Good news for PS5 buyers: 2K display support back on the cards

(Image credit: Future)

published 12 November 2020

If your PS5 is arriving today, but you plan on connecting it to your 2K monitor, then you’re in for some day-one disappointment. Sony has already confirmed that QHD resolution isn’t supported on PS5, meaning you’ll have to make do with an imperfect solution where 4K is downscaled to 1080p then scaled back up to 2K.

That’s not great news, and it doesn’t necessarily just impact those without 4K TVs, either. Many assumed that plugging the console into a 2K monitor would be an easy way of getting 120fps gameplay without needing to upgrade to a 120Hz 4K TV. While the frame rates may be higher on supported games, the lack of native 2K means that those with both a gaming monitor and a 60Hz 4K TV have to trade off one way or the other – something that isn’t the case with Xbox Series X, where 2K is supported from launch day.

But it might not be game over for 2K on PS5. An interview with Sony’s Masayasu Ito and Hideaki Nishino, published on AV Watch and translated by Eurogamer, seems to suggest that Sony is open to adding 2K support if it’s a feature that’s in demand.

“Currently the PS5 doesn't support 1440p in accordance with Nishino-san's thinking that they 'want to prioritise support for TVs'," the translation reads.

Ito adds that “there’s no technological problem at all” which suggests it could be a trivial fix – albeit not one that’s necessarily high up Sony’s list of priorities right now.

With the PS5 out today, Sony will be keeping a close eye on any crash data that comes in from around the world, and you’d imagine that would be the focus of any early software updates. On top of that, we know that Sony will eventually be enabling the internal M.2 SSD slot allowing users to expand their internal storage, and it seems likely that custom themes – MIA at launch – will be added at some point too, given they took a year to arrive on PS4.

Where 2K screen support will come in this list presumably depends on how easy it is to enable, and how much demand there is. Still, this is cautiously good news for those with gaming monitors looking to make the most out of the PS5.