Rejoice, 4K content fans! PlayStation 5 will finally be bringing 4K Blu-ray capabilities after leaving out the feature on the current generation of home consoles. After the announcement that the PlayStation 5 will be releasing during the 2020 holiday season, new information continues to pour out to the public. One of the simplest (yet exciting) inclusions coming to the next generation console will be its ability to play 4K Blu-rays.
When the PS4 Pro was announced, one of the biggest letdowns was Sony's decision to not include an upgrade to a 4K Blu-ray player. As the newest iteration of the PlayStation 4, the PS4 Pro was set to face off against Microsoft's Xbox One S — an upgrade over the original Xbox One. Microsoft also brought along the Xbox One X which promised to be the most powerful home console yet, with a 4K Blu-ray player ready to go.
That isn't to say that the PS4 Pro didn't have 4K capabilities. It was capable of displaying games in 4K, and the console allowed users to stream 4K content over various subscription services such as Netflix and Hulu. It also upscaled regular Blu-ray to "4K" quality but upscaling doesn't quite reach the same level of quality as native 4K. Though it may have been a simple feature left out, this put the Xbox One S (and later on the X) at an advantage as the console that encompassed all of home entertainment.
By not allowing the PS4 Pro to play 4K Blu-ray discs (even though it was more than capable of doing it), Sony basically stated they will be working toward a new future for their consoles where physical media isn't the focus anymore. While streaming is the go-to method for consuming home entertainment today, adding a 4K Blu-ray player to the PlayStation 5 is a simple — yet exciting — addition to a console ushering in the new generation of gaming.