PlayStation 5 Doesn't Support 1440p Resolution or Running PS5 Games Off a USB Drive

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The PS5 has some limits, after all

PlayStation 5

PlayStation 5 (Image credit: Sony)

Today, Sony posted an FAQ about the PlayStation 5 to detail some of the next-generation console's strengths and limitations.

One of the PlayStation 5's impediments, which may come as a shocker, is the lack of support for the 1440p (2560x1440) resolution. The list of supported resolutions include 720p, 1080i, 1080p, 2160p (4K UHD), and consequently, 8K. It's certainly mind-blowing that Sony would skip the 1440p resolution yet support lower resolutions, such as 720p. Admittedly, TV owners won't miss that resolution since 1440p isn't a thing in the TV world. However, owners of 1440p monitors won't be too happy that Sony left them out to dry. 

Powered by an AMD octa-core Zen 2 CPU and RDNA 2 GPU, the PlayStation 5 pushes refresh rates up to 120 Hz in compatible games. The thought alone is enough to excite gamers who own high refresh rate 1440p monitors. Sadly, the PlayStation 5 won't natively support 1440p, and Sony didn't explain why or hint if a future update will enable 1440p gaming.

Ever since Sony revealed the PlayStation 5, the Japanese giant went out of its way to boast about the device's lightning-fast NVMe SSD – and who wouldn't when it delivers up to 5.5 GBps of raw throughput. The sad part is that PS5 games are only playable if they're installed on the SSD. This will be a big problem for those who pick up the Digital Edition since the PlayStation 5's SSD is only 825GB, and the actual usable space is even less when you factor in the operating system. 

For example, our review sample arrived with 667.2GB of free space. With titles, such as Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Launch Edition and Demon's Souls commanding minimum install sizes up to 105GB and 66GB, respectively, you'll run out of space on the console's SSD in no time.

To cushion this limitation, Sony is currently exploring the prospect of allowing players to store (but mind you, not play) PS5 games on an external USB drive. If that were to happen, Sony would deliver the functionality in a future update. But here's the kicker: you can store and play PS4 games from a USB drive just fine.

Since the PlayStation 5's SSD is soldered, Sony implemented an expansion port for M.2 drives for players to install and play PS5 games on. Other than the fact the M.2 SSD has to meet a minimum performance level, Sony hasn't elaborated on the other requirements for the drive. In the meantime, the company is recommending players not to pull the trigger on any M.2 SSDs.

When the internal SSD runs out of space, and it will eventually, you'll either have to invest in a USB drive or M.2 SSD. The first will likely be the less expensive option, but you'll have to go through the hassle of copying titles back and forth unless you only plan to use it for secondary storage.

Sony will launch the PlayStation 5 in North America on November 12. The Digital Edition retails for $399.99, while the version with the Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive will set you back $499.99. Just don't forget to start saving for that USB drive or additional M.2 SSD if you're rolling with the Digital Edition.   

Zhiye Liu
Zhiye Liu
RAM Reviewer and News Editor

Zhiye Liu is a Freelance News Writer at Tom’s Hardware US. Although he loves everything that’s hardware, he has a soft spot for CPUs, GPUs, and RAM.

16 Comments Comment from the forums
  • InvalidError
    I don't see why anyone should be surprised that a gaming console intended for living room entertainment won't support a bastard in-between resolution that exists in practically no living room whatsoever. It was the same thing in the run-up to 1080p: once 1080p became available at almost the same price as lower in-between resolution, practically all of the in-between resolutions went extinct from store shelves.

    1440p was nothing more than a temporary nugget for enthusiasts. Normal people who are the bulk of the console audience are jumping straight from 1080p to 4k.
    Reply
  • saunupe1911
    InvalidError said:
    I don't see why anyone should be surprised that a gaming console intended for living room entertainment won't support a bastard in-between resolution that exists in practically no living room whatsoever. It was the same thing in the run-up to 1080p: once 1080p became available at almost the same price as lower in-between resolution, practically all of the in-between resolutions went extinct from store shelves.

    1440p was nothing more than a temporary nugget for enthusiasts. Normal people who are the bulk of the console audience are jumping straight from 1080p to 4k.

