Online gaming is one of the best things to engage yourself in the digitalized world we live in. However, online gaming might sound somewhat confusing, especially if you have no idea of what it feels like. Along with the fun and immersion of online gaming, there could be some disadvantages.

This shouldn’t scare you away, though, because the pros far outweigh the cons. So, before you head on to sit for long hours in front of that monitor or PC, you wouldn’t want to miss the tips discussed in this article. Furthermore, don’t hesitate to grab some hacks from aimclub.io.

5 Tips you should know before your first online gaming experience

1. Find a genre first

The fact that all your friends are fans of first-shooter games shouldn’t limit your scope to shooter games only. There are games in other genres that might interest you better. So, we recommend that you spend some time online exploring different game genres before finally settling for one.

 There are other genres such as adventure, casino, puzzle, strategy, and even role-player games such as Hitman. You’ll most certainly find something that suits your style; it’s up to you to find it.

2. Watching your games helps

Many game guides emphasize watching pro players during their gaming sessions to help you advance your gaming skills, strategy, and tactics. In addition, you’ll improve your gameplay if you take some time off to watch your games.

You can make recordings of yourself or watch replays. You’ll find opportunities that you missed in the heat of the game. Also, comparing your gaming approach and tactics with what you see when you watch pros will help you identify flaws and work on them.

3. Gear up with good gaming equipment

You’ll struggle a lot if you’re using gear that is not specific to gaming. We’re not saying that you can’t enjoy your game with your old HP Elitebook – you can. However, you won’t make significant progress compared to another gamer who’s using a gaming-specific laptop.

It’s worse when you’re playing a competitive game against a player with better gear. For the best experience, go for gaming-specific equipment, including headphones, mouse/controller, laptop/monitor, etc. We also recommend an ergonomic chair to avoid aches that come with sitting in one spot for too long.

4. Be proactive with online security.

With the alarming rate of fraudulent activities present on the internet of late, we strongly advise that you be extra careful. With online gaming, you’ll encounter actual persons behind those avatars and codenames instead of the AI you play within solo games.

Some individuals on gaming platforms may have dark intentions. You must never share your personal information with persons you meet online, no matter how friendly they seem. More importantly, never use your real names on gaming platforms. For increased security, use strong passwords that contain a mixture of special characters, numbers, and letters.

5. Stay time-conscious

You’ll hardly find an online game that you wouldn’t want to spend hours playing. Whatever the case may be, you must always stay in control of how much time you spend in front of that screen. In addition to the time you’ll be whiling away, there are other disadvantages this comes with. You could develop health issues from staring at a screen for too long. 

Some common complaints are itching or dry eyes and lower back pain. The latter is common with gamers who are into the habit of slouching in their seat. While blue light glasses can help protect your eyes from complications that arise from prolonged exposure to screens, learn to manage your time effectively. Set time limits and discipline yourself to stick with them.

Conclusion

Find a game genre that fits your personality and style – there are tons to choose from. To get the best gaming experience and improve faster, we recommend using gaming-specific gear and equipment. In addition to the convenience of using them, they also account for additional speed. 

Watch pro players and compare their gameplay with yours to further sharpen your gaming skills. Moreover, you’ll need to take proactive measures to avoid the downsides of online gaming. First off, manage your time well and avoid sharing too much information online.

Online games and video games are hugely popular around the world. People enjoy them for many reasons and engage with them on many levels, from a casual way to pass the time to hardcore enthusiasm.

Games are fun, exciting, absorbing, and challenging, and that’s why we love them. But they can also teach us many valuable life skills and help us to hone and improve those we already possess.

We don’t necessarily play games to learn these skills, and gaming isn’t going to school. It’s time out, a chance to relax and get away from the pressures of work and education.

But if we pick up some valuable abilities along the way, that’s a welcome bonus.

Learning beneficial skills through gaming also counters those who still insist that computer games are harmful or an unproductive waste of time.

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Brain training

Many video and online games involve puzzle solving and strategy, which are excellent forms of mental exercise to help keep your brain in good shape.

Using memory, logic, concentration, pattern recognition, and lateral thinking in these games, you’ll help stave off ‘brain fog’ and the slowing down of mental processes that come with age.

