Sony has announced a new slate of PlayStation VR games for later this year. It includes a virtual reality adaptation of Doom 3, as well as titles from a few successful VR studios and a couple of relative newcomers to VR.
Sony announced a new generation of PSVR for its PlayStation 5 console last month. The headset will come with a redesigned controller, a single cord instead of the original cable box, and a higher-resolution screen, among other upgrades. But Sony hasn’t unveiled the headset or offered many details, and it’s said the device won’t arrive in 2021. So today’s games will be launching for PSVR — with the promise of a better experience down the line.
Doom 3 VR, the only title with a precise release date, will launch on March 29th for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. It’s a “retooled” port of the original 2004 shooter and its two expansions, designed for PSVR’s gun-like Aim accessory. A short trailer offers a preview of the gameplay and updated graphics.
This is the second Doom game for PSVR, following the 2017 VR original Doom VFR. It’s also not the first time Doom 3 has appeared in VR. The game was originally promised as part of the Oculus Rift headset launch, but it was canceled amid a lawsuit from Doom rights holder ZeniMax. (ZeniMax was acquired by Sony’s rival Microsoft last year.) More recently, a modding team unofficially ported Doom 3 to the Oculus Quest.
Vertigo Games, creator of zombie VR shooter Arizona Sunshine, will be bringing its cooperative followup After the Fall to PSVR as well. After the Fall was announced a couple of years ago, and it was expected to launch in 2020 on both PSVR and PC-based VR. It was delayed in part because of the coronavirus pandemic, rescheduled for early 2021 — a window Sony is reiterating here.
PlayStation VR will also be supporting I Expect You To Die 2 — a sequel to the wildly successful escape room title, originally announced for Steam in January. The game promises the same richly interactive spy-themed puzzles as I Expect You To Die, which has proven one of the most enduringly popular VR games since its launch in 2016.
The other games don’t have the same immediate name recognition, but they’re intriguing additions to the PSVR catalog. Fracked is developed by nDreams, the studio behind kayak-based stealth shooter Phantom: Covert Ops. Continuing the sports-plus-guns formula, its new game is an action shooter built around skiing — alongside climbing, zip lines, and old-fashioned duck-and-cover combat. It’s also apparently about a fracking facility that’s been “taken over by an army of gun-wielding, interdimensional maniacs.” (It’s unclear whether the maniacs are pro- or anti-fracking.) The game will be released this summer for PlayStation Move controllers on both generations of Sony consoles, but with improved frame rates and resolution on the PlayStation 5.
In a slightly calmer vein, there’s Song in the Smoke by Galak-Z developer 17-Bit. It’s a VR survival game that focuses on crafting, hunting, scavenging, and exploration in a mysterious world. A trailer shows off some gorgeous landscapes and creature design, as well as mechanics like archery. It’s launching at an unspecified point in 2021.
Sony also announced the 2021 release of Zenith, an anime-influenced massively multiplayer roleplaying game funded on Kickstarter last year. It’s set in a high-tech fantasy world that’s designed for players to climb and glide around, in addition to fighting with a VR-adapted version of conventional RPG combat.
Update March 3rd, 2021 11:04AM ET: Amazon has sold out of both PS5 console models.
Sony’s latest gaming console, the PS5, is one of many gaming gadgets that are hard to find in stock right now due to mostly online-only sales. If you are trying to get your hands on one, Amazon has restocked both the PS5 Digital Edition and the PS5 consoles right now, while supplies last.
PlayStation 5
$400
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Sony’s flagship next-gen console, starting at $399.99. The biggest difference between both models is the Digital Edition can only play digital games, while the $500 PS5 includes a disc drive, allowing you to play both digital and physical games.
$400
at PS5 (Digital Edition)
$500
at Amazon (PS5)
Once you obtain your PS5, there are a few items you’re going to want to pick up for your console. Some of the most popular PS5 exclusives right now include Demon’s Souls Remake by Bluepoint Games. Additionally, Final Fantasy VII Remake was a popular game in 2020; it is backwards compatible and a PS5 port is coming on June 10th. If you buy the game now, you’ll get a free next-gen upgrade when that version is available.
