PlayStation 5: Sony announces the arrival of the Variable Refresh Rate

In the past hours Sony confirmed his intention to add the Variable refresh rate (VRR) on PlayStation 5, a key visual feature already featured on Xbox Series X / S. The feature, designed to reduce and eliminate frame tearing or jitter in high-framerate games, will be added to the PlayStation 5 via a future firmware update, Sony said in an updated system FAQ:

After a future system software update, PS5 owners will be able to use the VRR function of compatible TVs when playing games that support VRR.

In addition to this, within the message in question it is specified that to use the VRR it is necessary to have a modern TV with HDMI 2.1 (recent tests highlight the defects compared to the Xbox competitor), so most players will not be able to enjoy this function. Although VRR is already supported by the latest generation consoles of Microsoft products, the feature has become even more important for next-generation games that support framerates of 60 fps and higher. As explained by Alex Battaglia del Digital Foundry, the functionality in question is a 'omission evident on the PlayStation 5 at launch since some games, such as Assassin's Creed Valhalla, suffer from visible tearing of the frame on the platform:

As more and more games aim for 60fps in the cross-gen period and don't quite hold the target, we're seeing a resurgence in screen-tearing games, something that was almost gone on last-gen systems. This is not a welcome development to be honest, which is why VRR - variable refresh rate - is an advantage. In terms of experience on a standard 60Hz display, Series X is clearly worse in terms of performance. However, we tested Valhalla with VRR enabled on an LG CX display and the tear is gone with an even smoother presentation - the console has full control of when the screen offers a new frame and it's a game changer, especially for this title. . The omission of VRR on PlayStation 5 is a real disappointment, not only on Valhalla, but also on other games like Dirt 5.