Xbox Series X Higher Resolution UI for 4K Screens Enters Testing

The Xbox Series X is an impressive piece of hardware, but it shipped with a rather odd limitation – the system’s UI is limited to only 1080p (the PS5 on the other hand, runs at a full 4K on appropriate screens). This was likely partly done in name of consistency, as the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S share the same UI, or perhaps Microsoft was just worried about performance. Either way, the XSX’s menus definitely aren’t quite as crispy as they could be.

Well, it seems that’s about the change soon, as the latest update for those in the Xbox Insider Alpha ring includes “increased resolution” UI for those playing Xbox Series X on a 4K screen. It seems this feature won’t be available for Xbox Series S. Note, Microsoft isn’t actually promising full 4K – in all likeliness, they’ll be offering variable resolution in order to maintain performance. That said, I’m guessing it will be pretty close to 4K, unless the Xbox UI is way less efficient than we thought.

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Here are the full notes for the latest Xbox Insider system update:

Dashboard

With today’s update, Alpha Skip-Ahead Insiders on Xbox Series X consoles connected to a 4K display can begin flighting an increased resolution UI. This change means Home, Guide, and other areas of the UI will be displayed in a higher native resolution for increased sharpness and text readability.

Fixes Implemented

Thanks to the hard work of Xbox engineers, we are happy to announce the following fixes have been implemented for this build:

System

Various updates to properly reflect local languages across the console.

The above Xbox system update is available to Xbox Insider Alpha Skip-Head ring members as of today. No word on when the feature might be available XSX owners – sometimes features take weeks to roll out, sometimes longer.