Can the Xbox Series S deliver a premium 4K gaming experience? A detailed guide.
The Xbox Series S delivers an affordable path to higher resolution gaming. Designed primarily for silky smooth 1440p performance, this budget-friendly console uses intelligent upscaling to also provide an impressive 4K gaming experience when paired with an Ultra HD TV. Let‘s take a closer look at how the Series S performs when connected to a 4K display.
Engineered for High Framerate 1440p Gameplay
At the heart of the Xbox Series S lies custom AMD processor technology targeting high frame rate 1440p gaming. The custom Zen 2 CPU with 8 cores running at 3.6GHz (3.4GHz with SMT) provides responsive next-gen gameplay. It delivers around 4 times the performance of the base Xbox One CPU.
The special RDNA 2 graphics architecture in Series S aims to optimize resolutions up to 1440p, and frame rates from 60 fps to 120 fps depending on the game‘s visual demands. More demanding titles will run at lower resolutions or frame rates, while simpler games can achieve 1440p and high refresh rates.
According to tests by Digital Foundry, games like Ori and the Will of the Wisps can run at native 4K on Xbox Series S, while the optimized version of Gears 5 achieves over 100 fps at 1440p resolution. Exciting potential for buttery smooth gaming.
Intelligent Upscaling to 4K Output
The Series S console is equipped with HDMI 2.1, allowing gaming at up to 4K resolution at 120 Hz refresh rate. While the GPU isn‘t powerful enough for native 4K gaming in intensive titles, the console utilizes high quality upscaling to output games at 4K resolution on compatible Ultra HD televisions.
By rendering games internally at 1440p or lower based on their demands, and then using advanced reconstruction techniques, the Series S can DISPLAY games at full 4K resolution by upscaling the rendered resolution to match your TV‘s 3840 x 2160 pixels.
This upscaling process utilizes filtering algorithms to process the 1440p image and project to higher 4K resolution. Techniques like anti-aliasing smooth out jagged edges at 4K. The result is improved image quality over basic 1080p when viewed on a 4K screen.
Setting Up 4K on Xbox Series S
Enabling upscaled 4K gaming on your Xbox Series S is easy:
- Press the Xbox button to bring up the guide menu
- Navigate to Profile & System > Settings > General > TV & display options
- Under Display, select "4K UHD"
This will automatically set the console resolution to 3840 x 2160 pixels to match your 4K TV. It will upscale any lower rendered resolutions to 4K output.
You can tweak some additional display settings like allowing different resolutions per game under Video Fidelity & Overscan. But for simplicity, just setting the main display resolution to 4K UHD is all you need.
Gaming Performance at Upscaled 4K
Since the Xbox Series S was designed as a 1440p gaming machine, performance will vary when games are upscaled to 4K instead. Less demanding games, especially 2D indie titles, can often run at native or close to native 4K resolution at 60 fps.
More resource intensive photrealistic 3D games will run at lower resolutions below full 4K, or target 30 fps frame rates to maintain performance. You may notice some pixelation or softening compared to native 4K.
According to tests by IGN, Fortnite runs at native 4K on Xbox Series S with consistent 60 fps performance. On the other hand a game like Gears 5 runs at a lower ~1080p resolution to maintain 60 fps. So your mileage will vary per game.
Native 4K Entertainment
In addition to upscaled 4K gaming, the Xbox Series S supports native 4K resolution and high dynamic range (HDR) for media playback. You can stream 4K content from popular apps like Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, and YouTube.
This allows you to enjoy movies and shows at their maximum 4K Ultra HD resolution, with HDR for improved vivid colors and contrast. So the Series S also works excellently as a streaming set-top box for your 4K home entertainment center.
Why Choose Xbox Series X for Better Native 4K?
For gamers who want the sharpest native 4K gaming experience, with the highest and most consistent frame rates, the Xbox Series X is recommended. It packs over 12 TFLOPS of GPU power designed specifically for native 4K gaming.
The Series X aims to deliver 60 fps across most titles at full 4K resolution. Demanding games can utilize Dynamic Resolution Scaling to scale between native 4K and lower resolutions to maintain performance. Overall image quality at native 4K will be superior to upscaled 1440p on Series S.
However, the Xbox Series S still provides an affordable path to next-gen 4K gameplay. If you game primarily on a 1440p monitor, the Series S is fantastic. When paired with a 4K TV, users can enjoy upgraded 4K details and immersion over old 1080p consoles via intelligent upscaling, even if not quite as crisp as native 4K.
For casual gamers who want to upgrade to 4K gaming on a budget, the Xbox Series S is a great choice. It also pairs excellently with budget 4K TVs that may have lesser peak brightness for HDR, since the console won‘t be displaying fully native 4K. Enjoy fluid high fps gameplay at up to 4K resolution!