Microsoft introduces branding for Xbox One X improvements

In an effort to offer additional clarity on just what Xbox One X and Xbox One S owners are getting with the games they buy, Microsoft is adding new branding guidelines to Xbox One titles this fall.

The company is introducing a trio of signifiers. One denotes 4K resolution — though this includes native 2160p, a “checkerboarded” 2160p presentation or a dynamic, scaling resolution with a performance target of 2160p. The second indicates support for high dynamic range (HDR) color. Finally, an “Xbox One X Enhanced” message declares some enhanced visual fidelity.

Microsoft/Polygon

Microsoft is also adding a filtered search function to its game library page, allowing users to screen for titles with specific enhancements including HDR and 4K support, although this list currently appears to be incomplete. Regardless, this branding is already starting to appear on games at E3 2017, including on Assassin’s Creed Origins at Microsoft’s booth on the show floor:

Arthur Gies/Polygon

This move may be in response to consistent confusion toward games on both the Xbox One S — which supports HDR output on compatible televisions — and last fall’s PS4 Pro.

Sony added new branding in the fall that noted whether or not a title was “PS4 Pro Enhanced. However, this has proven to be a limited indicator of changes within a game for the more powerful console — and, on occasion, was judged to be a misrepresentation of actual improvements. Sony has a visual language for the potential improvements that PS4 Pro might support, though Polygon can’t determine whether any of this iconography has ever been used on game packaging or the PlayStation Store online.