Update: Microsoft denies Dolby Atmos and Vision exclusivity rumours

Update 19:27 BST: Microsoft has denied the below story, offering up the following statement from an unnamed Microsoft spokesperson.

The statement follows: “A blog post was mistakenly published by a local Xbox team that included inaccurate information regarding exclusivity of Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision on Xbox Series X|S. There is no exclusivity agreement of either tech on Xbox. We are proud to partner with Dolby to offer Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision to gamers on Xbox and will have more to share about the general availability of Dolby Vision on Xbox Series X|S soon.”

Original Story: 

Dolby’s audio and visual technologies, Atmos and Vision, are rumoured to be Xbox exclusive for two years after an article leak by the French Xbox Wire team.

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Dolby Atmos and Vision, the latter of which is already available to participants of the Xbox Insider Program, is the Xbox’s licensed answer to the PS5’s Tempest Engine.

As reported by the Wired Up Report the French Xbox Wire page briefly hosted a post that claimed that Dolby’s 3D audio tech and their vision improvement software would be exclusive to the Xbox Series X|S for a period of roughly two years.

The translated information said: “The Xbox Series X|S has been Dolby Atmos compatible since their release and Dolby Vision will arrive on these consoles in 2021, both technologies will remain exclusive to the Xbox ecosystem for two years.”

Microsoft quickly removed the post, but as Sony has created its own exclusive technology to handle 3D audio rather than license Dolby, and as the Xbox Series X|S is already Atmos compatible, the rumour appears to have some credence.

We’ve reached out to Microsoft for comment.

Microsoft recently released a surprise update to their Surface Duo hardware which turns the dual-screen touch device into a handheld console. The device is capable of playing games via the Xbox Cloud Gaming service, which launched earlier this year.

The update, which turns the second screen into a touch-enabled controller, currently supports 66 games on the Xbox Game Pass service, including Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, Slay the Spire, Gears 5, What Remains of Edith Finch and Sea of Thieves.

Other Microsoft news suggests that the company is set to host a joint conference with Bethesda, either ahead of or during E3. Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty, who allegedly told French publication Le Figaro that a joint event is set to be held “this summer to introduce players to [the company’s] upcoming projects”.

Additional reporting by Jake Tucker. 

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