Video games can be a gymnasium for the mind, and as with other muscles, you need to exercise your brain! 

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Money management

Role-playing games, in particular, usually involve a certain amount of buying and selling.

You need to manage your resources, financial or otherwise so that they’ll last you through the game while also acquiring the tools and weapons you need to achieve your goals.

At some point, you’ll need to decide whether purchasing an item is a good use of your resources: is it an essential object or an unnecessary luxury?

Seeing how money management in games can become a useful skill in real life doesn’t take much imagination. When playing at NJ online casinos, you’ll practice money management for real, as you set a budget for how much to spend and stick to it.

If you get lucky and win real money on slots or other games, you can decide whether to spend it or put it aside for future use.

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Perseverance

If there’s one thing that regular gaming teaches you, it’s perseverance, patience, deferred gratification, self-discipline, and having to work hard to get what you want.

Gamers call this grinding: when you must keep going through the same repetitive challenges to progress a little further than last time.

As in life, in games, you have to persevere to succeed.

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Emotional intelligence

As video games become more sophisticated, they increasingly feature complex narratives and character development and incorporate an emotional journey alongside the regular challenges.

Players must step outside their comfort zone and identify with characters that are often very different from them, seeing the world from their perspective.

They need to understand their problems, sympathize, and make difficult choices from their point of view. All this is useful when building real-world relationships and understanding social issues.

These are just a few valuable life skills you can improve through gaming. Individual games also add other skill sets, from strategy to architectural design.

So, whenever someone tells you that games are a waste of time, remember all the valuable lessons gaming has taught you. 

The Korean eSports team the Shanghai Dragons has just on-boarded their first female pro-player for their Overwatch league roster.

Kim Se-yeon, known as her tag Geguri, was the youngest player to enter APEX, a highly competitive South Korean gaming series, at 17-years-old.

Geguri has joined the team after being involved in other professional Overwatch fellowships.

Being a woman in the gaming community means you’re open to facing discriminatory backlash, much like Geguri was accused of cheating while playing her character, Zarya. She debunked these rumors by livestreaming while playing, causing some players to quit the Overwatch league themselves.

It's cold here. Come on in pic.twitter.com/Un0c5jnoqN

— Geguri [게구리] (@Geguri2) March 5, 2018

The Shanghai Dragons are notorious for losing their matches, but Geguri might be the lucky charm the team has been needing.

They’re currently struggling with a record of 0-8, but Geguri has brought a little bit of sunshine to the mix. Recently, the Shanghai Dragon’s coach stepped down, bringing in waves of possible new success.

Staff change: Effective immediately, Chen Congshan “U4” steps down as the head coach of Shanghai Dragons. He will formally leave the post after a transition period of one week. Current assistant coach Sun Jun Young “Kong” will act as a stand-in coach.

— Shanghai Dragons (@ShanghaiDragons) March 6, 2018

A couple of players have joined but have not yet made their debut yet. From DBLTap:

“​​Fans have been eagerly anticipating Geguri’s arrival in America and in the Overwatch League for some time. After rumors went around, it was confirmed by the Shanghai Dragons that Geguri would be ​joining the team, along with Lee “Fearless” Euiseok, Chon “Ado” Gihyeon, and He “Sky” Junjian.”

https://twitter.com/ShanghaiDragons/status/963640842580905984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dbltap.com%2Fposts%2F5997315-shanghai-dragons-geguri-will-apparently-arrive-in-america-next-week

Although Geguri has never spoken openly about the lack of women gamers in the community, previously stating that being a woman has little to do with why she hasn’t been taken seriously before this.

I spoke to Geguri this morning regarding Kotaku's @Vahn16 faulty report on no women being chosen for #OverwatchLeague. Geguri told me not getting signed to a OWL team had nothing to do with her being a woman. Further, she is uncomfortable with the controversy itself. pic.twitter.com/jfXGW9L6B0

— Rod Breslau (@Slasher) January 11, 2018

But regardless of her previous position, these changes are sure to bring a lot more success and shape the future of the Shanghai Dragons, and eSports as a whole.

Geguri’s addition will bring positive changes to the team and the Overwatch community as a whole, bringing to light the gaps we hadn’t addressed in the past.

