Sony has finally enabled native 1440p (QHD) video output support on the PS5, a feature many have been waiting for since the console launched in November 2020. The PS5's latest update, released yesterday, includes this new graphics option, new ways to organise your games, a 3D audio comparison option and better ways to view friends’ profiles and notifications.
So why is native 1440p support important? While 1440p TVs are somewhat of a rarity, QHD gaming monitors are everywhere thanks to their resolution being higher than their 1080p counterparts and the fact they tend to cost less than dedicated 4K monitors. Alongside this, QHD monitors often include higher refresh rates, and with the PS5 supporting up to 120Hz, 1440p 120Hz monitors are often sat in the sweet spot of price and performance.
While the PS5 has always supported 1440p displays through downscaling 2160p (4K) to 1080p, and then the monitor upscaling to 1440p, this process hasn’t always been perfect. Processing an image this heavily can lead to visual artefacts, poorer graphical performance, and increased input lag. By removing this processing, the PS5 can send the signal in a format the monitor can accept natively, which should mean a snappier response time and better graphics. It's worth noting that some games will have dedicated 1440p support which will provide the best experience, but even games without this native support should see an improvement. The Xbox Series X launched at the same time as PS5 and had 1440p support from the off so it's good to see Sony's console finally catching up.
To enable 1440p support on the PS5, simply navigate to the settings menu and under 'Screen and Video' select 1440p under the 'Resolution' menu. Here you can test how your display handles 1440p with different refresh rates up to 120Hz, to ensure your monitor is up to the job.
Unfortunately, VRR is not supported on 1440p, with Sony stating that it is only compatible with 1080p and 4K resolution on the PS5. This could be due to most 1440p displays not using HDMI 2.1 ports which can handle 4K at 120Hz.
Other welcome AV features in this update include a way to compare 3D audio settings, by playing side-by-side audio samples to get your preferred Tempest 3D Audio preset. General quality of life improvements also include game lists for organising your downloaded titles and voice searching in the YouTube app.
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