Final Fantasy VII Remake
$30
$60
50% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
A modern retelling of the 1997 PlayStation classic. This game is the first of a yet-unknown number of episodic installments retelling the story of Final Fantasy VII.
$30
at Amazon
I strongly suggest buying a one-year membership to PlayStation Plus, as the perks of having a subscription are great for PS5 users. Most notably, it nets you access to the PlayStation Plus Collection, which is a digital library of some of the most popular first- and third-party titles released on the PS4 such as Bloodborne and The Last of Us Remastered. I also advise picking up an extra DualSense controller.
If you want to expand your SSD storage, sadly, there is no way to do that just yet. But Sony is reportedly expanding the options for more SSD storage sometime this summer.
Samsung’s 2021 The Frame TV has AMD FreeSync Premium Pro. (Image credit: Samsung)
Samsung just leveled the playing field a bit in the battle between TVs and gaming monitors. PC monitors have long held an advantage over TVs for gaming, largely due to speedier refresh rates and response times. The best gaming monitors also fight screen tearing with some flavor of Adaptive-Sync. TVs, meanwhile, have made advanced display technologies, like OLED and mini LED, more attainable. Today, Samsung threw bones toward both corners, announcing the first TV with AMD’s most advanced screen tearing fighting technology and the marriage of its “Quantum Mini LED” technology and Samsung Odyssey G9 curved gaming monitor.
Samsung’s Q70A TV has AMD FreeSync Premium Pro. (Image credit: Samsung)
During its Unbox and Discover event today, Samsung debuted the first TVs to include AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, which will work with both PCs and gaming consoles, like the new PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. FreeSync Premium Pro will be available on Samsung’s 4K resolution Q70A and up, as well as the 2021 version of its customizable TV, aptly named The Frame.
There are numerous TVs available from Samsung, as well as from LG, with FreeSync Premium, which calls for a minimum 120 Hz refresh rate and adds low framerate compensation (LFC) compared to standard FreeSync. FreeSync Premium Pro takes things a step further by also supporting HDR content.
The vendor’s also throwing in a new Game Bar, which helps gamers monitor “critical aspects of play,” according to today’s announcement, and use Samsung’s Super Ultrawide Gameview feature, enabling ultrawide aspect ratios more commonly found in PC monitors than TVs.
Samsung Odyssey G9 at CES 2020 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
But the electronics giant also had news to share with gamers committed to PC monitors, however. The Samsung Odyssey G9 needed no help being extreme. With a 1000R curve, it’s already as curvy as gaming monitors get today. However, Samsung upped the premium ante today by unveiling the 2021 version of the monitor with Quantum Mini LEDs. The 2020 version uses QLED, which is just another type of LEDs invented by Samsung for improved brightness and color.
Quantum Mini LEDs are already available in Samsung TVs, but the 2021 Odyssey G9 will mark one of the first mini LED gaming monitors, if not the first (depending on when it’s actually available to buy.).
According to Samsung, its Quantum Mini LEDs are 1/40th the height of a standard LED (what you’ll find in the vast majority of gaming monitors). Additionally, “instead of using a lens to disperse light and a package to fix the LED in place, [a] Quantum Mini LED has incredibly thin microlayers filled with many more LEDs.” Samsung’s Quantum Matrix Technology is supposed to enable precise control over those tiny LEDs to help fight blooming, also known as the halo effect. This would be particularly impressive, as even premium gaming monitors with FALD backlights can fall victim to the halo effect.
We already saw what the power of mini LEDs could do for image quality, particularly contrast, in our review of the Asus ProArt PA32UCX, a monitor for professionals. But we’ve yet to see the technology in a PC monitor built for gaming. Asus and Acer have both promised to release their own mini LED gaming monitors, but that hasn’t happened yet.
Maybe you like the PlayStation 5’s distinctive white-and-black look. Maybe you don’t. Maybe you’d settle for a Zune-brown and orange model as long as you could find it in stock. But wherever you come down on the PS5’s color, one thing’s for sure: there’s a lot of demand for other options.
