After Sony's Bravia XR series TVs introduced a system update related to VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), PS5 finally provides support for VRR from today. Unexpectedly, to give PS5 vrR functionality, PlayStation did not introduce new system updates, but unlocked directly within the system. As long as you have an HDMI 2.1 TV/monitor that supports VRR, you can directly experience the visual improvement brought by VRR after updating the corresponding supported games. Let's teach you how to unlock the VRR settings and explain the significance of the VRR function in a shallow way.
How to enable VRR for PS5
First, confirm that your PS5 is already the latest version of the system. Then just need to restart your PS5, hot plug hdMI after brightening the screen, download and run the latest version of "Marvel Spider-Man: Miles Morales" and other PS5 games that have been updated to support VRR, open the 120Hz display mode and other related screen settings, let the TV/monitor correctly trigger VRR-related modes (black screen), and then you can see VRR-related options in the PS5 screen and image settings.
The above steps will unlock the settings in the system regardless of whether you are a VRR-enabled monitor or not, but according to the official instructions, you must use HDMI 2.1 and a VRR-enabled TV/monitor to enable this feature.
It is important to note that players using Sony TV XR Series TVs will also need to change the HDMI signal format to be able to use this feature. The specific operation steps are: Set - Channel & Input - External Input - HDMI Signal Format - Select "Enhanced Format (VRR)" to enable it correctly.
If you are a user of LG Series TVs who have not enabled VRR on the PS5, please check in the TV settings whether the "HDMI ULTRA HD Deep Color" and "Instant Game Response" functions of the corresponding interface are turned on.
In addition, some netizens said that some HDMI 2.0 monitors/TVs that support FreeSync can also enable the VRR function of PS5. However, there is also a certain chance of encountering splash screen and black screen problems after opening. Here we also invite you to try according to your own equipment situation, and you are also welcome to leave a message to feedback the model and operation of the equipment in a similar situation.
Of course, it is no coincidence that Sony Bravia XR series TVs and PS5 front and rear foot updates support VRR, and the promise of "Perfect for PlayStation 5" has finally been fulfilled. Both companies provide the "HDR Tone Mapping" function for users who use both, even if VRR is enabled. HDR Tone Mapping intelligently analyzes the content of the current HDR and dynamically adjusts the brightness or gradient effect to make the display more vivid. If you are using Xbox Series X|S will not be enablable.
What's the use of turning on VRR for the PS5?
Some people may not understand why VRR-related features are highly anticipated. This is definitely a must-have for the vast majority of players.
VRR, also known as Variable Refresh Rate, means "variable refresh rate", which allows the screen to dynamically adjust the refresh rate of the image display based on the current game frame rate effect, and the matching of the two leads to a smoother visual experience.
In the absence of VRR support, the refresh rate of the general screen is maintained at 60Hz. Movies and television are generally presented with a fixed frame rate, and the TV screen will be optimized and adapted according to the current content. But games differ from this in that the frame-rate performance of a game is more complex and dynamic because of the type of content and environment currently being presented. In the past, game manufacturers used methods such as locking 30 frames and 60 frames to solve the problem that the screen refresh rate did not match the number of frames in the game performance, but now with the improvement of hardware performance and the enhancement of game performance effects, the screen display situation during game running is also more complicated. The tearing and shaking of the screen when playing the game are also related to the current refresh rate of the screen and the performance of the game frame number. You can see the difference between before and after enabling VRR in the comparison video below.
As we all know, higher frame rate performance can improve the smoothness of game running, and VRR variable refresh rate so that the game frame rate matches the screen refresh rate can improve fluency from another level.
Taking "Marvel Spider-Man: Miles Morales" and other games that have supported VRR-related functions as an example, enabling the "120Hz display mode" display can reduce the feeling of game input delay, and the previous lock 4K/30 frame "fidelity mode" can already be increased to 40 frames under this blessing, and after obtaining VRR support, the refresh rate of the game in this mode is more in line with the number of frames displayed, so that the look and feel of the screen performance will be smoother. Insomniac Game wrote in the official update note that since their PS5 game already has a relatively stable frame rate effect, the VRR setting will slightly increase the target value at some dynamic image resolution settings. The 120Hz display is turned on with VRR, and players get a variable, unlimited frame-count experience, with a 50% or more frame-count increase in selecting a graphics mode of 30 or 60 frames depending on what they are currently playing.
For games like VRR support on PS5 that haven't been updated yet, you can also choose to force VRR effects on all games in the system, but this setting doesn't necessarily work or can cause other side effects. However, taking the "Eldon Ring of Law" with a more complex frame rate on PS5 as an example, in the case of official update support, although the actual frame number has not improved, because the screen refresh rate matches the game frame rate more, the game will be slightly smoother in appearance.
VRR is indispensable for future gaming experiences. From the player's point of view, it can improve the visual experience of the game, and from the perspective of the game manufacturer, it can also be more conducive to game production. At present, in the field of variable refresh rate, NVDIA has laid out G-Sync, and AMD's FreeSync is also expanding its coverage. If you need a new monitor/TV in the future, you can also include VRR as an important feature in the must-have filter.