The new game Tabi Kaeru, or “Travel Frog” has become the most downloaded game in China, Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

Mayuko Uemura, a 26 year-old Hit-Point employee who has “never written code in her life” created the game after finding inspiration in travel and “the feeling of waiting for a loved one to return from a trip,” as reported by the South China Post.

“I want to develop games that players can love. I don’t want to develop games where you have to focus too much.”

The frog has a home resembling a cave. Inside, he is keeping busy through writing or reading. Outdoors, he is looking for different ways to collect things from his travels. The game’s objective focuses on collecting as many things as possible throughout the trips the frog takes, and to bring them back home.

The goal is collect more stuff: for the frog to take on trips, as well as the stuff he brings back.

“Even though the game is only available in Japanese, it has been downloaded more than 30 million times following its November debut (with China making up 95 per cent of that), outpacing even Nintendo’s hit title Animal Crossing released around the same time, according to researcher Sensor Tower. By comparison, Neko Atsume has been downloaded 22 million times.”

And the number one consumers seem to be women, according to analyst Daniel Ahmad of Niko Partners.

“It shows that there is a huge opportunity to target female gamers in China.”

Now the only question is, will the game hit America as hard as it did Asia? The Japanese Times says that’s still up for debate.

While frogs are considered a symbol of fortune and prosperity in China and parts of Asia, Hit-Point isn’t saying how much it’s made from ‘Tabi Kaeru.’ While there are ads that bring in revenue, users can also purchase additional clover as currency. There’s plenty of potential. The popular feline characters in “Neko Atsume” are now featured in toys, books and even a movie.

And though the game is only available in Japanese, it has been downloaded over 30 million times.

I’m heading to the app store right now.

The past couple of days, Twitter has been blowing up with #GirlsBehindTheGames, a community inspired hashtag for women occupying seats in the gaming industry.

The hashtag has reached a seemingly elusive audience across the globe.

Rarely credited for their influence, women in the gaming world are finally speaking up about their accomplishments in a much more confident fashion, sharing their occupations in OG companies like Bungie and TellTale Games with the world.

https://twitter.com/ObvItsAmy/status/958649903617626114

https://twitter.com/maryknews/status/958725903189606400

Hi #girlsbehindthegames I'm the Lead Technical Artist for the Total War series at Creative Assembly

I work with our artists to help them realise their vision for the game, communicate new art features & improvements to the code team, and write tools to improve art processes

— Jodie Azhar (@JodieAzhar) January 30, 2018

I'm a senior designer @bungie. I've been a designer since 2007 and worked on franchises like Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Destiny. I want my 2018 to involve helping women in tech so don't hesitate to contact me through twitter or my website. #girlsbehindthegames

— Raylene Deck (@raylene_deck) January 31, 2018

Hi! #girlsbehindthegames Figured it was a perfect time to gush over my most favorite game project that I did character and environment art for: #Oxenfree! Great team at @nightschoolers <3 pic.twitter.com/7HuuoUdDRN

— Heathersketcheroos (@heathersketcher) January 31, 2018

I'm a Tools Programmer at Rockstar North, with a focus on animation tools.

I'm a board member for @IGDAScotland working to improve and nurture the Scottish games community.

I'm a STEM ambassador encouraging young people to get into games. #girlsbehindthegames 🎮

— Zoë Sams 🏳️‍🌈 (@zoegsams) January 30, 2018

#girlsbehindthegames
I'm a Software Engineer at @RareLtd working on @SeaOfThieves! My job involves programming fun new gameplay features. Best part of it is solving interesting and totally unique problems every day ^^

— Jessica Baker 🌙✨ (@JessBoneBreaker) January 30, 2018

With so few women in tech compared to men, it’s inspiring to recognize the names of women directors, developers, designers, writers, and so much more behind the scenes of our favorite storylines and cutscenes.

The brains behind the movement is New Zealand based company Runaway. The establishment prides itself on its female hires, with women taking lead of the head leadership positions of Managing Director and Creative Director.

“Staff diversity enables our team to produce games that appeal to a wider audience, inclusive of women, and other marginalized groups. But this kind of recruitment diversity requires a pool of talented girls to join – and be supported to remain in – the games industry.”