That’s what Dbrand was betting when it put its matte black replacement “Darkplates” on sale recently while baiting Sony to sue. Successive waves of the product sold out fast to the point where they’re now almost as hard to find as the PS5 itself; the next batch won’t ship til May, though you can still put a backorder in.
Anyway, I don’t mind how the PS5 looks myself, but since Dbrand sent over a set of Darkplates, I was curious whether they’d change my mind. This afternoon I took off my PS5’s lightplates (?) to see for myself.
The process is quite simple. Here’s Dbrand’s video on how to replace the PS5’s plates:
I found it a little more difficult to take off the stock white plates than this video suggests, but I was reluctant to apply too much force out of fear of damaging my rare-as-hens’-teeth console. Once you do manage to unhook the plates and slide them off, it’s very easy to attach the Darkplates in their place — they just pop right in with a satisfying click. It doesn’t feel like you’re doing anything the PS5 wasn’t intended to do out of the box, so I think Sony is missing out by not selling its own official swappable plates.
Here’s how the PS5 looks on both sides with the stock plates removed:
And here are some shots with the Darkplates attached:
The Darkplates feel sturdy and of high quality — these aren’t just flimsy pieces of plastic. You’d expect as much for $49 plus shipping, of course. But Dbrand has definitely gone the extra mile to make this feel like a premium product, and this is maybe best expressed by the company’s own spin on Sony’s PlayStation icon microtexture. As on the PS5, it’s difficult to see with the naked eye or to photograph, but it’s there:
Dbrand also sent over a matte black skin to cover the glossy black middle portions of the PS5. These are available in various colors, too. I found it easier to apply than I expected, but it didn’t turn out 100-percent perfect — the skin was slightly lopsided around the USB-A port, though not in any way that’d obstruct usage. But I’m not really convinced that I prefer this look to simply leaving the middle section glossy.
Here are some shots with the skin attached for full matte-black effect:
Finally, I thought I’d compare my newly matte-black PS5 to the similarly matte-black Xbox Series X. I have to admit, the black finish does seem to have a slimming effect on the PS5:
As mentioned before, the Darkplates cost $49 plus shipping, while the middle skin is an extra $11.95. You can still order now, but they won’t ship until May. Is it a lot to pay to change your PS5’s color? Yes. But if you have your heart set on the idea, I think you’ll enjoy the Darkplates.
Sony’s latest gaming console, the PS5, is one of many gaming gadgets that are pretty hard to find in stock right now due to mostly online-only sales. If you are trying to get your hands on one, Best Buy has restocked the PS5 and PS5 digital edition right now, while supplies last.
Similar to today’s Xbox Series X / Series S restocks, the retailer is releasing small waves of PS5 stock right now.
PlayStation 5
$400
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Sony’s flagship next-gen console, priced at $499.99. Compared to the $399.99 PS5 Digital Edition, this console includes a disc drive, allowing you to play both digital and physical games.
$400
at PS5 (Digital Edition)
$500
at PS5
After you secure your PS5, you should consider picking up a few items that will help you get the most out of your next-gen console. I strongly suggest buying a one-year membership to PlayStation Plus and purchasing an extra DualSense controller. A one-year membership to PS Plus also gives you access to the PlayStation Plus Collection, a digital compilation featuring popular games released on the PS4.
If you want to expand your SSD storage, sadly there is no way to do that just yet. But Sony is reportedly expanding the options for more SSD storage sometime this summer.
PlayStation 5 owners might soon be able to install more than a few games at a time. Bloomberg today reported that, according to “people briefed on the plan,” Sony wants to release a firmware update with support for additional M.2 SSD storage this summer.
The PS5 launched with a custom 825GB SSD—only 667GB of which remained available after the operating system and other extras were installed— complemented by a custom flash controller that features a PCIe 4.0 interface.
That 667GB might seem like a lot, especially compared to last-gen consoles, but saying that PS5 games are storage-hungry would be an understatement. Most people will only be able to have a handful of titles installed at a given time.
Sony previously said the PS5 would support certain M.2 SSDs that meet the same performance requirements as the custom drive that ships with the console. Key factors include PCIe 4.0 support and a read bandwidth of at least 5.5GBps.
