First ‘Designed for Xbox’ projector arrives in the US next month for $1,600

theverge.com:

By Jon Porter, a reporter with five years of experience covering consumer tech releases, EU tech policy, online platforms, and mechanical keyboards.

Viewsonic’s short throw X2-4K LED projector, which it’s billing as the world’s first projector that’s been certified for Xbox, will be available in the US in July for $1,599.99, the company has announced. The X2-4K was originally announced back in March alongside a non-short throw model called the X1-4K, which is yet to be listed on Viewsonic’s US store as of this writing.

Although it’s the first projector with the badge, Microsoft’s “Designed for Xbox” program is a pre-existing initiative that’s seen it work with other manufacturers to make sure their accessories are compatible with its consoles. According to Microsoft, the program already covers “more than 15 categories” like headsets, gamepads, and racing wheels, as well as a series of displays from 2021.

To be clear, you can plug your Xbox into just about any projector and expect it to work. But Viewsonic’s senior business line manager Mia Shen boasts that its X2-4K projector “was developed to be considered a true gaming projector” and “went through 63 tests conducted by Team Xbox to ensure ultimate console compatibility.” Specifically, Viewsonic notes that the X2-4K has been certified to work with HDMI’s Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) standard to allow a connected console to control projector features like power and volume — though it adds that the feature works with “any of the current gaming consoles” and not just Xbox.

More importantly, the X2-4K is styled in the classic Xbox brand colors of black and green, so at the very least it’ll match the color scheme of your Xbox Series X (though probably not your white