It may be hard to believe, but the next-gen consoles are finally here.
The PS5 is finally hitting US shelves. Bringing with it a whole new level of gaming excellence, thanks in part to the capabilities of the port and
console HDMI 2.1 cable.
(Find out where to buy a PS5 or read our PS5 review here.)
If you are preparing for upcoming console releases,
you will undoubtedly have researched the best TVs and the best console HDMI capabilities to take full advantage of the new systems.
The PS5 will be able to output in 8K at 60fps and support gaming in 4K at 60 or 120fps. However, you may have heard that you won't be able to play games at 1440p resolution based on a recent report.
The PlayStation 5 uses an HDMI 2.1 connection, which allows next-gen consoles to support
higher frame rates of up to 120 frames per second (fps), which is much higher than the typical 60fps and 30fps frame rates seen on current generation hardware. .
HDMI 2.1 not only allows for better frame rates, but it also means that you can
transfer 4K and 8K images from the console to your TV (if it supports those resolutions). One caveat to this is that
8K gameplay will be limited to 60fps.
You will also have noticed that
some PS5 games like Demon's Souls offer different modes to aim for higher graphics fidelity or better frame rates. Taking into account the
ps5 capabilities, that means you can play in 4K resolution at 60fps or HD at 120fps, though the exact settings vary from game to game.
There's a lot to unravel with the HDMI connections on the new PS5, which is why we've put together this guide, to sort through the details and explain what you really need to know.
PS5 ports and cables: What's in the box?
Right out of the box,
the Sony PlayStation 5 comes with an HDMI 2.1 port on the back of the console and a corresponding cable. Now,
it is important to note that you will be limited by the capabilities of your television. If your TV doesn't support 4K resolutions, for example, you won't be able to play PS5 games in 4K at any frame rate, you'll probably settle for HD. You'll also need an 8K TV for 8K gaming,
but there's actually no 5K PS8 game in sight, so that's a problem for another day.
HDMI 2.1 cables still work in HDMI 2.0 ports, so you will be able to connect your PS5 to a normal HDMI port and get an image on the screen,
but not at its maximum capabilities.
Since the PS5 does not support 1440pAs the resolution of many gaming monitors and projectors, it seems likely that graphics will default to 1080p, meaning the PS5 won't benefit greatly from a 1440p resolution monitor or monitor.
HDMI 2.1 vs HDMI 2.0
In a nutshell,
different HDMI standards support the transmission of different amounts of data per second, which means that the audio and video quality varies between them.
The difference between HDMI 2.0 and 2.1 is quite noticeable.. A PS5 game, running at 4K at 60fps (or 120fps) will look and play beautifully compared to 4K at 30fps. If you play some games on a TV that has an HDMI 2.0 port,
you'll find that you can increase the frame rate if you lower the resolution, for example HD at 120Hz vs. 4K at 60fps. However, this varies from game to game.
HDMI 2.1 removes this barrier, meaning you can game in Ultra HD quality. while maintaining smooth frame rates in your games. Image 1 of 5
(Image credit: Sony)
PS5 Games - Spider-Man: Miles Morales
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(Image credit: Sony)
PS5 Games - Spider-Man: Miles Morales
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(Image credit: Sony)
PS5 Games - Spider-Man: Miles Morales
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(Image credit: PlayStation / BluePoint)
PS5 Games: Demon's Souls
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(Image credit: BluePoint Games)
PS5 Games: Demon's Souls
HDMI PS5 Capability
As we mentioned before, the cable and
the HDMI port of the PS5 are of the HDMI 2.1 standard, which means that the cable can
transfer data much faster than a normal HDMI port.
Going into details here,
that technically means the PS2.1's 5 HDMI has a bandwidth of 48 Gbps, which is almost three times more than a 2.0b.
This is what allows it to support 8K video at 60fps and 4K video at 60-120fps (depending on the game you are playing).
Let's take as
Example to Spider-Man: Miles Morales on PS5. Developer Insomniac has announced that the game
will be able to run on PS5 consoles at 4K/60fps, if your TV has an HDMI 2.1 port. If, for example, you play
the PS5 game on a 4K TV that has an HDMI 2.0b port, which is limited to 18 Gbps bandwidth, you'll still see the game in 4K, but it will run at the maximum performance of 30 frames per second. Simply put, a PS5 connected to a TV with an HDMI 2.1 port should, in theory, give you the best results without having to sacrifice frame rate or graphics quality. But just because the console can support 4K at 60fps doesn't mean your TV can.
LG CX OLED (2020) comes with four HDMI 2.1 ports (Image credit: LG)
HDMI support on televisions
Unless you're using a late 90's CRT, your TV likely has an HDMI port. It's important to put attention on,
While newer consoles use HDMI 2.1 as the connection, that doesn't mean your TV must also support HDMI 2.1.
Only the
new and modern TVs and monitors come with HDMI 2.1 compatibilityThey are expensive and quite rare to find. Any 8K TV will ship with the new HDMI standard, while this support varies between 4K TVs.
All Samsung QLED TVs in 2020 come with a single HDMI 2.1 port, while newer LG OLED TVs come with four HDMI 2.1 ports.
Full HD TVs and monitors, depending on their refresh rate, will be able to play games at 60 or 120 fps. A good example to use here is the difference between Monster Hunter: World on PS4 and PS5. With this set, performance has nothing to do with the HDMI cable, but with the refresh rate of your TV.
Using a Full HD TVWith a 60Hz refresh rate, you can play Monster Hunter World at a fixed and smooth 60fps on PS5 thanks to the console's backwards compatibility. If you played it on the same TV, using a current gen PS4 or Pro, you won't get 60fps because the console isn't powerful enough to do it. In this case, the HDMI port and cable will not matter. In general,
modern televisions and monitors operating in Full HD (1080p) are equipped with an HDMI 2.0 port, which means that you will have no problem enjoying PS5 games in exceptional quality and reaching 60 or 120 ips if your television allows it.
Then whatever you prefer: higher frame rates or better images. This is what it all comes down to.
However, if you want to get the best out of your shiny new next-gen console, you'll want
have a TV that also supports HDMI 2.1 connection so you can enjoy 4K gaming at 60 or 120 frames per second. The best deals of the moment for PlayStation 5