Game consoles adding more features in order to better compete with PCs. Microsoft has announced that it will be bringing AMD’s FreeSync display support to the Xbox One S and the Xbox One X consoles. The new update will support FreeSync 2, which will allow variable refresh rate with HDR enabled displays. Both consoles will support the standard over HDMI. In addition, Microsoft is also adding support for displays with 1440p resolution, which will allow gamers to use their consoles on gaming monitors that offer higher refresh rates and lower response times compared to regular 4K Televisions. Combining the two features will allow the supported Xbox consoles to provide better framerates and a much smoother gameplay.
If you are not aware, AMD FreeSync is similar to NVIDIA’s G-Sync, where the display matches the frame rates fed into it by the PC, changing it dynamically and hence offering smoother gameplay. However, it should be noted that the additon of the feature on the Xbox One S and Xbox One is not without some caveats. The biggest issue being that at the moment, there is not a single TV that supports AMD FreeSync. The other thing is that the Xbox will support FreeSync 2 over HDMI only since the Xbox does not have a DisplayPort, which is a widely used standard and is well adapted to use the technology.
In addition to the FreeSync support, Microsoft will be enabling “game mode” if your TV supports it. The feature will work over the HDMI 2.1 standard and enable the game mode or low latency mode to optimise gaming and reduce artifacts. Microsoft demoed all this during their Inside Xbox stream. Microsoft also announced a bunch of new additions to the mixer stream and how control can be shared over the stream. You can check out the entire announcement with the gameplay of some upcoming games here.