1440P, the half step between 1080P and 4K, is the space some gamers are currently sitting in terms of resolution. The numerical breakdown actually comes out to be 1920×1080 (1080P) and 3840×2160 (4K) with 1440P being 2560×1440. But just because the Xbox One X plans to take full advantage of 4K, doesn't mean they plan to leave other gamers in the dust.
In fact, many gamers use monitors instead of TVs to play their consoles. 4K hasn't caught on nearly as mainstream for monitors compared to the TV industry (mostly because 4K TVs tend to be huge, something a monitor doesn't need to be). The optional step in 1440P is good news for them, as Microsoft's Kevin Gammill, Partner Group Program Manager at Xbox confirmed this announcement on Twitter.
"On a 4K TV, we uprez to 2160p and output; On a 1080p TV, we supersample to 1080p…
"…On X, we will effectively output native over HDMI in this case at 1440p."
This will be capable through an HDMI port, as 1440P typically runs through. This is actually a step up from PlayStation 4's Pro model, which forces gamers to stick with a 1080P resolution unless a 4K capable display is present. Ironically, more games run natively at 1440P on PlayStation 4 Pro than on Xbox One X, but display in 1080p or 4K only, meaning this feature would greatly benefit PlayStation if it was an option.
The Xbox One X will launch November 7 for $499.
