Long read ahead.
I personally feel like MS fundamentally failed to learn why the PS4 is beating the xb1. I feel like the XB1X is the supposed answer to all the complaints about the original xb1. What they showed me is that they failed to truly learn in two huge ways.
One, the games. You can show me the most beautiful forza, but it's such an expected move that it borders on parody; the same cycle of gears, halo, forza. Even outside of that cycle Crackdown looks underwhelming and sea of thieves looks hopeful. A new console can't hide that stagnation. It's more powerful than the PS4 Pro comfortably. That said, I played the last guardian on my pro at launch, and I absolutely could not go back to its original 1080p state. I've played Horizon, nioh and other games enhanced by pro. These are games I cannot get anywhere else, and they're better experiences on the pro. I get enhanced third party games as well. The XB1X's power can't hide the fact that Microsoft's exclusive experiences are uninspired and safe. Same old MS, different box, and this is coming from a huge halo fan.
Secondly,the price. This box is essentially $700 in Canada if they continue the trend of straight conversion. I have to wonder, outside of xb1 only gamers, who is it for? In the likely scenario that Sony drops the price on the pro, the PlayStation alternative is far more affordable. Value is important, even in the face of raw specs (e.g., PS2). So if I have a ps4 I could get a pro at a cheaper rate. If I have a decent PC, I can just play all the Xbox games I'd like. The value proposition is just daunting to me.
This is why I came out of the MS conference, underwhelmed. They're trying to brute force their way ahead of Sony in hearts and minds but they haven't truly learned.
