What you need to know
- Xbox Wire France published a blog post naming Dolby Vision and Atmos as Xbox console exclusives.
- The post was taken down.
- Microsoft has released a statement saying there is no exclusivity deal of the sort.
Update June 2, 2021 at 9:15 a.m. ET: Dolby has provided the following statement: "Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos are not console exclusive and we look forward to working with Microsoft and all our partners to make Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos widely available to gamers."
Xbox Wire France published a blog post outlining a new feather in Xbox's cap: Two years of Dolby Vision and Atmos console exclusivity. That post is no longer live.
As reported by The Verge, the post came and went fairly quickly, though its brief splash on the internet was enough to earn an official response from Microsoft. "A blog post was mistakenly published by a local Xbox team that included inaccurate information regarding exclusivity of Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision on Xbox Series X|S," a Microsoft spokesperson told The Verge. "There is no exclusivity agreement of either tech on Xbox."
This could mean a number of things. Perhaps an announcement at E3 2021 is en route and went live a little prematurely, in which case, this spokesperson's comments are just a stalling tactic. After all, why would such a post be written up if the info is completely untrue?
Alternatively, there may have been a deal in place that didn't pan out, and this post is just a remnant of what could have been. It seems highly unlikely that Xbox Wire France would make up imaginary exclusivity agreement posts for the sake of eye-catching content.
So, what's the real scoop? Are Dolby Atmos and Vision coming to Sony's and Nintendo's gaming boxes (don't forget that Atmos is kind of, sort of supported on PS5, but just for movies)? Or is Microsoft just biting its tongue on a formal announcement?
Sound off in the comments with your thoughts. The best Xbox games on Xbox Series X have already been benefiting from Dolby Atmos, so nothing's changing on that front. But as for exclusivity, questions abound.
