Microsoft has announced the first three gaming monitors optimized for its Xbox Series X/S gaming consoles as part of the company's Designed for Xbox program.
As noted in an Xbox Wire blog post, Microsoft collaborated with Acer, ASUS, and Philips to create gaming monitors that would take full advantage of the Xbox Series X/S hardware and support HDMI 2.1, which allows for higher resolutions and higher refresh rates.
In total, three monitors will debut with the Designed for Xbox stamp: Philips' Momentum gaming monitor, ASUS' Strix Xbox Edition Gaming Monitor, and Acer's Xbox Edition Gaming Monitor. All three will release this year and include AMD's FreeSync Premium Pro technology, which reduces screen tearing and 4K resolution and a refresh rate of 120Hz.
Designed for Xbox Monitors Announced
Philips' Momentum gaming monitor measures at 55 inches, and is described as a monitor that is "a TV and soundbar in one." It features a dedicated Xbox picture mode, meaning players can have a high-contrast HDR with a VESA Certified DisplayHDR 1000, which allows for local dimming and peak luminance. This will be the first monitor to launch out of the trio with a slated summer launch and a steep retail price of $1600.
Asus' ROG Strix Xbox Edition is a 43-inch gaming monitor with a moving picture response time of 1ms. Co-developed between Asus and the Designed for Xbox Team, the monitor is claimed to be the best monitor for color, contrast, and hue settings when connecting it to either a Series X/S console. Asus ROG Strix Xbox Edition will launch sometime in October of this year; pricing will depend on the region but in the US, it will cost $1,400.
Acer's Xbox Edition Gaming Monitor is 28 inches, and Xbox claims it is among the first monitors to be TUV/Eyesafe certified, meaning it will minimize eye strain for gamers. Acer's monitor is the most affordable, retailing for $950 and launch sometime this fall.
The news comes following Microsoft's announcements to grow the Xbox ecosystem, yet still make its Xbox hardware the "flagship experience." Alongside new gaming monitors designed for Xbox, the tech giant has begun thinking outside the box of traditional hardware devicies for gaming by way of Cloud Gaming and integrating the experience to everyday tech, like streming sticks and smart TVs.
Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.