As explained in the announcement, “VRR dynamically syncs the refresh rate of the display of the PS5’s graphical output,” adding that this will help enhance “visual performance for PS5 games by minimizing or eliminating visual artifacts, such as frame pacing issues and screen tearing.” The announcement then summarizes the benefits perfectly by saying that PS5 titles will play a lot better as “scenes render instantly, graphics look crisper, and input lag is reduced.” Sony explained that previously released PS5 titles will need a patch for full VRR support while future releases might come with VRR support on day one. The console manufacturer promised to share a list of all the games with VRR support as well. On top of the Variable Refresh Rate support, Sony’s latest update will improve party chat, make it possible to pin games to the home screen, voice commands, UI improvements, as well as a sneaky little update to the Pulse 3D wireless headset where users can now fine-tune their listening experience even further. The update also lets users join parties using the PS App and add a dark mode for PS Remote Play on both Android and iOS devices. Finally, speaking of surprise updates, auto low latency mode is also a new feature that Sony didn’t make much ado about but is a pretty big deal. This new mode will automatically switch your TV to Game Mode whenever you play games on your PS5 for the lowest input lag possible. Variable Refresh Rate is a massive improvement and the best part is that PS5 owners don’t necessarily have to wait for official patches to enjoy VRR. Sony is also adding an option for PS5 owners to apply VRR to unsupported games. Theoretically, this could help drastically improve the quality of gameplay in non-VRR games. Because this is an optional setting, PS5 owners can always turn it off if they don’t like the results. VRR support has become more common in TVs and displays with HDMI 2.1 ports, so seeing Sony add the same feature now is nice albeit late. Xbox consoles have had VRR support since 2018, way before the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X ever came out. Speaking of, the Xbox One (and One X) supported 1440p natively as do the Xbox Series S/X. Hopefully, Sony will consider adding 1440p support next, for the gamers using 1440p gaming monitors. March has been an eventful month for Sony. After announcing a solid lineup of PS Plus games and welcoming its first day one launch on PS Now, Sony held two State of Play events that revealed exciting projects like Exoprimal, Valkyrie Elysium, as well as a free DLC for Returnal and more details about Hogwarts Legacy.
