Gamers have been planning to purchase the new Sony PlayStation 5 or Microsoft Xbox Series X. They should also consider adding a new television from the latest lineup introduced by leading brands.
Incidentally, not all modern TVs are created equal. And there’s certainly a lot of difference between the otherwise humble HDMI port. While most TVs today can take in an HDMI signal, not all support the features that the PS5 and Xbox offer.
Microsoft Xbox Series X and S, and Sony PlayStation 5 deserve a new television:
Microsoft Xbox Series X and S, as well as the new Sony PlayStation 5 are a leap in game console evolution. They are far better than the previous generations of consoles in many ways. Hence, they have several new features, functionalities, and capabilities which only a select few new television sets can take advantage.
Both the game consoles have ditched the traditional, spinning Hard Disk Drive (HDD), in favor of the new Solid State Drive (SSD). This significantly reduces the boot as well as load times of the majority of games.
Additionally, the latest Xbox and Sony PS5 come with a very powerful graphics card. The GPU inside these new game consoles is capable of offering Ray Tracing. This allows hyper-realism in game visuals.
Essentially, Microsoft and Sony have tried to infuse the top-end hardware inside the Xbox Series X, S, and PlayStation 5 respectively. However, these game consoles could be limited by the technology and features of the television set they are connected with.
What are the important features that gamers must look for in a television if they wish to connect a PS5 or Xbox Series X?
Every modern TV can connect with the Sony PlayStation 5 as well as Microsoft Xbox Series X|S. Similarly, both the consoles can deliver output video in resolutions as low as 480p. Simply put, gamers don’t need a new TV just to play games.
However, both the high-end consoles have a lot of power. Hence, they can deliver a lot of game data, visuals, and immersive sound. It is important to dive into the specifications to verify the features that the TV supports. Here are the features that matter:
4K Resolution support at 120 FPS: The Sony PlayStation 5 as well as the Microsoft Xbox Series X|S can play games in 4K resolution at 120 Frames Per Second (FPS). This is essentially double the amount of data being delivered to the TV when compared to the previous-generation, which was, at maximum, 60 FPS.
Such a high stream of game data requires the vastly increased bandwidth that HDMI 2.1 offers. While there are very few games designed with such high amount of visual content, the list will increase gradually. Incidentally, games such as Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition and Dirt 5 already support 4K60FPS gameplay.
Variable Refresh Rate (VRR): At the moment, only the Microsoft Xbox Series X supports Variable Refresh Rate (VRR). The feature attempts to keep the in-game visuals smooth even when its frame rate drops below a target of 60 FPS or 120 FPS.
Sony has indicated it will soon include VRR as a feature in the new PS5. The company plans to send out a firmware update in the near future. Hence, it is important to ensure the television supports VRR.