Sony's 'Ready for PS5' TVs are finally the next-gen gaming TVs they should be, a full year after launching. That's thanks to a firmware update (v6.1288), which gives the Sony XH90 (X900H in the US) the HDMI 2.1 features it was missing – namely VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode.
The bad news? There's no word yet on when Sony's 2021 HDMI 2.1 TVs, such as the A90J and A80J OLEDs, will get their VRR update. One has to hope that it's imminent but Sony is a law unto itself with these sorts of things. We have asked the company for more info and will report back.
Sony has only officially announced the XH90 firmware for China so far, but the version for other regions has been spotted online by a Reddit user (via flatpanelshd), who has posted direct download links.
VRR allows a TV to adjust its refresh rate in real-time to the frame rate output by a games console or PC. That means its picture can keep pace with what the games machine is telling it, resulting in a more accurate image. Auto low-latency mode automatically switches the TV to its preset gaming mode, dialling down the picture processing in order to minimise the delay (or 'input lag').
Sony has been selling its TVs with these features as 'Ready for PS5', even though these features haven't actually been active until now. The PS5 still doesn't actually support VRR or ALLM yet – it's awaiting them in a firmware update of its own. So while these TVs might finally be ready for PS5, the PS5 now isn't ready for them.
The v6.1288 firmware update also upgrades the Sony TVs from Android TV 9 to Android TV 10.
The Sony XH90 won a What Hi-Fi? Award last year for its vibrant colours, excellent handling of HDR and superlative motion processing. In theory, at least, this update should make this great TV even better.
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