With the first HDMI 2.2 devices confirmed for 2027, a key question now resolves about source devices and specifically next-gen game consoles.
In November 2020, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X became some of the first source devices with HDMI 2.1, opening the door to 4K120, variable refresh rate (VRR) and auto-switching to game mode (ALLM).
The first Nvidia and AMD GPUs with HDMI 2.1 launched around the same time.
These source devices followed the launch of the first 4K and 8K TVs with HDMI 2.1 ports in 2019 and 2020, as outlined in our HDMI 2.1 timeline here.
PlayStation 6 and next Xbox
Rumors are pointing to PlayStation 6 and the next Xbox both launching in 2027, unless the current RAM and SSD shortages derail launch plans.
With HDMI 2.2 unveiled in January 2025, the timeline matches that of the HDMI 2.1 rollout, if PS6 and Xbox Helix were to feature HDMI 2.2 by November 2027, but that certainly does not guarantee that they will. HDMI 2.2 is only needed if Sony and Microsoft are planning to push beyond 4K120 currently supported in PS5 and Xbox Series X via HDMI 2.1.
HDMI 2.2 enables up to 96Gbps of bandwidth for uncompressed 4K 240Hz and 8K 60Hz as well as 4K 480Hz and beyond with signal compression (DSC).
Also read: HDMI 2.2 released: Supports 4K 480Hz, 8K 240Hz, even 16K
4K 240Hz potential in next-gen consoles
To benefit from HDMI 2.2, the TV industry would need to align around 4K 240Hz as the next step after 4K 120Hz, which has gained some traction in console gaming, but is far from ubiquitous.
It is a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation; 4K 120Hz was not really a thing in the TV industry before PS5 and Xbox Series X either.
Adding 4K 240Hz support in next-generation game consoles does not in any way imply, or require, that AAA console games run natively in 4K with 240fps – they will not – but a 4K 240Hz mode brings even lower input lag and motion blur, while also unlocking the VRR range from 40Hz all the way up to 240Hz in games.
Even without VRR, 240Hz support can hugely benefit gamers. For example, games could be optimized to run at a 80fps locked frame rate, which adds up to 240Hz (80x3 = 240Hz). We have already seen this concept employed by some game studios to finally move beyond 30fps console gaming to 40fps (40x3 = 120Hz) in titles like Cyberpunk 2077, Horizon and Hogwarts Legacy. Even 40fps is a quite noticeable jump from the jarring 30fps baseline, which was chosen as a result of older TVs' maximum refresh of 60Hz.
Alternatively, game developers could bump a game's frame rate up to 48fps (48x5 = 240Hz) with HDMI 2.2, with 48fps support also having implications for the wider TV ecosystem as 48fps is one of the HFR formats for movies.
In other words; 4K 240Hz support would bring additional flexibility and freedom for game developers and gamers alike.
TVs with 4K 240Hz support are already in testing, according to the HDMI organisation.
