Sony Promises Variable Refresh Rate Support in Future PS5 Update, but Not All Games May Support It

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Sony has updated its PlayStation 5 “Ultimate FAQ” with a short section pertaining to Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) technology. While the next-gen console does not currently support VRR, the company has promised that the feature will be enabled on PS5 via a future system software update.

“PS5 hardware supports Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) through HDMI 2.1,” Sony clarified. “After a future system software update, PS5 owners will be able to use the VRR feature of compatible TVs when playing games that support VRR.”

This is great news for PS5 users who wish to take full advantage of their HDMI 2.1 TVs (e.g., LG’s 2020 OLEDs), but the language that Sony used is a little worrying. There’s an implication here that not all games will support VRR, which would be disappointing.

“VRR reduces or eliminates lag, judder and frame tearing for more fluid and better detailed gameplay,” the HDMI Forum explained. “VRR enables a gaming source such as a console or computer to deliver video frames as fast as it can, which in many cases is slower than the normal static refresh rate.”

Microsoft’s next-gen Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles already support Variable Refresh Rate, as well as AMD’s FreeSync technology.

Tsing Mui
News poster at The FPS Review.

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