Leading up to the announcement of the Xbox One X, prominent analysts and commentators said that anything above $399 would be a death sentence for the console, despite all the technology crammed into the box. Even when you disregard the Xbox One X's $499 pricepoint, and when you factor in the price of the 4K television required to use it optimally, you know this isn't a console for everyone.

If you're looking to buy an Xbox One X, you can't just consider the 4K box itself. You also have to consider the ecosystem attached to it: games, media, and beyond. Unlike purchasing a gaming PC, with a console purchase, you're also locking yourself into a specific storefront. You're also trading the potential versatility of Windows for the out-of-the-box usability of a closed, standardized hardware ecosystem.

The Xbox One X and Xbox landscape are a whole lot different than the original Xbox One in 2013. If you're already a diehard Xbox fan, Microsoft knows you're going to buy this box. But for lapsed fans who left the platform for PlayStation 4 at the start of this generation, or Microsoft ecosystem users looking to jump in for the first time, the Xbox One X is by no means a guaranteed win. Here's why.