The next PS5 system update will add "Hey PlayStation" voice commands – but there's still no sign of VRR support, arguably one of the most in-demand features.
Sony detailed the new PlayStation 5 system update in a recent PlayStation.Blog post. The update includes an option to use your voice to launch games, apps and media controls, plus a new 'Party Chat' function that allows users to open/close voice chats with friends.
It also brings new accessibility features, including one that allows headphones to output mono sound. Sony reckons this could be particularly helpful to players with unilateral hearing loss.
On the downside, there's no mention of VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) support, suggesting it remains on the backburner some 16 months after being confirmed in this PS5 document ("Video output: Support of 4K 120Hz TVs, 8K TVs, VRR (specified by HDMI ver.2.1").
PS5 owners quickly took to the comments section of the PlayStation.Blog to vent their feelings: "PS5 VRR and 1440p support should be here. Listen to your customers", says fancyhawk. "Where’s VRR already?!" asks MattyR09.
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 with less tearing.
With any luck, PS5 owners won't have to wait too much longer for VRR support. The fact that Sony has finally rolled out VRR support to selected Bravia TVs seems to bode well, although plenty of models that were promised the update by the end of 2021 are still waiting for it.
The new PS5 system software will be released to beta testers today, before becoming available to all PlayStation 5 owners later this year. You can apply to become a beta tester on the Sony website.
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