Microsoft has released a new build to the Alpha Skip-Ahead ring of the Xbox Insider Program that has added an experimental Night Mode, a welcome change for those of us who game after dark.
Microsoft’s Xbox Insiders stated that users “can now dim and filter their screen, as well as dim their console & controller LED brightness”. You’ll be able to do this by enabling Night Mode in the Xbox Settings app.
They’ve also included a new optional blue light filter that will hopefully lower eye strain when playing after dar. This optional setting should, in theory, reduce the amount of blue light being emitted from your screen. However, blue light can inhibit the production of melatonin, which is the hormone that induces sleep. So if you’re planning on an all-nighter, maybe leave this turned off and brew up another coffee.
Taking it a step further, you can also temporarily disable HDR with night mode to avoid high contrast and bright images, which can negatively impact sleep patterns.
You can toggle all of these features manually, or you can set a schedule for them either at fixed times or to coincide with your local sunset and sunrise.
