Knowing whether the PS5 supports ultrawide monitors can be crucial when deciding on your next big purchase, literally. Both the Xbox Series X and PS5 are powerful consoles, often thought to rival PC capabilities, including compatibility with high-end gaming monitors.
Since its launch, the PS5 has seen significant updates, such as an upgradable internal SSD and the ability to store PS5 games on high-performance external SSDs. These enhancements show the console's evolution. With these advancements, it's natural to wonder if and when the PS5 will support ultrawide monitors. However, it's important to assess if this expectation is realistic.
Does PS5 support ultrawide?
At present, the console doesn’t officially support ultrawide displays. In the PS5 vs Xbox Series X comparison, both consoles fall short in this aspect.
When comparing the PS5 to a gaming PC too, the gap widens as many AAA titles on PC, such as Red Dead Redemption 2, Forza Motorsport, and Baldur's Gate 3, offer exceptional ultrawide support. However, this doesn't mean you can't use your PS5 with an ultrawide monitor...
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Can you use a PS5 with an ultrawide monitor?
Although it may not technically support ultrawide, you can use a PS5 with an ultrawide screen, just not 'officially'. Since most ultra-wide monitors are QHD, what the PS5 can do is intelligently upscale the image to fit the screen in most cases. It will likely be upscaling from 1080p, so you may find the image quality is not to your liking, but at the same time, it may be just fine for you depending on the game.
You may also find the aspect ratio to be a little off. Ultrawide screens typically use 21:9 while your average monitor uses around a 16:9 aspect ratio. You'll likely get two black bars in the extra space, although monitors can stretch the output accordingly to fill that extra space according to BenQ. It's not ideal, but it does mean you can use an ultrawide monitor with the PS5.
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Will the PS5 get ultrawide support?
The big question on many people's minds is whether we'll see the PS5 get ultrawide support. In our minds, we wouldn't rule it out, but when this could happen isn't clear.
It may also make more sense for the PS5 to get 8K support before it gets ultrawide, given that the console is capable, and Sony hasn't unlocked the ability on the console as yet. This will most likely require the resolution to become more mainstream in games and media before it's added though, so who knows?
Ultimately, if you're looking for the best monitor for PS5, we'd suggest leaning away from ultrawide displays at this time, and perhaps even going the whole hog with an HDMI 2.1 monitor instead.
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