For those wondering why I'm playing this the short answer is Starfield research, playing other Space Games. I'll eventually get to streaming Underspace and Freelancer. But mostly I'd like a varied set of experiences going into Starfield able to compare and contrast features and be disappointed and/or delighted by the comparison. This is because I'm a crazy person.
Some background for folks: The Developers of the X-Series are well known for competing with the Gothic series for the king of Euro-Jank. X2 and 3 have a much larger scope and scale with a massive universe. X4 Foundations scales that down, a LOT with an in-universe event that shut down all but a few of the faster than light travel gates. This smaller universe has a tighter focus on fine detail, but make no mistake, it's still euro-jank and it'll show.