PS5 update means the console is catching up with Xbox Series X framerates

Sony has released a new beta update for the PS5 that finally brings Variable Refresh Rate to 1440p resolution on the console, and you can even apply it to ‘unsupported games’. 

While some of the best PS5 games can achieve 120 fps at 4K resolutions, they’re in the minority. After this update, many more will be able to hit that framerate while playing at 1440p. VRR, which dynamically scales the rendering resolution to prioritize framerate in the target resolution, was previously only available in 4K on the console.

The official PlayStation blog post goes into the specifics of what the new PS5 beta firmware is able to do. 

As well as bringing VRR to 1440p screens, the beta activates Auto Low Latency Mode, which was previously only available in 4K. Modern screens often have in-built image processing capabilities that work to make movies and TV shows look as good as possible on your screen. However, those processes can add lag to your screen, which isn’t what you want when gaming. Auto Low Latency Mode turns that image processing off when you’re gaming. Now 1440p screens, too, will keep gameplay as fast and fluid as possible with minimal picture quality sacrifices. 

This is particularly great news for those who own one of the best monitors for PS5 instead of one of the best gaming TVs. That’s because high refresh rate 1440p displays are considerably cheaper than the premium price tags associated with 4K120 panels. This firmware update means more people will have the opportunity to see their games running significantly faster, so competitive gaming with the likes of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 could become far more enjoyable on the system.

We first saw 1440p come to the PS5 back in September 2022, but with the notable absence of VRR and ALLM. By comparison, the Xbox Series X launched with 1440p support out of the box in higher refresh rates, so it’s good to see that Sony has now caught up in offering more choices for its platform. Time will tell how many PS5 games will take advantage of the new update. Hopefully, this will open the gates to more dedicated performance modes in 1440p.

Some recently released games, such as the Dead Space remake, scale from 4K to 1440p when Performance mode is enabled. Ticking this box disables ray tracing and more advanced visual effects while maintaining 60fps. Now, this update could mean higher frame rates for those with monitors able to go above the previous cap. Time will tell how developers make the most of this tech coming to the platform.

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