The PS5 packs quite a lot of features into its not-so-small outer shell, but as its release date approaches, we're finding out what this console doesn't have. And it seems there's quite a lot of it.

The latest news is that the PS5 does not support Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, nor does it support 8K and variable refresh rate (VRR).

The news about Dolby Atmos and Vision comes from the new PS5 FAQ, which details all the different standards that the PS5 can support. alternative HDR and audio formats such as HDR10, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD are supported, but nothing is mentioned about Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.

This is a serious blow to the PS5's capabilities, given that the Xbox Series X and the lower-priced Xbox Series S support Dolby Vision and Atmos, among others; the FAQ also makes no mention of support for HDR10+, Dolby Vision's biggest competitor in the HDR standards world. Even more so, considering that support for HDR10+, Dolby Vision's biggest competitor in the world of HDR standards, is not even mentioned.

Thankfully, the PS5 does support HDR10, allowing you to enjoy the most common type of HDR.

The news about 8K and VRR comes from Digital Foundry, which is not entirely bad news. The console is supposed to support 8K video resolution, but in our tests the console's resolution peaked at 4K and there was no option to change it in the settings. Similarly, there was no way to find a way to use VRR or automatic low-latency mode (ALLM). In other words, there is no way to control the console's refresh rate.

The Xbox Series X supports the latter two right out of the box, but despite being advertised as such, the resolution is also limited to 4K. According to Microsoft (via What HiFi), support for 8K will only happen if 8K becomes more widely adopted, which it currently has not, which sucks for those who have shelled out for an 8K display, but unfortunately they are still in the minority and this issue unlikely to affect most gamers.

Hopefully, simple software will solve certain problems on both consoles, but for the time being, it does not look good that the PS5 is missing out on features that the Xbox Series X enjoys. With console generations getting longer and longer, it is important for Microsoft and Sony to plan ahead to ensure that their machines are future-proof.

Because, let's be honest, you don't want to spend $500 on a gaming console only to have a Pro version appear three or four years later with additional essential features.