The company recently released Flutter VR, an exploring game “unapologetically released for women,” which targets a female audience thorough its soothing explore and discover simulation.

The independent gaming developer said it took the initiative “to inspire more young women to pursue careers in their industry.”

The goal, writes Syfy, is to “collect as many stories as possible between now and International Women’s Day on March 8.”

Their website and Twitter are actively used to share the campaign goals, and they hope to bring as much inspiration and light to the table as possible.

Did you know that 47% of gamers are women and yet women only make up 22% of the game industry workforce? Runaway wants to help improve those numbers by increasing awareness of women in the industry and highlighting the incredible work they do.

The studio was even visited and complimented by New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who called the project “a brilliant thing to do.”

It’s great that women have a platform to discuss and empower one another in a heavily male-dominated industry like gaming. Runaway has brought a wave of change to the internet that has been long overdue.

With such a positive response from the community, women are awakened to the possibilities of their capabilities, and they prove to be endless.

It seems a tale as old as the dawn of time. A princess awaits her handsome prince to hop, skip, and jump the many trials leading up to saving his precious, beautiful flower.

But, if you’re playing the new mobile game PrinceNapped, you’ll come across an opposite storyline of what you’re probably expecting.

Game designer Molly Proffitt sat with Refinery29 and discussed the new game concept and aesthetics.

Unlike the alluring (and ineffectual) princesses that have been represented in video games for a while now, such as Princess Peach, Princess Zelda, and Princess Kitana, PrinceNapped is scratching your previous conceptions of game storylines.

PrinceNapped is a mobile game created by Ker-Chunk Games in an attempt to switch up the normalized gender roles. In this game, it’s Prince Douchebag — I mean, Edwin — that’s being saved.

The Prince in question should have probably been named Chad or something. Proffitt tells Refinery29,

“We literally Googled the word ‘douchebag’ and started pulling pictures.”

Proffitt shares her journey about the game’s production. As a child growing up in Nashville, Tennessee. Needless to say, she didn’t see much support for women in the STEM community.

“Coding classes weren’t really available for women, and there wasn’t a lot of messaging out there that was like ‘you can do that.'”

She’s been working as a game designer for a while now. After a stint working for Atlanta Studios, she decided it was time to take gaming development into her own hands.

A self-taught application designer, Proffit graduated college with a degree in Media & Game design from SCAD. In 2012, gaming had taken a different turn, with female gamers becoming more active on social media — specifically on Facebook.

“I was starting to see the data really, really change. 2011 to 2014 was the heyday of Facebook games and you were seeing women of all ages starting to pick up games.”

Molly made it her goal to reach this audience. Dabbling with creating games over the next couple years, she came across a study by Jun Group, which claimed 60% of females played games daily compared to a shocking 47% of men.

Armed with a team of badass females, Ker-Chunk got to business. The game’s heroine, Clara, was born in a world where female empowerment comes first.

“We want to continue tackling messages that reverse stereotypes and deal with confidence — we want the player to feel like they are in a position of power.”

Every level in the game was created by her. The game “revives classic kinds of gameplay has been a success formula for many of today’s most popular mobile games,” by having users “unblock” the puzzles that open up pathways to reach the Prince using Clara’s various powers.

We definitely need more Mollys in the world. These gaming changes are a huge step in the right direction. While I love my male protagonists as much as the next person when it comes to gaming, it’s a nice shakeup to have a woman do the dirty work.

Peep PrinceNapped in the app store today, and let us know what you think.

I’ve seen a lot of zombie movies but for some reason, World War Z had me the most stressed. Originally based on the novel by Max Brooks, it’s the fact that these zombies are different than any others in the genre — they’re stupid quick.

There’s nothing scarier than a mad athletic zombie that can run faster than Usain Bolt, jump higher than Blake Griffin, and eat ya fuckin’ face like it’s on all the bath salts.

Now this horrifying image is coming to video games and we couldn’t be more shook.

The trailer was shown at the Gaming Awards recently and if this is any indication of actual gameplay then I’m gonna have to play this in the middle of the day, with all of the lights on, and with my whole family in the room for support.

