What you need to know
- The Xbox Series X is Microsoft's most powerful console, designed to deliver a true 4K gaming experience whenever possible.
- Despite this goal, Xbox fans have been baffled by the Xbox Series X Dashboard and other UI elements rendering in only 1080p.
- A new update rolling out through the Xbox Insider Program is finally testing the 4K treatment for the Xbox Series X Dashboard.
- If testing goes well, everyone rocking an Xbox Series X will be able to enjoy a crispy 4K Dashboard, Guide, and other areas of the UI.
The Xbox Series X is an absolute beast of a console, capable of powering the best Xbox games at 4K, and even at up to 120 FPS in some games. However, one curious omission from the Xbox Series X has been 4K support for its UI, a holdover from the aging and less-capable Xbox One series consoles. It looks like this is about to change, thanks to the Xbox Insider Program.
Up until now, the Xbox Series X Dashboard, Guide, and other menus have all been rendered at 1080p, causing them to appear fuzzy and soft on larger 4K displays. Today, members of the Alpha Branch in the Xbox Insider Program can download and test build 2109.210813-2200, which finally includes 4K support in the Xbox Series X Dashboard and other UI elements on supported displays.
Unless you're a member of the Xbox Insider Program and willing to accept the risks involved with testing software updates early, this won't apply to you immediately. However, the Xbox Insider Program does provide insights into what's planned for the Xbox Series X|S software experience in the future, and it seems 4K support for the Xbox Series X UI experience is on the way. Hopefully, players won't have to wait too long before they get to see this for themselves (usually, these features aren't more than a few weeks or months away).
The more affordable (but still capable) Xbox Series S is not mentioned as gaining 4K support for the Xbox Dashboard, but this is understandable. The Xbox Series S is absolutely a current-gen gaming console, but it targets a maximum of 1440p for its games, instead, so 4K support in the UI isn't really necessary.
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