PS5 graphics about to get EVEN BETTER as Sony finally drops key update

Variable refresh rate is a technology that is employed to stop screen tearing in games. Screen tearing is caused when a TV’s refresh rate is out of sync with that of the game being played on the console, leading to ugly graphical glitches.

To solve this problem many games on consoles are locked to 30fps or 60fps refresh rates to avoid tearing, as those are both at the refresh speed that TVs default to. But the problem with this is that it leaves performance on the table and also means a console like the PS5 can’t make use of its power optimally.

This is because if a game is locked to a refresh rate, when demands on the console get really intense, it is forced to reduce the resolution of the game (dynamic resolution) to maintain that fixed framerate. This is why many games don’t run at native 4K 60fps at all times, instead holding the 60fps framerate but reducing resolution to under 4K.

But with variable refresh rate enabled the console / TV doesn’t have to be locked to a refresh rate and can drop it or raise it as necessary. This means that the refresh rate in a game like Horizon: Forbidden West could drop in busy scenes instead of the resolution, but without incurring screen tearing, maintaining a better fidelity experience for gamers.

T3’s own TV expert Matthew Bolton had this to say on the VRR update:

“Considering that Sony put VRR support on the PS5’s box, it’s a bit shocking that it still hasn’t arrived yet. And the same goes for the TVs that are being updated – it’s been a long and uncertain wait for people who bought them. But the end result will be worth it: VRR really is one of the key next-gen features, because it will give developers so much more flexibility to deliver the high-end graphical wizardry we expect from the new consoles.”

Which sums this development up succinctly. Variable refresh rate is going to be a key next-gen feature for PS5 as it will, one, not restrict game developers, letting them squeeze every single drop of power out of the console and, two, it will mean gamers get the very best visual experience from the best PS5 games.

Here’s hoping then we see that VRR PS5 console update land very soon, as it would mean a great graphical boost for PlayStation 5 gamers just as we enter the exciting winter holiday game release period.

In other PS5 news, Sony has reportedly just turned on “Game Trials” as a feature on PlayStation 5 consoles. The update, which is live apparently just in the UK right now, means that gamers can download two games in a demo format.

Those two games are Death Stranding Director’s Cut and Sackboy: A Big Adventure, and can be downloaded as a trial right now by heading on over to the PlayStation Store listing for the games and then selecting “Download Trial” from the menu screen.

Gamers can then enjoy 6 hours of Death Stranding or 5 hours of Sackboy completely free of charge. Unfortunately, that time allotment will begin the moment a gamer starts to download the game, not play it. This means that those gamers with slow internet connections will almost certainly have that trial time notably eaten into.

There’s one more thing to note with PS5 Game Trials, too. Gamers can only have one trial active per account and also that these two trials expire at 11:49pm on 28 October, 2021.

Here at T3 we like the idea that game demos could make a return, which was once quite normal in the industry, but can’t help feel that how Sony has implemented it here is far from ideal. If the system could just be tweaked so gamers have an allotted time from when they start playing, that would be a great start, as graphically intensive modern games can often take hours to download.

We guess though that this is technically extra functionality being turned on in the PlayStation Store, and free games to play on PS5, so we shouldn’t grumble too much.