The Xbox One is a home game console produced by Microsoft. It is part of the eighth console generation and is a direct competitor of the PlayStation 4 console from Sony. The console was launched in November 2013.
Console Versions
There are multiple console/hardware variations on the market at the moment. This is a very common practice for consoles. As the manufacturing process improves, chips get smaller and produce less heat. As a result, the hardware gets smaller and consumes less electricity.
The eighth console generation is a unique one for hardware revisions as it is the first generation where improved hardware components have been used. The Xbox One X was released to counter the PS4 Pro and was a considerably more powerful version of the base Xbox One model.
Xbox One S
The Xbox One S was the first revision we saw of the Xbox hardware and was a significant one for the console but also for Xbox as a console. It was the first system to ditch the power brick. The Xbox One S was considerably smaller than the launch system which was criticized for being too bulky and looking like a VCR player.
Xbox One S All-Digital
This release was more of an experiment based on the direction the gaming industry has been heading. As more people opt for digital copies over physical, there is little need for a bulky disc drive taking up a large portion of available space inside the console.
The Xbox One S all digital is the exact same as the Xbox One S, except it has no Blu Ray disc drive. The system was popular but due to it looking so similar to the base S model, it resulted in a lot of accidental purchases. Gamers were upset to find they purchased the model that had no CD drive.
Is all-digital Xbox better?
The hardware used in the all-digital version of the Xbox One S All-Digital is the same as the regular model. It wouldn’t be fair to say the system is inferior, but there is no advantage in purchasing it if you already own the standard S model. It is the exact same, it just has no disc drive. If you own disc games, you will not be able to play them on the All digital model.
Xbox One X
The Xbox One X was released mid-generation. It was unusual in that it contained new hardware that was considerably more powerful than the original model. This is a move that Sony had also made with the PS4 Pro which released a year earlier.
The Xbox One X, at the time of its launch, was the most powerful home game console on the market. Boasting a powerful GPU compared to its competitor, the Xbox One X is capable of native 4K rendering for games that are designed to optimise the new hardware.
Which Xbox has a Disc Drive?
Many people have made the mistake of purchasing an Xbox One only to find that it does not have a disc drive. If you want to buy an Xbox and want to make sure you buy one that does have a disc drive, then check out the table below.
Launch Model | Yes |
XB One S | Yes |
XB One S All-Digital | No |
XB One X | Yes |
Make sure you verify the type of Xbox One S model you are buying. The two versions look almost identical. It is very easy to make the mistake of purchasing the digital version. It will be listed on the box, so make sure you read it before you buy.
Xbox One Power Brick
With the Xbox 360, it was nice that the system was smaller than the PlayStation. Unfortunately, it was achieved by having a very large power brick outside of the console. The launch model of the Xbox One was a very large console and to top it off, it also had a big power brick. A power brick is a large transformer, normally brick-sized, that sits between the plug and the connection to the back of the console.
The Xbox One S was the first Xbox model to come without a power brick. All of the electrical components are integrated inside the system, resulting in a much cleaner and easy to setup system. For those wanting to avoid a power brick, the table below will list the versions and mark which versions come without a power brick.
Launch Model | No |
XB One S | Yes |
XB One S All-Digital | Yes |
XB One X | Yes |
Xbox Live
Xbox live is the online network used by this system. It is the exact same network used by the 360. If you owned the previous console and had an Xbox Live account, you will be able to log in to the Xbox One using the same profile Gamertag and account information as before. All of your account info such as friends, gamerscore and store purchases will be available on this new console too.
For users that wish to play online, an Xbox Live Gold subscription will be required to access multiplayer gaming and play with friends. You will not need to purchase a separate subscription if you already have one for use with the Xbox 360.
Xbox One Energy Use
Energy consumption is a critical part of any modern-day technology. As electricity prices go up and the cost to the environment gets bigger, we want to make sure our tech is not consuming too much electricity. Here is some information regarding the power consumption of Xbox consoles.
The table below will give you a power usage comparison between all of the different Xbox One models.
Note: Power consumption of all models were tested playing Gears of War 5.
Model | Main Menu Power Usage | In-Game Power Usage |
Launch Model | 53 watts | 107 watts |
XB One S | 20-30 watts | 55 watts |
XB One S Digital Version | Unknown | Unknown |
XB One X | 56 watts | 172 watts |
As you can see from the table above, the S model is by far the most power-efficient Xbox model, by quite a bit. The X is the heaviest on power, but this is likely due to the fact that it is a more powerful system.