The console also offered support for external HDDs at launch, but only for use with PlayStation 4 titles, and Sony didn’t say when the PS5 would be updated with support for additional storage. Bloomberg’s report finally offers a (vague) timeline.
Sony gave Bloomberg this statement: “As previously announced, we are working to enable M.2 SSD storage expansion for PlayStation 5. The timing has not been announced and details will be shared later.” That’s neither confirmation nor denial.
All of which means those lucky enough to have found a PS5 should be able to have more than a few games installed this summer—provided they’re willing to purchase an M.2 SSD that meets Sony’s requirements. We’ll have to see how many are forced to choose between that and, say, a replacement DualSense controller.
Final Fantasy VII Remake, the modern retelling of the 1997 PlayStation classic, will be free for PlayStation Plus subscribers beginning March 2nd. It is important to note the PS4 version of Final Fantasy VII Remake available for users with an active PS Plus subscription willnot be able to receive a PS5 digital version of the game, which was announced yesterday at Sony’s State of Play event.
Final Fantasy VII Remake launched last April exclusively on PlayStation 4 and serves as the first of an unknown number of entries in an episodic retelling of the original game. The game is also backward compatible on PlayStation 5, but yesterday’s State of Play confirmed that a next-gen version of the game will release on June 10th and will take full advantage of Sony’s next-gen console, with faster loading times, different graphical mode options, and a new episode focusing on the character Yuffie.
Other games eligible for download next month include the PS4 versions of Farpoint and Remnant: From the Ashes. Also coming to PS Plus is a digital copy of Maquette, whichis a new game launching on PS5 on March 2nd. Destruction AllStars, one of the new PS5 titles released this year, will also be free until April 5th.
Sony will allow the PlayStation 5 to make use of expanded SSD storage from this summer, according to a report in Bloomberg. The functionality is said to be coming in a firmware update that will activate the PS5’s M.2 expansion slot, which is currently disabled. Sony told The Verge ahead of the PS5 launch that the feature was “reserved for a future update.”
Bloomberg’s sources say that the firmware update will allow for an increase in the speed of the PS5’s cooling fans. The PS5 has an extremely fast built-in SSD, and any compatible third-party drive will need to be equally fast in order to store and run PS5 games; that’s going to generate some extra heat.
The PS5 comes with an 825GB SSD right now, leaving users with only 667GB of usable space when formatted. With game sizes ever increasing — you can’t fit all the content from the latest Call of Duty on a 500GB PS4, for example — PS5 owners will welcome the possibility of storage upgrades. As long as the fan noise isn’t too loud, that is.
Sony has confirmed that Japan Studio, its internal video game developer based in Tokyo, will essentially wind down and refocus around a single team. In a statement to IGN, Japan Studio said as of April 1st it would be “re-centered to Team Asobi, the creative team behind Astro’s Playroom, allowing the team to focus on a single vision and build on the popularity of Astro’s Playroom.” In other words, get ready for more Astro games.
Astro’s Playroom is a well-received title packaged with every PlayStation 5 console. It’s a 3D platformer designed to show off the advanced haptic feedback of the new DualSense controller. Before that, the same team developed Astro Bot: Rescue Mission, widely considered to be the standout exclusive PlayStation VR title.
VGC previously reported today that the “vast majority” of Japan Studio staff were being let go as Sony declined to renew their annual contracts, which run until the end of the fiscal year on March 31st. Some staff are said to have been reassigned to Team Asobi, while others are reportedly joining Bokeh, a new studio founded by Silent Hill and Gravity Rush director Keiichiro Toyama.
While Team Asobi’s work to date is acclaimed, Japan Studio has been an important part of Sony’s first-party PlayStation development efforts for decades. It created series like Ape Escape, Patapon, and LocoRoco, while also assisting with development on titles like Bloodborne and The Last Guardian. Before leaving last year, Toyama led a division that was responsible for the Siren and Gravity Rush games.
The world of Final Fantasy VII Remake is getting bigger with a new episode featuring new characters — like Yuffie Kisaragi — and big quality-of-life changes for the PlayStation 5, called Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade.
