VRR stands for Variable Refresh Rate.
The feature is available on the Xbox Series X.
VRR ensures games with fluctuating framerates exhibit less tearing on the display.
The Xbox Series X and the PS5 both support the latest HDMI standard – HDMI 2.1. However, the Xbox Series X had one HDMI 2.1 feature at launch that the PS5 lacked – Variable Refresh Rate. Now, Sony has confirmed that the PS5 will get VRR support via a future software update. On the PlayStation Blog Sony says, “PS5 hardware supports Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) through HDMI 2.1. After a future system software update, PS5 owners will be able to use the VRR feature of compatible TVs when playing games that support VRR”.
A key thing to note is that your TV needs to support HDMI 2.1 to make the most of VRR. you can check out our list of best gaming TVs here. Sony has the X90H (review), which is a 'Ready for PlayStation 5' TV and LG’s 2020 and 2019 OLED and some NanoCell TVs also support HDMI 2.1.
What is VRR and why should you care?
Put simply, VRR stands for Variable Refresh Rate and it lets the TV adjust the framerate on the screen to that being outputted by the console. So, if the game is playing at 60fps and all of a sudden, because of intense action on screen, the framerate drops to 52fps, you will notice some tearing on the screen. This is because the display is still outputting at 60 frames per second. With VRR, the TV will be able to adjust its (the display’s) framerate to match that of the console, giving users a smoother gaming experience.
VRR has been a key feature in the PC gaming space with technology like G-SYNC and FreeSync from NVIDIA and AMD respectively being available on gaming monitors.
There are a bunch of features the Xbox Series X has at launch that the PS5 lacks. You can purchase external storage for the Series X that works as fast as the internal SSD to play Series X optimised games. While the PS5 supports off the shelf M.2 storage, the feature isn't yet active.
The Xbox Series X also allows users to transfer their Series X games to an external drive to be played at a later date by transferring them back to the fast internal SSD. The PS5 doesn’t allow you to do the same.
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Sameer Mitha
Sameer Mitha lives for gaming and technology is his muse. When he isn’t busy playing with gadgets or video games he delves into the world of fantasy novels. View Full Profile
