It seems like the news exclusive to Xbox game consoles these days is almost entirely centered around Microsoft having an exclusivity problem, and a bunch of news about new features being added that has nothing to do with bringing new games to the system. Well, you can add another to the latter list because it’s being reported that 1440p resolution support is coming to Xbox One S and Xbox One X consoles.
Windows Central spotted the news from Xbox’s Kevin Gammill, who revealed via tweet that those who are part of the Xbox Insider Program are able to play-test the new resolution on the Xbox One S and Xbox One X… very soon.
Many questions recently around the timing of our 1440p support. Those of you in our early preview ring should be pleasantly surprised very soon if you have an Xbox One S or Xbox One X.
— Kevin Gammill (@CmdrDesslock) February 16, 2018
As noted on Windows Central, the Xbox One X has supersampling for 1080p displays when you attempt to run games at 4K on televisions that aren’t 4K. However, there are no options for 1440p monitor or television users (because yes, some console owners hook their devices up to their PC monitors). Instead, the Xbox One S and Xbox One X simply downsample to 1080p for 1440p televisions and monitors.
What this means is that for most 1440p display owners, you’re losing about 1.6 megapixels per frame on a 16:9 display.
This is pretty awful in terms of getting the most out your television or monitor while using an Xbox One S or Xbox One X.
Of course, keep in mind that since Xbox One S systems don’t support native gameplay in 4K, you’re only losing more than 1.6 million pixels in video playback and streaming content via a 1440p display. For Xbox One X gamers, this means you’re losing 1.6 million pixels both in video playback and in your video games that support 4K resolutions.
Obviously, the Xbox One X users are losing out the most when it comes to a lack of 1440p support, but that will be changing soon enough. You can join the Xbox Insider Program right now by visiting the official Xbox website.