The PS5 version of the game will include a “brand-new episode” that has players play as ninja Yuffie Kisaragi on a mission to infiltrate the Shinra Corporation. Alongside the new content, the PS5 version is getting an update adding faster load times, a performance mode (that targets 60fps gameplay), and a graphics mode for 4K. There’s also a new photo mode.
Existing PS4 owners of the original Final Fantasy VII Remake for PS4 will get the PS5 version for free but will have to pay extra for the additional Yuffie content, according to the announcement.
Final Fantasy VII Remake launched in April 2020 for PlayStation 4, the first of a still-unknown number of entries in an episodic retelling of the original game. It focused entirely on Midgar — a sprawling city that made up only a few hours in the PlayStation version of Final Fantasy VII. On top of re-creating the game’s entire world, fleshing out its characters, and adding entirely new storylines and characters, VII Remake also hinted at major changes in the game’s canonized story.
In June 2019, producer Yoshinori Kitase said that work on the next installment had already begun; details about it have been scarce. Square Enix later registered several trademarks, including “Ever Crisis” and “The First Soldier,” that suggested additional tie-ins or remakes in the Final Fantasy VII universe.
The PlayStation 5 is Sony’s latest gaming console and just like Microsoft’s Xbox Series X / S it’s in high demand and limited supply. If you are looking to buy a PS5, you have a shot at securing the $500 model with a disc drive right now at Target, while supplies last.
PlayStation 5
$500
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Sony’s flagship next-gen console, priced at $499.99. Compared to the $399.99 PS5 Digital Edition, this console includes a disc drive, allowing you to play both digital and physical games.
$500
at Target
After you secure your PS5 (or if already own one), you should consider picking up a few items that will help you get the most out of your next-gen console. One such accessory is an additional DualSense controller in the event one controller’s battery dies and you want to keep playing but prefer not to be tethered by the charging cable.
A one-year subscription to PlayStation Plus is also good to pick up if you have yet to renew your membership or are new to the service. There are a few benefits to having an active subscription to Sony’s online gaming service. Most notably, PS5 users have access to the PlayStation Plus Collection, a digital library of “generation-defining” games released on the PS4.
Sony was among the first companies to launch a virtual reality head mounted display (HMD) in 2016. While the unit was optimized for successful game consoles, it has gained limited popularity to a large degree because Sony’s PlayStation 4 was not powerful enough to enable the same VR experience as high-end PCs. Sony’s PlayStation 5 is by far more powerful, which is why Sony is working on a brand-new VR headset designed specifically with PS5 in mind.
Sony’s next-generation VR system would be better than its predecessor in every aspect, including resolution, field of view, tracking, and connectivity, Sony said on Tuesday. According to Sony, the new unit will also come with an all-new VR controller that will support ‘some of the key features’ found in the DualSense wireless controller.
(Image credit: Sony)
Sony has not disclosed any actual specifications of its next-generation VR HMD but said it was in development and will not launch in 2021. Keeping in mind that the unit will be released in 2022 or 2023, six or seven years after the original PS VR, it promises to feature massive improvements over its ancestor.
Game console developers tend to start talking about their next-generation products sometimes over a year before their release to support demand for existing hardware. Sony’s PS VR is compatible with PlayStation 5 (albeit using a special adapter), and the company will continue to release new games for PS VR for quite a while. Therefore, it makes a sense for Sony to give some additional attention to its virtual reality platform. Sony named After The Fall, Sniper Elite VR, and Humanity among its upcoming console titles.
Sony’s PlayStation 5 (alongside the Xbox Series X and S) has been nearly impossible to buy since its launch back in November. Those shortages will likely continue for a bit longer, according to Jim Ryan, president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment. But stock should pick up in the second half of the year, he says.
The news comes from a series of interviews with Ryan from The Washington Post and the Financial Times, where the PlayStation boss reflected on the past several months since the PS5’s launch and the road ahead for the next-generation console.
“Demand was greater than we anticipated,” Ryan said, explaining the ongoing stock issues for the console. “That, along with the complexities of the supply chain issues, resulted in a slightly lower supply than we initially anticipated.”
