You’ve seen the trailers. The flashy "next-gen" graphics, the sweat beads on Cale Makar’s forehead, and the promise of a revolution in digital hockey. But here you are, still rocking the black box from 2013 or maybe the sleek One X.
Honestly? You aren't missing as much as Electronic Arts wants you to think.
NHL 24 Xbox One is a weird beast. It is a game trapped between two worlds. It’s got the new "Exhaust Engine" that everyone is talking about, but it’s running on hardware that’s basically a decade old at this point. If you're wondering if it's worth the 70 bucks or if you're just buying a roster update, the answer is... complicated. It's not just a "legacy edition" like the old 360 days, but it definitely feels like it's pushing the Xbox One to its absolute limit.
The Exhaust Engine: Does It Actually Work on Old Tech?
The biggest selling point for this year was the Exhaust Engine. The idea is simple: if you keep the puck in the offensive zone and pepper the goalie with shots, the defenders get tired. Their icons turn orange, then red. They skate slower. Their passes get sloppy.
On the NHL 24 Xbox One version, this mechanic is fully intact. It isn’t some "Lite" version of the feature. You still see the circular "Sustained Pressure" meter in the middle of the ice. You still see the goalie getting "tethered" and struggling to get back to the post after a desperate cross-crease save.
But here is the catch.
Because the Xbox One has a slower processor, the game can feel a bit "heavy." When the pressure meter is full and the crowd is screaming, there are moments where the framerate feels like it’s gasping for air. It’s still 60 FPS most of the time, but it doesn't have that "glassy" smoothness you see on the Series X.
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- Sustained Pressure: Works exactly like the newer consoles.
- Goalie Fatigue: Netminders will flop and flail if you keep them moving.
- The Crowd: Still reacts to the pressure, though the visual fidelity of the fans is... well, it's 2013 tech.
What Most People Get Wrong About Cross-Play
This is where it gets confusing for a lot of players. EA talked a big game about "Total Cross-Play," but there is a massive asterisk next to it.
If you are playing NHL 24 Xbox One, you can play against people on PlayStation 4. That’s it. You cannot play with your buddy who finally upgraded to a PS5 or an Xbox Series X unless they specifically download the "Old Gen" version of the game.
It's a "same-generation only" club.
Basically, the player pool is split. The good news? There are still millions of people on Xbox One. Finding a game in World of Chel or HUT (Hockey Ultimate Team) usually takes less than thirty seconds. The auction house is also shared between Xbox One and PS4, which means the market for cards is much more stable than it used to be back in the NHL 21 or 22 days.
The Controls: Total Control vs. Skill Stick
EA introduced a new control scheme called "Total Control." It lets you do "The Michigan" (the lacrosse goal) just by pressing a single button. On the NHL 24 Xbox One controller, this feels... weirdly powerful.
Purists hate it.
They think it takes the skill out of the game. If you're a casual player who just wants to score highlight-reel goals without spending 40 hours in the practice facility, you'll love it. If you’ve been playing since NHL 07, you’ll probably stick to the "Skill Stick" settings. The game lets you choose, so it's not a dealbreaker, but be prepared to see a lot of people trying to pull off insane dekes in every single Division 6 HUT game you play.
The Physics and Hitting
Hitting got a massive overhaul this year. You can't just nudge the right stick to blow someone up anymore. You have to "charge" the hit by pulling back on the stick and then flicking it forward.
On the older Xbox One hardware, the physics engine (Frostbite) sometimes has these hilarious hiccups. You'll go for a big hit at the boards, miss, and your player will fly into the bench like he’s been shot out of a cannon. It's a bit glitchy, sure, but honestly? It's kind of entertaining.
Performance Reality Check: The Menus
We have to talk about the menus. It is the one thing everyone complains about, and for good reason.
The menus in NHL 24 Xbox One are slow. Like, "go make a sandwich while the HUT screen loads" slow. This isn't a bug; it's just the limitation of the console's hard drive. While the Series X/S users are zipping through screens instantly, you’re going to be staring at loading circles.
If you spend 90% of your time in Franchise Mode or Be a Pro, this is going to test your patience. Be a Pro, by the way, is almost identical to last year. The "story" is the same, the cutscenes are the same, and the dialogue is still unvoiced and repetitive. If you’re buying the game specifically for a deep career mode, you might want to wait for a deep sale.
Why Some Pros Still Play the Xbox One Version
Here is a little secret the competitive community knows: some people think the "Old Gen" version actually plays better.
Because the graphics are less demanding, there is often less input lag. In a game where a millisecond determines if you poke the puck away or take a tripping penalty, that matters. The "meta" on NHL 24 Xbox One feels a bit more consistent than the next-gen version, which sometimes feels like it’s trying to do too much physics-wise, leading to "puck luck" nonsense.
Key Differences Summary
- Graphics: No player sweat, no 4K resolution, simplified lighting.
- Physics: Simplified "ragdoll" effects compared to next-gen.
- Presentation: You get the "Flex Moments" celebrations, but the cutscenes are shorter and less detailed.
- Loading: Significantly slower. Be prepared to wait.
Is It Actually Worth It?
If you're still on the Xbox One and you love hockey, NHL 24 is the best version available on that platform. It’s a huge leap over NHL 23 because of the Exhaust Engine and the revamped hitting. It feels like a different game, not just a patch.
However, if you're a "Franchise Mode only" player, the upgrades are slim. The trade logic is still a bit wonky, and the lack of a real "GM Connected" mode is a wound that never quite heals for this community.
Actionable Next Steps for Players:
- Check Your Library: If you have Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, you can play a 10-hour trial via EA Play. Use it. Don't buy the game until you feel how the new hitting system works.
- Toggle the Controls: Immediately go into settings and try "Total Control." If you find yourself accidentally doing dekes when you mean to shoot, switch back to "Skill Stick."
- Adjust the Sliders: If the Exhaust Engine feels too "arcadey" for you in offline modes, go to the gameplay sliders and turn down the "Sustained Pressure" decay. It makes the game feel much more like a traditional simulation.
- Manage Your Storage: Since the Xbox One struggles with load times, ensure the game is installed on your internal drive rather than a slow external USB 2.0 drive. It won't make it "fast," but it'll save you a few seconds per screen.