Why has Sony dropped the 8K label from its PS5 packaging?

About three months back, reports began to emerge on Reddit that Sony was doing away with the 8K logo on its PlayStation 5 packaging. The product images shown on the Sony website subsequently changed ... as did the ones on Digitec and Galaxus. Reports from bewildered buyers have been flooding in this week, and it looks like stocks of consoles with the old packaging will soon be used up.

The PS5’s 8K capabilities are only theoretical right now

So, why has the 8K logo disappeared? Or to put it another way, why did Sony (and Microsoft) even advertise the console as 8K-capable when it was launched?

When the PS5 was released, Sony promised compatibility with 8K displays and an update that would later enable content to use that resolution. The company presumably used the word «content» instead of «games» deliberately; it must have been aware that 8K gaming wouldn’t yet become established with this console generation. And that the PS5 hardware would be too weak for 8K output for most titles. Sony had probably planned to make film playback available in 8K at some point.

However, there hasn’t been an update yet. The PS5 hardware supports 8K resolution, but the software doesn’t allow the same output to a TV or monitor. That’s why The Touryst (2021), the only 8K PS5 game to date, is rendered at 7,680 × 4,320 pixels but downscaled to a 4K image.

PS5 Pro with 8K?

It’s still questionable whether an 8K update for the PS5 is yet to come. Sony deliberately used the 8K logo on its packaging despite the fact 8K output isn’t available yet. And now it’s deliberately removed it. Presumably so that when the PlayStation 5 Pro is launched, it’ll look better on the shelf if only the newer packaging says 8K.

According to leaked information, the PS5 Pro initially won’t support 8K output for games either. However, Sony will reportedly add an 8K performance mode for games later. This is apparently to make use of PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) upscaling. With this in mind, native 8K gaming will probably remain a pipe dream on consoles for a long time to come. At best, it’ll work on a PlayStation 6 (or 6 Pro) in a few years’ time.