What You Need To Know About Latency Xbox Series X

As part of yesterday's major Xbox Series X deep dive, we heard quite a lot about latency. Microsoft is investing a significant amount of time and effort into enhancing this area for the next-generation, ensuring that both the controller and console are prepared to deliver faster response times across the board

Let's start with the controller. Courtesy of Will Tuttle over at Xbox Wire, we know the controller will be sampling and transmitting the "most up-to-date input just before the game asks for it." The result is something Microsoft is calling "Dynamic Latency Input", and acts as a stark contrast to the 8ms analog response time for sticks and triggers on previous controllers. Here's a snippet of what he had to say:

"The system now precisely keeps the controller in sync with the game for both analog and digital inputs. The most update-to-date input arrives at the console just before it’s needed by the game. The result: significantly lower controller latency. What’s more, it’s all done without sacrificing anything in the way of battery life."

On the console side, there are plenty of improvements as well. The big addition is that of HDMI 2.1, which due to supporting 4K and 120Hz, allows the team "to reduce frame transmission time from 16.6ms to 8.3ms, without sacrificing on resolution." This leads to an "automatic 8.3ms latency improvement on TVs that support it", benefiting games at all frame rates.

The Xbox Series X also includes an Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable in the box, which Tuttle explains will "ensure that players receive the premium gaming experience if they have an HDMI 2.1 compatible display." Variable refresh rate and in-tv latency will also help to achieve the lowest possible latency.

Ultimately, Tuttle sums it up like this:

"While it may be difficult to notice the improved latency from any one of these improvements alone, when they all add up, it makes for a profoundly more responsive experience for players."

This information is just the tip of the iceberg, and we highly recommend checking out the full breakdown over at Xbox Wire. How excited are you for a more responsive gaming experience on Xbox Series X? Give us your thoughts in the comments below.

[source news.xbox.com]