Does the Xbox Series X support 8K?

Does Xbox Series X support 8K? For those TV aficionados who insist on staying on the cutting edge of things, it's a good question.

The good news is that the best 8K TVs are becoming more common every day. If you've been eyeing one up and want to know if your console supports it, then it's certainly worth understanding this question fully, because the answer isn't all that clear-cut.

Xbox and PS5 8K support is muddy because the consoles have features they still don't use. Don't panic though, because we're going to clear that all up for you if you have one of the best TVs around. Let's begin...

Does the Xbox Series X support 8K?

The Xbox Series X is fully capable of 8K output, but it's not that simple. Much like with the PS5, the Xbox Series X has not had its system 'unlocked' for 8K at this time and that's for a very valid reason.

Since only a very small amount of people have an 8K TV or 8K monitor, many companies are just not creating 8K content at this time, choosing instead to focus on 4K.

And we can't thank them enough, as many 8K TVs can tip the scales at tens of thousands of dollars, and at the time of writing, 8K monitors are incredibly rare too.

Credit: LG

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When will the Xbox Series X support 8K?

Xbox Series X already supports 8K, so it's more a question of when they will update their systems to unlock the feature.

This is really based on how quickly 8K starts becoming the norm and if we have to be honest, we can't see that happening for a minimum of 2 - 3 years.

Not only will the TVs have to come down in price drastically, but companies will also have to start producing content compatible with 8K, which is a tough decision to make considering it will likely add a layer of complexity, time, and resources for what could be a small percentage of the market.

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Opinion: What's so good about 8K anyway?

8K is super impressive, thanks to the sheer detail it can show, especially on larger screens. However, is that really what gamers want?

Nowadays, high frames-per-second gaming is a must for some of the most popular titles in the world. Warzone in 8K? Fortnite in 8K? EA FC in 8K? I can't see the appeal, especially as it will reduce fps to handle the resolution itself...which could make you lose a competitive edge.

There's also the fact that 8K seems to be featured on TVs more than monitors in some way. If this is a pattern that continues, we'll likely see 8K on the appropriately massive screens, which both are and aren't good for gaming.

Sure, immersion will be fantastic when playing story-driven titles like God of War or The Last of Us, but as I laid out when exploring the best screen size for gaming, bigger isn't always better.

There's also some debate as to whether the human eye can even see 8K...but we'll leave that to you to decide.

For right now, it's HDMI 2.1/ 120hz TVs or HDMI 2.1 monitors that'll really showcase what the Xbox Series X and PS5 have to offer at this time.