Microsoft is expanding its Designed for Xbox program to include monitors and displays. Some gaming monitors will now include a new “Gaming Features for Xbox” badge that will indicate they support the latest and greatest HDMI 2.1 technology, with variable refresh rates, HDR, and 4K at 120Hz support all for the Xbox Series X / S consoles.
At least three HDMI 2.1 displays will get this new badge, including the new 55-inch Philips Momentum display. The Momentum supports 4K resolution at 120Hz with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, a dedicated Xbox picture mode, and DisplayHDR 1000 support. Microsoft says it has worked with Philips to validate the display for Xbox Series X / S, and it will launch worldwide for $1,599.99 this summer.
Asus has a 43-inch monitor that includes 4K at 120Hz, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, and DisplayHDR 1000 support. A special Xbox edition, that also includes an Xbox mode — with custom color, contrast, and hue settings — will be available in October, priced at $1,399.
The final monitor in the trio of designed for Xbox displays is a 28-inch Acer Xbox Edition Gaming Monitor. It also supports 4K at 120Hz, with a low 1ms response time, only DisplayHDR 400, and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro support. It even includes a built-in KVM switch to let you quickly switch between multiple PCs with a single keyboard, mouse, and monitor setup. Acer is launching its XV282K KV Xbox gaming monitor this fall priced at $949.99.
These new displays certainly don’t come cheap, but we haven’t seen any bargain HDMI 2.1 monitors so far. Microsoft says this is just the start of its Xbox badge for displays, and the company says more monitors will join the designed for Xbox program in the future.