Do you see these motherfuckers climbing on top of each other and stacking up? That’s one of the most unsettling images you could see all day. How many bullets are you going to need to stop this again? And realistically how the fuck do you win this game?

https://giphy.com/gifs/zombies-world-war-z-6q6iJkAi15mBa

According to their press release, World War Z will be up to a four player cooperative with a campaign mode that focuses on survival in cities such as New York, Jerusalem, and Moscow.

Luckily, you’re gonna have the heat on deck and will be able to pop some zombie ass with enough ammo to save the world. It’s a strategy game so there will be all sorts of traps you can set up and barriers you have to use as the environment is your homie.

https://giphy.com/gifs/world-war-z-TLqbaHXPOlody

The tagline for the game is probably the braziest thing about it, “70,000 years at the top of the food chain…it was fun while it lasted.” Chill!

The real question is do you get to play as Brad Pitt? Hopefully this shit comes out in 2018.

Grand Theft Auto has released over five successful GTA games since its original 1997 debut.

What makes the game series so successful is the story line maintained throughout and the likable characters that you can’t help but fall in love with.

I mean, just look at how cute Niko is.

Now, GTA fans are asking for something that goes against the typical game.

Within the past year, fans have been demanding to see a female protagonist in the next installment. People really want to see a woman kick ass in all her gun-shooting, cop car-stealing, explosion-dodging glory.

According to The Inquistr, fans are asking for a very particular protagonist to take place of the males that preceded.

“I would love nothing more than a female protagonist in GTA 6. She will be a King among men. I just want something new and GTA to take a new direction.”

Fans were discussing the character’s background and said that she “should be a tough woman who grew up in a bad neighborhood,” and have absolutely no children.

That makes sense, no one wants to be jacking a car at 3 and home by 4 to feed the babies.

https://giphy.com/gifs/grand-theft-auto-gta-gifs-qQxuOA8ukxRrG

As of right now, nothing has been confirmed regarding the character. Fans are anxiously waiting for the next game to be released, since the successful release of Grand Theft Auto V in 2013. Though it’s not confirmed, there’s rumors that the next GTA 6 will be released in 2018.

Do we want to see a female protagonist? Fuck yeah. That would be a wonderful plot twist in a game like GTA. Crime, strippers, drugs, booze, and a dope female’s story to go with it? Sounds like a good time.

I also believe that if this does become an actual thing, more women would be inclined to play GTA. There’s just something about being able to relate to a character that sucks you into any form of entertainment.

https://giphy.com/gifs/shittyreactiongifs-gta-strip-club-S4OmvGg4cdCPS

Don’t hold your breath yet, though. Nothing at all is confirmed, not even the year of release. In retrospect, that’s a great thing, because we have a lot of time to openly suggest what it is we’re looking for in the next Grand Theft Auto.

What do you want to see in the next game?

Nowadays everyone is a gamer, I mean it’s just become so easy and accessible to play. It doesn’t matter if you play on PC, console, or mobile you are a gamer in one way or another.

Platforms like Twitch and YouTube have really pushed the gaming landscape so now it’s mainstream. Even e-sports are becoming more popular with companies like Yahoo and ESPN covering major events.

With rumors of e-sports making its way into the Olympics it’s safe to say gaming will be here for a while. Sure, not everyone is a hardcore gamer or a pro player but most of us play for the fun. Gaming has made its way into all sorts of groups imaginable, even hip-hop.

Here’s a couple rappers that don’t even try to hide it, they are proud gamers and you’ve most likely heard of them.

The Game

@prettyboyfredo you Betta come on over to the BOX bruh Just won 10 straight in my park #SunsetBeach on the 4’s court & the last game was so lit, I had to throw niggas in the rim for the win !!!!! Put a space & lower case “vip” on ya gamer tag & meet me back in the park 2pm pacific time today & it will be steamed on my @twitch channel: enjoycompton …. you can also follow my teams #NBA2K17 pro am page @vipdropoffgang for team & park info & try outs….. hood morning gamers & shout to everybody who was in the park today… #VIPGang #Team2k @ronnie2k @vitriolandsugar

A post shared by The Game (@losangelesconfidential) on Mar 31, 2017 at 6:00am PDT

Yes, The Game is a gamer. Pun not intended.

