Microsoft is marketing the Xbox One X as “the world’s most powerful console,” and from the system specifications alone, that seems to be true. But the numbers never tell the whole story, and this video from yesterday’s Xbox E3 livestream of an Xbox One X being assembled makes that abundantly clear.
Leo del Castillo, general manager of Xbox hardware, puts together the console while Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb, director of programming for Xbox, chimes in with helpful analogies that break down the technical talk for the layperson.
We see the console’s delicately machined steel chassis, which is split into top and bottom pieces, with each half formed from a single sheet of metal so there are no seams — only the necessary depressions and holes punched into it. Speaking of holes, del Castillo explains that Microsoft had to design the console’s exhaust ports with holes that were as large as possible (to vent as much air as possible) but also small enough to prevent the system from emitting electromagnetic radiation (which could cause interference with other devices).
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/8686613/xbox_one_x_scorpio_exploded_view_1920.png)
As del Castillo drops in each component, such as the vapor chamber heat sink and 4K Blu-ray drive, you see closely they fit together, so as to minimize the amount of wasted space. You also learn how finely engineered each part is. Consider the rubber dampers on the hard drive’s mounting tray, and the insulating plastic shell for its cable, which combine to reduce vibration and therefore improve performance.
“That’s the kind of care that we take, so that we know that when this thing goes all together, that it’s going to perform in the way that we want it to perform,” said del Castillo.
The Xbox One X will launch Nov. 7 worldwide for $499.
