Variable refresh rate is coming to the PlayStation 5 soon, other features roll out today
Sony announced that it is working on Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) support for the PlayStation 5 (it has been since late 2020, actually). This feature will be released “in the coming months”, other features are rolling out now with today’s update.
VRR matches the display’s frame rate to the output of the console, which may vary from moment to moment as the player moves through more or less complex scenes. It reduces screen tearing or frame pacing problems and also decreases input lag.
Sony is working on variable refresh rate support for the PlayStation 5
Note that you will need a compatible TV or PC monitor with HDMI 2. 1 for this to work (e.g. Sony Bravia TVs). As for game support, future games may include a VRR option at launch, current games can get it with a patch. Sony even included a toggle that allows you to turn on VRR in games that do not support it. However, there are some issues with this feature.
Moving on to today’s update, it enables some user-requested features. One of them is the ability to create and join Open and Closed Parties on PS5 and PS4. Open Parties are visible to your friends and they can join freely, Closed Parties are hidden and require an invitation.
Viewing open parties and creating a new party
Sony will be gradually rolling this out to the PS App, so you can create parties using your phone instead of the console. The apps’ Game Base UI has been updated to make accessing Friends, Parties and messaging features easier.
The PS App is getting an updated Game Base UI, also support for creating open and closed parties
The PS Remote Play app now has a dark mode and new Screen Reader languages. These include Portuguese for Portugal and Brazil as well as Finnish, Swedish and Turkish.
Back on the console, the Game Base and Trophy cards have been updated. Sony has also tested a Voice Command feature that allows you to start games and control media playback using your voice. This is available only in the US and UK and only in English for now.
The PS5 interface updates: Pro tips, an improved Trophy tracker and more
Finally, there are accessibility enhancements like mono audio for headphones.
