Sony is considering 1440p support for its hot new PlayStation 5. At launch, the console will natively support 1080p and 4K resolutions; the PS5 will output to a 1440p display, but it will be an upscaled 1080p image to 1440p, not a native 1440p image.

However, in an interview with Japanese website AV Watch, Sony representatives Masayasu Ito and Hideaki Nishino said that adding 1440p support is under consideration and could happen if there is enough demand.

1440p, of course, refers to 2,560 x 1,440 pixels; also known as 2.5K, it falls between 1080p and 4K in the resolution hierarchy, but its 3.7 million pixels are much closer to 1080p's 2.1 million pixels than 4K's 8.3 million pixels.

For PC gamers, 1440p has become something of a default standard thanks to its compromise of providing a good level of visual detail while not overloading the GPU and delivering a high frame rate, while 4K obviously provides a significant increase in visual detail but it puts so much strain on the GPU that even the latest graphics cards from Nvidia and AMD cannot guarantee ultra-smooth frame rates in the triple digits at 4K.

Nishino said that the lack of 1440p support at launch is due to Sony's initial focus on optimizing the PS5 for TVs. However, he said there is no technical reason why it could not be added, perhaps through software or firmware updates. it is not clear to what extent the PS5 will support a 1440p refresh rate. However, we expect an upper limit of 120 Hz.

In any case, 1440p support on the PS5 is generally a good thing for PC gamers. It will mean higher quantities and lower prices for all, as the market for such displays expands and, in general, a new wave of 32-inch 4K monitors, at least gaming-centric, is expected.

It is also worth remembering that Microsoft's Xbox Series X and Series S support 1440p right out of the box. Therefore, we could see a serious level of demand and volume in the 1440p arena, and expect a significant shift in pricing in the right direction.

While both Nvidia and AMD are making a big push with respect to 4K gaming with their latest GPU generations, it is clear that neither has fully solved the problem of virtually guaranteeing performance above 120Hz at 4K. Thus, for gamers looking for true high refresh performance, 1440p will remain highly relevant for another year or two.