Sony ponders 1440p resolution support for PS5 with future update

(Image credit: Future)

Sony is considering 1440p support for its hot new PlayStation 5. At launch, the console supports 1080p and 4K resolutions natively. The PS5 will output to a 1440p display but at 1080p upscaled to 1440p rather than a native 1440p image, as Wes found out the hard way.

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1440p, of course, refers to 2,560 by 1,440 pixels. Also known as 2.5K, it sits in between 1080p and 4K in the hierarchy of resolutions, though its 3.7 million pixel is much nearer the 2.1 million pixels of 1080p than the 8.3 million pixels of 4K.

For PC gamers, 1440p has become something of a default standard thanks to the neat compromise it delivers between delivering a good level of visual detail while not overloading the GPU and thus enabling high frame rates. 4K obviously offers significant higher visual detail, but generates massive GPU loads such that even the very latest graphics cards from Nvidia and AMD can’t guarantee super-smooth triple-digit frame rates at 4K.

Nishino says the lack of 1440p support at launch is due to Sony’s initial focus on optimising the PS5 for TVs. However, he says there’s no technical reason why it couldn’t be added, presumably via a software and or firmware update. It’s not absolutely clear what refresh rates would be supported running at 1440p on the PS5. But we’d anticipate a 120Hz cap.

PlayStation 5 — Several of Microsoft's consoles already support native 1440p (Image credit: Future)

Anywho, the addition of 1440p support on the PS5 would generally be a good thing for PC gamers. It would increase the market for such displays, would generally means more volume and lower prices for all, just as we’re expecting with a new wave of 32-inch 4K monitors that are at least somewhat console-centric.

It’s also worth remembering that Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and Series S both support 1440p out of the, well, box. So the potential for a serious level of demand and volume in the 1440p segment and, we hope, a significant shift in pricing in the right direction.

While both Nvidia and AMD are making a big push regarding 4K gaming with their latest GPU generations, it’s clear that neither has fully cracked the problem of essentially guaranteeing 120Hz-plus performance at 4K. Therefore, for gamers who demand true high refresh performance, 1440p will remain highly relevant for a year or two yet.

Jeremy has been writing about technology and PCs since the 90nm Netburst era (Google it!) and enjoys nothing more than a serious dissertation on the finer points of monitor input lag and overshoot followed by a forensic examination of advanced lithography. Or maybe he just likes machines that go “ping!” He also has a thing for tennis and cars.