I was unable to find out what the power consumption of the Xbox One S digital version was. I do not own this model and was unable to find any information online from others who were able to measure the consumption. The system uses the same 120-watt power supply that the base model uses, but you can assume that the lack of a disc drive should reduce the power draw by a small amount. Since most games these days are installed to the internal hard disk and the physical game disc is only read to verify you own a legit copy.
Backward Compatability
One thing that upset a lot of gamers with the Xbox 360 was the fact that you were unable to insert a disc from the Xbox and play the game. When the Xbox One launched, there was more bad news. You would be unable to play Xbox 360 games on the Xbox One.
This was a similar problem for Sony and the PlayStation 4. Fortunately for Microsoft, the architecture of the Xbox One was quite similar to previous systems, which has resulted in the launch of the Xbox backward compatibility program.
There is currently a very large selection of backward compatible games available to play on the latest console. You can browse Xbox 360 games on the XBL store and they will download and play on the XB1. If you own a disc-based version of a 360 game, you can insert the disc and it will trigger the download of a digital copy of the game, which you can then play.
What Does Backwards Compatability Mean?
Backwards compatibility means that a system is able to play games from a previous system. For the Xbox One, backwards compatibility means that the system is able to play games from the 360 and even the original Xbox model.
What Xbox games are Backwards Compatible?
There is actually a very large list of games that you can play. Rather than post them all, here, it is best you check out the official list on the Xbox website as the list is constantly growing. It is generally safe to assume that if the game is available on the XBL marketplace on the Xbox One, you will have no problem downloading and playing it. You can also read the information about the game on the marketplace itself in order to verify whether it is has been updated to support the backwards compatibility program.
Xbox One Frequently Asked Questions
The Xbox One is a large console release with a lot of features. Due to a lot of trouble around the launch of the system, there are lots of questions people have. You can find some of the most common questions related to the XB1 here. If you need further help, feel free to ask a question in the hardware help section.
Can the Xbox One Play Pre Owned Games?
Yes, it is possible. When the system launched, this was not possible and was met with a large amount of anger from the gaming community. It also resulted in one of the most memorable trolling moments when Sony released a video showing it was possible to share games on the PS4.
Since the launch, Microsoft has rolled back on this and it is now possible to play pre-owned games on the Xbox One. You will need to use the disc to play the game after it is installed but you can purchase used games online and use them without difficulty.
Does The Xbox One use the Same Account As The 360?
Yes, the Xbox Live account that you used on your Xbox 360 can be used on the Xbox One. You will retain all of your profile information, achievements and any social content such as friends lists.
How do you buy games for Xbox One S?
There are two different S models. One of these is the All-Digital version which does not contain a disc drive. If you are using this model, the only way to buy games is to purchase them from the Xbox Live marketplace.
If you own the standard Xbox One S model with a disc drive, you will be able to purchase physical disc copies of games from any store, online or otherwise that stocks disc-based versions of games.
Does the Xbox One X take discs?
I have a table above that will show this better but there are two models of the S. One of them does take discs and the other does not. If you are considering purchasing an Xbox. Please check which exact model it is. It is very easy to make the mistake of purchasing the model without a disc drive. If you want to be able to buy pre-owned games, you will need to make sure you have the model that contains the disc drive.
How to play disk games on Xbox One?
If you own one of the models that contain a disc drive (see the table in the section above detailing which models have a disc drive), then all you need to do is insert the disc into the systems disc drive. Assuming everything is operating normally, the system should detect the disc and begin installing it. Once the install is ready, you can play the game. The process is no different than digital games. The only difference is that you will need to physically insert the disc into the drive.
Does Xbox One have a power brick?
There are four different Xbox One models. 1 of them has a power brick and one does not. Check the table above to find out more about the power bricks and which consoles use them. The short version is that the launch model does contain a power brick. All other versions released after this do not.
Does Xbox One S have a power brick?
No, the S model was the first Xbox console to come without a power brick. All of the electrical components are now built into the system’s hardware. All you need is a basic cable that goes from the power outlet on the wall and this connects directly to the console, no need for a power brick.
Can you use discs on Xbox One S?
The answer to this is maybe. There are two different S models. One is the base model and the other is the “All-Digital” version. The digital model was not shipped with a disc drive. Both models look very alike and it is easy to mix them up. If you have the base model, you can use discs, if you do not, you will only be able to play digital games from the Xbox Live marketplace.