The much-anticipated feature is rolling out to TVs like the X90J. | Image: Sony
Sony reportedly started rolling out an update to enable variable refresh rate on its 2021 TVs with the Bravia XR processor almost a year after promising that the feature was coming, according to HDTVTest’s Vincent Teoh and posts on an owners’ forum. Variable refresh rate, or VRR, essentially lets your TV smooth out any stutters or frame rate drops that may happen while gaming, without the annoying screen artifacts or slight input lag that can come with other solutions.
Somewhat ironically, Sony’s own PlayStation 5 doesn’t support VRR yet — the company promised it would add the feature via a software update, but so far there haven’t been any signs of it. The Xbox Series X and S, however, do support it, as will any gaming PC with a reasonably new graphics card (think GTX 10-series or later).
BREAKING: Sony has started rolling out the long-awaited VRR firmware update on the company’s 2021 TVs with BRAVIA XR processor. It popped up on my Sony A90J OLED (US model) when I checked for updates on the TV this morning. pic.twitter.com/o58tVPMnV4
— Vincent Teoh (@Vincent_Teoh) March 1, 2022
When Sony announced the XR 2021 TVs in early 2021, it said they would support VRR after a firmware update — though, evidently, that update took quite a while to get going, since it’s starting to roll out now. Still, it’s better late than never for anyone who’s been trying to play demanding (and perhaps a bit glitchy) games like Elden Ring, or the pre-patch version of Cyberpunk 2077, where VRR could go a long way in smoothing out the experience. It can also improve the experience when playing games that are mostly easy to run; you can take advantage of your TV’s 120Hz refresh rate without worrying that a sudden, momentary frame rate dip will break your flow and ruin the buttery-smooth experience.
If you’ve been waiting for VRR support on your Sony TV, you can check for an update now by following Sony’s instructions.