Microsoft has begun testing a new 4K resolution dashboard for the Xbox Series X for Xbox Insider and members of Alpha and Alpha Skip Ring who today have access to the more visual Xbox Dashboard designed to enhance elements of the 4K display. Xbox has confirmed it is getting a dashboard in 4K that is compatible with the latest alpha and insider updates.
Shared on Twitter by Xbox Insider program director Brad Rossetti, the higher-resolution Xbox Series Xs feature allows for higher-resolution Xbox consoles connected to a 4K display to output to the console dashboard. The dashboard is now an update that insiders on the Xbox X platform currently call alpha-skipping, but once the consoles connect to 4K displays and take flight, there will also be an increase in resolution. The dashboard is now an updated alpha-skipping for insiders on the console, but once the consoles are connected and 4K screens fly, there will also be increased resolution.
Microsoft will not call the new system update that increases the resolution of the Xbox Series X console user interfaces a 4K update, but its patch notes mean that the resolution of the user interfaces drops to 4K. The update is detailed on the official Xbox website, where Microsoft has discovered its focus. It will change the resolution of some elements, including Home and Details, to the factor 4K resolution for better sharpness. After installing the update, Xbox Insiders can see the dashboard in full native resolution with an X Series console to a 4K display. The switch to 4K for the dashboard means the overall user interface will be sharper.
A higher-resolution dashboard is far from essential, but the eligible text is a plus, and we’re pleased that Xbox owners will now be able to enjoy crystal clear 4K output while browsing the console. The 4K dashboard provides a nice visual upgrade for players playing on 4K resolution screens.
It is unclear when this will also hit non-insiders, but we will keep you informed. The announcement of the higher-resolution Xbox Series X dashboard comes after Microsoft revealed that it was testing a new night mode that allows Xbox owners to dim their displays, controllers, and consoles with LED brightness. Last week, a night mode option for Xbox Insider members was unveiled that allows players to dim their screens with the controller’s power button if they want.
The Series S is already capable of 4K output, so chances are that its own dashboard will be subject to the same upgrade. We believe that games in the S-Series will only reach 4K resolution when the console is able to receive 4K video signals. The Xbox Series X will apply this functionality to most of its features, not just games, but a 4K dashboard is important for viewing games.
The second major change to the Xbox dashboard, which Microsoft is introducing within a week. In a few days, the new 4K dashboard for the Xbox Series X will arrive, but who knows when the new Dark Mode will be introduced in the next console update. All the changes to the Xbox dashboard come just days after Microsoft started testing a new night mode on various Xbox consoles.
It is already known that Xbox’s latest console, the S / X series, will be a 4K machine and will use its system-optimized 4K games. When the PS5 was launched in 2020, Sony said the console would be displayed in 4K with HDR, including on the dashboard, screen, and home screen.
If the test goes well, Microsoft will release an optimized version of the Xbox Series S/X with an “Xbox Series X/S 4K Dashboard Update” that will add more feature-rich Xbox Series S/X dashboards. Microsoft doesn’t know if the 4K dashboard update will add HDR to the home screen, similar to how PS5 in HDR runs, but it doesn’t yet know if this will be supported on the series X. Anyone hoping to join the Xbox Insider program to test these features is out of luck. If the tests go as planned, other owners of the X Series will have access to the Night Mode and the 4K dashboard later this year.
