How to get the best visuals from your Xbox One

The Xbox One cuts out the complexities of gaming, with a seamless setup and gaming feel. Unbox it, plug it in, walk through a few steps of prepare, then yous're good to go, with games, movies, and more just a few button presses away.

But to truly get the nigh from your Xbox I, yous'll need to take a deeper dive into the console. Jumping into its settings and tweaking just a few options, you may exist able to squeeze the most from your console's power.

See at Microsoft Store
Run across at Amazon

Choosing the best resolution
Enabling HDR
Choosing the best color depth
Choosing the best colour space
Enabling VRR via FreeSync)
Calibrating your TV or monitor

Understanding your console

Microsoft has sold three revisions of the Xbox 1 over its four years on the market. Each major revision of the console has delivered various visual enhancements, with its current flagship, the Xbox 1 Ten, leading the family. The Xbox One X supports 4K resolutions for both games and videos, while also supporting Loftier Dynamic Range (HDR).

Xbox One S is the current entry-level console, delivering a middle ground betwixt Xbox One X and the base unit of measurement. This console supports HDR across all supported content but only delivers 4K for video.

The original Xbox One is no longer sold by Microsoft, yet still makes up a sizeable portion of the install base. This console is limited to 1080p resolution and doesn't offer support for HDR.

The ultimate Xbox 1 buyer'south guide

Choose the right resolution

While the Xbox 1 packs cutting-edge visuals for games and video, it's important to cull the correct resolution settings for yous. Making sure the output resolution of your console matches the maximum supported by your console ensures y'all're leveraging its full potential.

To become the most of your Xbox One X and Xbox Ane S, 4K resolution tin can be enabled on compatible displays. Following the Xbox Spring Update, support for 1440p monitors is available too, alongside existing 1080p and 720p compatibility. Past selecting the maximum supported resolution, you'll exist getting the sharpest, most defined image possible.

Connect your Xbox 1 direct to your TV or monitor over HDMI. Avoid using any HDMI switches and splitters to foreclose throttling your maximum resolution.
Open the Settings app on your Xbox One.
Navigate to the Display & sound tab.
Select the Video output tile.
Choose the maximum supported resolution for your brandish.

Check HDR is enabled

Both the Xbox I 10 and Xbox One S offer support for Loftier Dynamic Range (HDR), serving upward a wider color gamut and increased dissimilarity ratio. Offered across a growing range of gaming and video content, colors truly pop with the feature enabled.

The Xbox I's HDR back up is limited to HDR10 – an open standard supported by a bulk of mod high-finish displays. However, even with the right display, many unknowingly lose out on HDR content due to the default manufacturer settings. Nosotros previously compiled a guide on setting up 4K HDR displays with Xbox Ane consoles, with specific breakdowns for popular brands.

How to enable HDR for Xbox I X on popular 4K TVs

Choose the best color depth

The color depth setting indicates the number of bits used per pixel to represent on-screen colors. Essentially, when ready to a higher value, your Xbox I will output a wider range of colors, with more incremental steps between color values.

Xbox One consoles can output signals at 24 $.25 per pixel (8-bit), thirty bits per pixel (10-flake) and 36 bits per pixel (12-bit), and while higher is often amend, don't mindlessly crank upwardly the value to the maximum. Both your Television and game content set limitations on how significantly increased colour depth is reflected on screen, with most consumer displays not supporting 12-scrap video. While HDR10, the standard used by Xbox One 10, requires a 10-bit panel, many without HDR support simply offer 8-flake.

Open the Settings app on your Xbox I.
Navigate to the Display & audio tab.
Select the Video output tile.
Select the Video fidelity & overscan tile.
Choose your Colour depth from the available options.

Button the all-time with a PC monitor

Xbox One also allows players to customize the color space of the console, with "Standard (recommended)" and "PC RGB" settings available. Relating to different color spaces, this determines the which colors are displayed, according to your brandish's supported space.

While PC monitors are built to output "RGB Total," TVs are oft built to output a narrower space, known equally "RGB Limited." By changing this option, yous'll be changing how the video indicate is sent from your console and colors are represented by your TV.

Even though it might brand sense to display the total RGB range regardless, using this on many TVs results in an unwanted side effect known as "blackness beat out." When attempting to output total RGB, darker parts of images can lose detail, making certain scenes much harder to view. In short, PC RGB can be recommended for some PC monitors, though for many, particularly those on TVs, the recommended standard setting should be used.

Open the Settings app on your Xbox One.
Navigate to the Display & sound tab.
Select the Video output tile.
Select the Video fidelity & overscan tile.
Choose your Colour space from the bachelor options.

Get smoother gameplay

Variable refresh rates (VRR) are seeing increased adoption among PC gamers, reducing screen tearing, making for overall smoother gameplay. Unlike software solutions for screen tearing such every bit "V-Sync," VRR allows for a direct advice with your monitor, adapting its refresh charge per unit on the fly.

Post-obit the Xbox Jump Update, VRR is available for Xbox I in the class of AMD's in-house FreeSync engineering. When connected to a display compatible with FreeSync over HDMI, you'll see noticeably smoother gameplay across certain titles. FreeSync is available on all iii Xbox One models, while FreeSync 2 with HDR is express to Xbox I 10 and Xbox One S.

Xbox One FreeSync and Variable Refresh Rates: Everything you need to know

Fixing the effectively details

After configuring the video settings for your Xbox 1, yous'll want to detect a reliable way to exam if they're for you. A calibration tool hidden away within the console'southward settings is the best fashion to do and so, allowing yous to check that both your console and TV settings are displaying images correctly. This can be found within the Settings app, under Display and Audio > Video output > Calibrate HDTV.

Information technology's of import that this scale tool is run after completing all aforementioned steps and used to fine-tune your Telly's settings for improved compatibility. By doing and so you'll be getting the all-time out of your Telly, while besides accounting for external factors, such as lighting conditions. This provides a more than accurate representation of on-screen images, closer to those intended by developers.

Through the process, you'll be given prompts to change your display'southward color settings, brightness, sharpness and other brandish traits. If correctly configured, y'all should exist getting some of the all-time results out of your Xbox One. And while discreet at times, this makes for the most consistent experience you can get.

Over to you

If you lot take any further tips for pushing the most from your Xbox One, drop into the comments with your thoughts.

More: Xbox Assistance
Xbox 1 FreeSync and Variable Refresh Rates: Everything you demand to know
Departure between HDR10 and Dolby Vision
Forget 4K — Xbox One X also delivers impressive upgrades on 1080p displays

See at Microsoft Store
Come across at Amazon

We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more than.

New report reveals Microsoft's future AR strategy; HoloLens 3 is dead

Oh Beloved

New study reveals Microsoft'southward future AR strategy; HoloLens iii is dead

Business concern Insider has today published a follow-up report with more details almost Microsoft'south canceled HoloLens three augmented reality headset. The partnership with Samsung is said to include a headset with a gear up of screens inside, powered by a Samsung phone in your pocket.

Review: Surface Laptop SE is the new standard for K-8 Windows PCs

Keeping it affordable

Review: Surface Laptop SE is the new standard for Thou-eight Windows PCs

Starting at but $250, Microsoft's first foray into affordable laptops for the teaching market place is a winner. With a gorgeous blueprint, excellent thermals, and a fantastic typing experience, Microsoft would do right to sell this directly to consumers also. Permit's just hope Intel can brand a ameliorate CPU.