and if you have a 4k TV, then it seems like a simple answer, yes, you buy the console.

But, as I have 'rediscovered' this week, PC gaming has come a long way from a few years ago. After all the hype for Player Unknown Battleground (PUBG) coming to the Xbox, I downloaded the game on my PC to give it a spin.

The game is fantastic, there is no argument about this, but it also kicked-off my love-affair with gaming on PC once again. The higher frame rates, customization options for in-game graphics and yes, keyboard+mouse too. And at $500 for an Xbox One X, that would go a long way towards buying a better video card to improve my gaming experience even further.

But on the other side, the benefit of the Xbox One X is that you buy the console, everything works, you don't tinker with frame rates, worry about heat output, or that the competition has a better computer which gives them an advantage in twitch-based shooters. It's a turn-key solution that also has the benefit of Xbox Live which is a fantastic way to game with friends without the need for third-party solutions (Discord).

The other hesitation I have about the Xbox One X is if it's truly worth paying $500 for the device. I do have a 4k TV but frankly, the higher resolution isn't all that appealing to me, what I want is 1080P 60FPS as that is a superior way to play a game than 4k at 30FPS. Knowing that every game works on both the Xbox One X and the Xbox One S, playing on the X may not be all that much better as we have yet to see side-by-side comparisons of the older console versus the new kid on the block.

Microsoft has touted that the Xbox One X is massively more powerful than the S and I do believe them but gameplay mechanics are far more important than the resolution.

So why am I writing this? Quite frankly, I'm not sure if I should move on from my Xbox ways to the PC gaming lifestyle or buy the Xbox One X. I did pre-order an X but that can be canceled before release but I haven't fully made up my mind about which route is better.

For the remainder of this year and likely much of next year, I fully expect to be playing Destiny 2 and PUBG. I know that PUBG will be ok on the console but it is a very demanding game and I'm afraid it may get neutered to run on both the S and X. That being said, Destiny 2 i...