It appears as though Microsoft is developing some welcome upgrades for its Xbox Cloud Gaming service. New streaming performance tiers have been discovered, offering options of up to 1440p support.

This all comes from @RedPhx, creator of Better XCloud, an Xbox Cloud Gaming enhancement tool. The creator recently noticed that Microsoft’s cloud gaming service supported new performance tiers. Expanding from the already supported 720p and 1080p, it’s reported that 720HQ, 1080HQ, and 1440p were seen in code on the service’s website.

As of the time of writing, it’s unclear what exactly defines the new tiers as “HQ,” though it’s safe to assume that Microsoft could be supporting improved bitrates and latency. The inclusion of a 1440p option, on the other hand, is far more tangible to understand, as it’ll likely offer improved resolutions. The addition of 1440p will allow users to stream games at a better resolution than 1080p, but not quite as good as 4K.

Microsoft is currently in a race against Nvidia and its GeForce Now service. As of recently, the company rolled out a brand-new RTX 5080 tier for GeForce Now, supporting 5K at 120FPS support. The game streaming service also includes a new 360FPS mode at 1080p, offering 500 percent more frames over Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Microsoft first launched its cloud gaming service in 2020 under the codename xCloud. Since that time, the service has operated as a beta program with some major improvements and expansions made along the way. In a bid expand beyond consoles and PC, Xbox Cloud Gaming has become a central pillar for the company, especially on mobile devices where installing a game like Forza Horizon 5 natively isn’t feasible.

Recently, Microsoft announced a deeper partnership with LG to bring Xbox Cloud Gaming to “select internet-connected vehicles.”