Sony TVs finally get VRR support - but PS5 players are still waiting
One step forward, one step back
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Even moreSony TVsare finally receiving VRR (variable refresh rate) support, including many ofSony’sbest 4K TVsthat launched last year. While that’s fantastic news for owners of some of Sony’s more recent flagships,PS5players are still in the dark as to when they’ll receive VRR support on the console.
As reported byFlatpanelsHD, the VRR update is rolling out now to Sony TV owners in the US, UK and Europe. The Sony TVs featured in the update are theA90JandA80J OLED TVs, as well as the Z9J,X95JandX90JLCD TVs. That’s great news if you own one of these Sony TVs and have a HDMI 2.1 cable to enable VRR, but if you’re looking to use the feature for gaming, the only current-gen consoles to support it right now are theXbox Series XandXbox Series S.
The addition of VRR to many of Sony’s 2021 TVs follows the rollout of the feature to theSony X900H4KHDRTV last year. Additionally, Sony also brought Auto HDR Tone Mapping and automatic low-latency mode (ALLM) to many of its recent 4K TVs - two features that go hand-in-hand with many of thebest PS5 games. As such, it seems like VRR could be the last piece of that PS5 puzzle.
VRR has become a game-changing feature for consoles in recent years. The tech works by matching the TV to the compatible device’s refresh rate. On consoles like the Xbox Series X, that can climb up to 120Hz for a very smooth gameplay experience. VRR also adapts to any shifts in the refresh rate, allowing for greatly reduced input lag and far less jarring frame drops.
Analysis: when will Sony add VRR to PS5?
While nothing is set in stone, we strongly believe that Sony adding variable refresh rate support to PS5 is surely a case ofwhen,and notif.If only because competing platforms like Xbox and PC have already supported VRR for quite some time.
We heard rumblings last year that Sonycould be adding VRR to PS5in the near future as it prepared to roll the feature out to many of its 4K TVs. However, those updates have now arrived, and we’re still completely in the dark as to when VRR will make its PS5 debut.
Given that the PS5 is on the cutting edge of console technology, and takes advantage of features available in the best 4K TVs, we’d be hard pressed to believe that VRR hasn’t crossed Sony’s mind when it comes to implementing the feature for its flagship console.
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It’s possible, then, that VRR support is still on the way, but potentially needs a bit more development time in order for the feature to work as well as possible on PS5. Here’s hoping we don’t have to wait all that much longer for VRR on PS5, as we’d love to play upcoming games likeGod of War Ragnarokwith the feature enabled.
Rhys is TRG’s Hardware Editor, and has been part of the TechRadar team for more than two years. Particularly passionate about high-quality third-party controllers and headsets, as well as the latest and greatest in fight sticks and VR, Rhys strives to provide easy-to-read, informative coverage on gaming hardware of all kinds. As for the games themselves, Rhys is especially keen on fighting and racing games, as well as soulslikes and RPGs.
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