    This is 100% not true. 1440p are now THE most common monitors in use! 1440p targeted GPUs are some of the best selling GPUs in the game. There's no excuse for lack of 1440p support. None!
    Reply
  • InvalidError
    saunupe1911 said:
    This is 100% not true. 1440p are now THE most common monitors in use! 1440p targeted GPUs are some of the best selling GPUs in the game. There's no excuse for lack of 1440p support. None!
    You wrote it yourself: MONITOR.

    Normal people install their CONSOLES in their living room where they are typically hooked up to TVs. How many 1440p TVs are out there? Practically none, so it makes very little sense to bother with an oddball in-between resolution.

    Also, 1080p is still 66% of people's primary monitor resolution vs 7% for 1440p on the Steam survey.
    Reply
  • Blacksad999
    Kind of odd to exclude it, as it wouldn't have taken all that much effort to implement it. I spent $1000 on a great 1440p Ultrawide monitor, and rarely use my TV for pretty much anything.
    Reply
  • InvalidError
    Blacksad999 said:
    Kind of odd to exclude it, as it wouldn't have taken all that much effort to implement it.
    It is one more resolution that game developers have to tweak the game for to guarantee that it performs as expected under all circumstances since consoles don't give players much control over graphics beyond output resolution and refresh rate. On PC where there are nearly as many different component combinations as there are people out there, the responsibility to decide what resolution and details may need to be sacrificed to achieve whatever each player's acceptable performance and detail levels are is left to the players themselves since it is would be impossible for developers to do it for them.

    I can easily see why Sony may have no interest in bothering with in-between resolutions.
    Reply
  • eklipz330
    this is dumb. they'll probably patch it in.

    yeah, only about 5% of people will connect their console to their monitor, but this is a really, really stupid oversight. 5% isn't anything to scoff at.
    Reply
  • King_V
    Blacksad999 said:
    Kind of odd to exclude it, as it wouldn't have taken all that much effort to implement it. I spent $1000 on a great 1440p Ultrawide monitor, and rarely use my TV for pretty much anything.
    Wait, 1440p ultrawide? That's 3440x1440. Aspect ratio of about 21:9

    1440p is 2560x1440, and thus has an aspect ratio of 16:9 (as are TVs in general as far as I'm aware).

    Do any consoles support ultrawide?
    Reply
  • saunupe1911
    InvalidError said:
    You wrote it yourself: MONITOR.

    Normal people install their CONSOLES in their living room where they are typically hooked up to TVs. How many 1440p TVs are out there? Practically none, so it makes very little sense to bother with an oddball in-between resolution.

    Also, 1080p is still 66% of people's primary monitor resolution vs 7% for 1440p on the Steam survey.

    Almost all 2020 TCL, Samsung, Vizio, Sony, and LG TVs support 1440p 60z and in some cases 1440p 120hz. A ton of companies included 1440p in preparation for the consoles...even the TCL that have HDMI 2.0!

    Man you really need to go back and do your research. Use Rtings.com as a quick reference.
    Reply
  • Blacksad999
    InvalidError said:
    It is one more resolution that game developers have to tweak the game for to guarantee that it performs as expected under all circumstances since consoles don't give players much control over graphics beyond output resolution and refresh rate. On PC where there are nearly as many different component combinations as there are people out there, the responsibility to decide what resolution and details may need to be sacrificed to achieve whatever each player's acceptable performance and detail levels are is left to the players themselves since it is would be impossible for developers to do it for them.

    I can easily see why Sony may have no interest in bothering with in-between resolutions.

    Considering pretty much everything on the PS5 will be ported to PC, aside from the obvious Sony Exclusives, most developers are already implementing this resolution anyway when making the game.
    Reply
  • InvalidError
    saunupe1911 said:
    Almost all 2020 TCL, Samsung, Vizio, Sony, and LG TVs support 1440p 60z and in some cases 1440p 120hz. A ton of companies included 1440p in preparation for the consoles...even the TCL that have HDMI 2.0!

    Man you really need to go back and do your research. Use Rtings.com as a quick reference.
    Supporting 1440p input does not make the TVs 1440p and feeding 1440p to a 4k TV means the TV has to re-scale input, which introduces extra latency and likely worse artifacts than the console's own 4k upscaling.
    Reply