Things will eventually improve, although it may take some time. “It will get better every month throughout 2021,” Ryan commented to the Financial Times. “The pace of the improvement in the supply chain will gather throughout the course of the year, so by the time we get to the second half of [2021], you’re going to be seeing really decent numbers indeed.”
That said, Ryan wouldn’t promise that there would be enough stock for everyone who wants a console to get one this holiday season. The high demand for PS5s, combined with the ongoing global semiconductor shortage and the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic is forcing most console sales through bot-infested online portals, means Sony is still facing serious constraints in how many people will actually be able to buy a PS5. “There are very few magic wands that can be waved,” notes Ryan.
Still, Sony is already seeing encouraging numbers in the breakdown of customers who have been able to buy a PS5. According to Ryan, 1 in 4 PS5 owners didn’t own a PlayStation 4 console, and half of all PS5 owners are new to PSN. (Sony’s online account system that the company has used since the PlayStation 3.)
Sony isn’t the only one hoping that next-generation console supplies will pick up in the second half of the year either. Mike Spencer, Microsoft’s head of investor relations, recently revealed that the new Xbox consoles will likely see supply constraints through at least June in an interview with The New York Times.
(Pocket-lint) – If you’ve got a medium-to-large size telly and want some extra audio grunt then there are plenty of soundbar or soundbase options to choose from. Many are complex and expensive though.
The JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam, on the other hand, takes a simple approach: it’s an all-in-one box solution – so no fuss with separates or a subwoofer – complete with Dolby Atmos pseudo surround enhancement via MultiBeam technology. It’s reasonably priced, too.
If that kind of all-in-one neatness is exactly what you’re looking for then just how well does the JBL Bar 5 deliver upon its audio-enhancement potential – and can the Dolby Atmos mode truly deliver additional dimensionality from such a speaker arrangement?
Design & Setup
Ports: HDMI In, HDMI Out (HDCP 2.3 compliant, eARC & 4K HDR passthrough), Ethernet, Optical
Connectivity: Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay, Google Chromecast, Amazon Alexa / Google Assistant
Controls: Included physical remote, four-button top-of-‘bar panel
Dimensions: 705 x 100 x 58mm / Weight: 2.8kgs
Much of the JBL Bar 5.0’s appeal is that it’s an all-in-one solution. Pull the ‘bar out of the packaging, plug it in using the included fig-8 power cable and then you’ve got various options on how to plug-in your A/V devices.
Pocket-lint
With both an HDMI input and HDMI output, supporting eARC (enhanced Audio Return Channel), you can use a single cable solution from ‘bar to TV and it’ll deliver your other audio sources with ease.
Our setup, for example, has a PlayStation 5 plugged into the TV’s HDMI 1 (as it’s 4K/HDR compliant), the JBL Bar 5.0 plugged into the TV’s HDMI 2 (as it’s the eARC appointed slot; thus our BT TV box is plugged into the soundbar’s HDMI In to passthrough to the telly via its HDMI Out), with Nintendo Switch and Chromecast sitting in the TV’s HDMI 3 and 4 (as neither of those sources/ports can handle 4K).
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The JBL Bar 5.0 supports HDCP 2.3, which is the latest High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection protocol – i.e. the method that permits it to pass protected content signals from a variety of sources. That’ll ensure no issue with your Blu-ray player, games console, streaming box, PVR, and so forth. Whatever you plug in, it’s going to work, and it’ll auto-switch to the correct source too.
All those cables connected and the JBL Bar 5.0 sits tidily atop our A/V cabinet setup. The ‘bar measures just shy of 60mm tall, making it a near perfect fit under the stand of our 55-inch Panasonic 4K FZ800 OLED TV. It’s 700mm long, so leaves a spare 260mm either side of the telly in this setup. It’s not a massively long soundbar compared to some out there, which is just the kind of scope we want – nothing too dominating or distracting.
