Microsoft Testing Night Mode for Xbox Consoles

It may reduce eye strain for late-night gaming sessions

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Cesar Cadenas
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Cesar Cadenas
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  • California State University - Long Beach
Cesar Cadenas has been writing about the tech industry since 2016 on a variety of topics like cryptocurrency, video games, the latest gadgets, and much more.
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Updated on August 9, 2021 02:52PM EDT
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Rich Scherr
Rich Scherr
Fact checked by Rich Scherr
  • University of Maryland Baltimore County
Rich Scherr is a seasoned technology and financial journalist who spent nearly two decades as the editor of Potomac and Bay Area Tech Wire.
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Microsoft is testing a new night mode for its Xbox Series consoles as part of its Alpha Skip-Ahead insider program.  

The announcement was made on the company’s Xbox Wire news blog, which gave details about the features of Night Mode, as well as information on the fixes that are coming.

Teenager playing games late at night.

Westend61/Getty Images

According to the post, Night Mode allows players to dim and filter their screen, and control the level of brightness on the console and controller LED. HDR also can be blocked. HDR influences the level of brightness of a display by enhancing the level of detail and contrast shown.

Users can schedule the console's blue light filter to turn on or off at sunrise and sunset, or configure the feature to follow a different schedule.

Night Mode is currently only available to users on the Alpha Skip-Ahead insider program, which is an invite-only group that receives preview builds of future releases. Gamers can join Alpha Skip-Ahead by applying via the Xbox Insider Hub on their consoles.

Hands on a Xbox Series X controller

Anton Porsche/Pexels

In the same preview build, some fixes were implemented, including fixing some language issues on the console and an issue on Xbox Cloud Gaming that prevented users from launching certain games. Other fixes, including some audio issues, are coming down the pipeline, according to the post.

Currently, night mode is available for English users on the Alpha Skip-Ahead program, with localization into other languages underway. Microsoft has yet to say when this feature and the other fixes will become available as permanent features.

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