The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S will be receiving support from Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision technology, making them the first consoles to enhance gaming with these features.
The news was revealed in the gaming section of Dolby's website, which provides direct comparisons for what we can expect from the visual and aural enhancers. Dolby Atmos will be available at launch while Dolby Vision will be coming 2021 for select games.
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Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos on Xbox Series X
Dolby Vision will be available for games like Cyberpunk 2077, Call of Duty: Warzone, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Gears 5 and F1 2020. It intends to increase the visual depth and vibrancy of the games you play, promising to be even better than traditional HDR.
In regards to improving brightness, contrast and color with Dolby Vision, these enhancements promise 40x brighter highlights, 10x deeper black levels and up to 12-bit color depth. Dolby Vision will automatically adjust itself to your screen during gameplay, meaning you won't have to worry about editing settings yourself.
In the example below, we can see a simulated image of what to expect from Dolby Vision.
On the left, each bright light shines more vibrantly and the reflections on the concrete glow. On the right side, the world looks a bit dull and dark, clearly lacking a significant range of color.
This image is obviously simulated and exaggerated to evoke what Dolby intends for these enhancements to do. You won't get to experience the full range and beauty of it until the Xbox Series X is in front of you and you're actually playing a game supported by Dolby Vision.
Dolby Atmos intends to deliver a similarly visceral experience, but with a focus on audio design. These enhancements should make the game feel more lively, ensuring that players can "detect the distance and direction of unseen sounds." Dolby Atmos is optimized for any pair of headphones, but if you intend to use a TV, soundbar, or home theater, they must be compatible with Atmos.
Sony has been boasting its potential for high-end audio on the PS5, meaning consumers can expect both consoles to deliver immersive experiences.
