Between Black Friday sales and launches of new consoles, everyone is talking about buying a new TV this year. It seems that everyone – including our own WIRED reviewers – is extolling the virtues of modern panels when combined with the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. But do you really need a new TV and, if so, what are these new screens so special?
If you don’t have a 4K HDR TV, you’ll lose a lot
In recent years, TV technology has undergone a major transition with two major improvements in image quality: 4K and HDR. Without being too technical, they can improve the sharpness, color and overall “pop” of the TV image, and both the PS5 and Xbox Series X are prepared to make the most of these technologies. If you’re still using an older 1080p set, the new consoles will still contain some improvements – see below – but they’ll look more like incremental updates if you don’t have a relatively recent set.
Technically, the latest generation half-cycle updates, the Xbox One X and PS4 Pro, also made use of 4K and HDR, although the Xbox Series X goes even further with its Auto HDR feature that adds these brilliant highlights to the compatible Xbox with previous versions, Xbox 360 Games and Xbox One. The disc-based versions of both consoles also contain 4K Blu-ray players, which is a good added value if you have a compatible TV.
Softer gameplay and faster load times will benefit any TV
This does not mean that these new consoles are fully about new TV technologies. The more robust hardware within the PS5 and Xbox Series X can play many games at higher frame rates, which means you’ll have smoother movements and more responsive controls, no matter which TV you use – even if it’s a 1080p device more old. Some players may not notice or care about the added smoothness, but I am of the opinion that 60 frames per second is a big improvement over the last generation’s 30fps gameplay. (Some high-end games will even have options to play at 120 frames per second, which may require a newer TV.)
In addition, the two consoles added features that have nothing to do with your TV – like the Xbox’s Quick Resume feature or the PS5’s enhanced haptics and 3D audio for headphones. Both consoles also feature super-fast SSDs, which means that load times will be extremely fast compared to Xbox One and PS4. It’s nice to have these features, even on old or cheap TVs.
HDMI 2.1 features are good, but not urgent updates
Finally, if you’ve seen any TV buying guides this year, you’ll notice “HDMI 2.1” mentioned as a game feature to look for if you plan to buy a PS5 or Xbox Series X. HDMI 2.1, released in 2019, adds some features for Useful game:
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Variable refresh rate (VRR) allows your TV to “synchronize” the number of times it is updated per second with the number of frames emitted by your console. This can reduce screen tearing and certain types of stuttering movement. Note that the Xbox Series X may use a less powerful version of VRR called FreeSync on certain Samsung and LG TVs that do not have HDMI 2.1.
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Automatic low latency mode (ALLM) automatically puts your TV in Game Mode when it detects a game signal. That, along with HDMI 2.1’s Fast frame transport (QFT), you can reduce the entry delay without having to manually activate Game Mode every time you turn on the old PlayStation.
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Enhanced audio return channel (ARC) allows your TV to send high quality audio to a receiver or sound bar. This is not a game-specific feature, but it is useful if you want to play Dolby Atmos on your TV (the PS5 supports Atmos only for Blu-ray discs, while the Xbox Series X supports some games).