Back in ’08 he destroyed Bow Wow in madden 55-23, which you can still watch here.

He goes on IG frequently to roast his opponents on 2K and Madden, showing no regard for feelings at all.

The Game is already intimidating in real life and now that I know he’s nice on the sticks, I’ma be shook if I have to face him.

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Logic

Brought out Yachty in Atlanta just to destroy him in Mario Kart

A post shared by logic301 (@logic301) on Jul 31, 2017 at 12:29pm PDT

Everyone knows Logic is probably the biggest nerd in the rap game so it’s not surprising he’s a gamer.

What is surprising is that he has his own YouTube channel with 887k subscribers.

There you can watch him play games or just chill with him while he talks about whatever is on his mind.

Oh, and if you’re not sure if he really is a gamer peep his gaming room.

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Chief Keef

Do it For the Navy @glonavygaming

A post shared by Chief Keef (@chieffkeeffsossa) on Oct 20, 2016 at 8:18pm PDT

Ok now I know you didn’t expect Sosa himself to be here but yes he is also a gamer.

He even has a gaming crew called GloNavyGaming. That’s so crazy like, who would’ve ever thought Chief Keef would have a gaming crew.

Don’t be talking sweet about Chief Keef online now either or you might have to get beat (virtually, of course).

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Lupe Fiasco

我在上海玩街头霸王! It was so broken …but so fun! 我想回来。

A post shared by Lupe Fiasco (@lupefiasco) on Oct 11, 2016 at 5:54pm PDT

The man loves Street Fighter and is actually pretty good.

He even went against Daigo Umehara, a legend in the Street Fighter community, and won 3-2.

People are unsure if the fight was legit or not but most likely Daigo wasn’t trying and just having fun.

Either way Fiasco showed some real skill.

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Soulja Boy

@MLGPuckett @MLG coming soon!

— Soulja Boy (Draco) (@souljaboy) February 12, 2016

When Soulja Boy isn’t taking L’s I guess he’s chilling playing video games.

Soulja Boy isn’t new to gaming either he’s been following competitive Halo since ’09.

He went to Halo Camps in ’09, which is what Chris Puckett is referring to.

Maybe a team will pick up Soulja Boy but with his luck he’d just end up with another L.

The Xbox One had a depressing introduction into the world of “next-generation” consoles.

It offered very few first-party games at its introduction and was slated to drop at an expensive price tag of $500.

It was stated to be a powerhouse console and would have tons of new features and updating old things everyone loved about the Xbox 360.

Then came a barrage of problems.

First it was announced that there would be no backwards compatibility, which angered a whole bunch of fans whose 360 collection would go to absolute waste.

Then they announced that there would be no connection between 360 and Xbox One players making it impossible to connect with friends who don’t have the latest console.

Most of these idiotic decisions led to many people choosing PlayStation as their console, the PS4 offered a wide variety of games and was $100 less.

Microsoft later righted their wrongs and made the Xbox One backward compatible, however, it was only for certain games.

I own an Xbox One and it’s a decent little console but heavens the space issue is probably one of the worst.

Large games like NBA 2K18 and GTA V take up huge amounts of space and once you run out, you’re stuck either buying additional storage or lamenting on having to delete a game just to make space.

Recently Xbox teased a new console called “Project Scorpio” leading everyone to believe a new console was on the way.

Microsoft debuted the Xbox One X (fka Project Scorpio) at E3 in July and it touted some pretty impressive specs.

It renders in 4K graphics, has a 8-core Custom AMD CPU clocked at 2.3GHz, and with 6 Teraflops, 326GB/s of memory bandwidth, the Scorpio Engine is the world’s most powerful console gaming processor.

Pretty impressive, as shown by the gameplay of the newest Assassin’s Creed game, which is slated to drop with the console.

However, Microsoft still hasn’t learned from the Xbox One debacle as the One X is slated for a pricey $500.

Many believe the One X’s price, as well as a required 4K television, will drive people away from what is, graphically speaking, a breathtaking console.

The Xbox One X has the potential to be a game changer in the industry, pun intended.