Pocket-lint
Visually the JBL’s build is pretty straightforward: a black enclosure with rounded edges that’s covered entirely by a mesh to the front; up top there’s the same black finish, which isn’t too glossy and therefore saves from TV panel reflections, complete with a built-in four-button control section. We like our soundbars unobtrusive, so this does just the job.
Source is reflected by the small panel hidden behind the mesh to the front left – it’s not an especially large panel, as it has to scroll to display the full information, but as it’s LED based when it’s off it’s well and truly off. Again, that means no unwanted light pollution (we have our PlayStation 5 to take care of that job, sigh) or reflection.
Pocket-lint
In addition to that up-top control section – for volume up/down, source, on/off – there’s also a bundled remote control in the box. It’s a simple remote, which takes 2x AAA batteries (also included) and, frankly, you’ll never really need to use it once you’ve set things up as you like – because your standard remote controls will take over control of volume, settings and source.
What you will need this controller for, however, is adjusting the bass level – there’s five levels to select from – and for calibration. However, neither of these are obvious to access: one is a three-second hold of the ‘TV’ button; the other a five-second hold of the ‘HDMI’ button. Not even the manual explains how to do this (unless the shop-worthy products have an updated quick-start manual).
Pocket-lint
We found the bass level was actually a little too ripe and therefore pushed it down one notch (to 2/5) for best overall balance. Calibration – which sends out signals to measure your setup position and soundwave reflection from nearby surfaces – is also an essential to match the best sound profile to your physical setup. As there’s no on-screen menu system, however, it wouldn’t be able to randomly do this upon first activation as a proper setup is required first.
As we don’t have the TV on in the day, our first use of the JBL Bar 5.0 was as a speaker. It has Bluetooth, Chromecast, AirPlay and plays nice with all kinds of sources, so we’ve been typing away listening to our favourite tunes. And this ‘bar is really musical in its delivery – able to deliver a chunky sound that, if you were in the market for a living room speaker, might entirely change your mind. Just buy the soundbar and you’ve got the double benefit – plus it’s Multi-Room Music compatible if you have other speakers.
Pocket-lint
The JBL Bar 5.0 has, as the name helps define, five main speakers housed within. It’s the “.0” that tells you there’s no separate subwoofer, otherwise it would be a “.1” for the separate bass channel. There are, however, four bass radiators (or “woofers” if you prefer) to pump out ample low-end – which is why there’s a mesh to the top of the soundbar, to release the air.
It’s important to note that the mesh up top has nothing to do with upward-firing speakers, because this ‘bar doesn’t have any. The 5.0 arrangement covers centre, left, right, surround left, surround right – helping to push sound out across a wide soundstage. It does this amply, but lacks a certain amount of verticality – which is perhaps its most noticeable detriment when, as is our case, paired with a 55-inch telly. There’s just a certain lack of height.
Pocket-lint
However, the Dolby Atmos mode does enhance audio. Don’t think of it as insta-surround when you click it on, not if your source is basic stereo (as so often from TV) anyway. It will add roundness, building up greater impact from bass and giving a stronger sense of placement to audio.
Feed the JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam a decent source, however, and you’ll really begin to believe in what Dolby Atmos can do – even from just the five speaker arrangement. Watching Lupin on Netflix and the rain scenes took on a whole other life, pushing around the room and really enhancing the sense of immersion.
That can sometimes go a little awry – far left/right speakers can ping off sounds that reflect a bit too abruptly – but, in general, if you’ve got a 48/50-inch TV it’ll bring real rich enhancement. No, it’s not true surround, it couldn’t be in this arrangement, but it’s decent nonetheless – as it the whole point of MultiBeam technology and why, of course, it’s featured proudly in the product’s full name.
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By Dan Grabham
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There are some minor issues though. The passthrough is rather slow, so it takes a number of seconds for source and signal to kick in. We’ve had rare issues with lip-sync too, which is likely a software issue – eARC carries a mandatory lip-sync provision, so it shouldn’t be an issue – which has been easily fixed with the usual “turn it off, turn it on” solution.
The other point, of course, is that the Bar 5.0 isn’t future expandable. You can’t add a subwoofer later, as this system isn’t designed for that. You can’t add other separates for true rear/vertical enhancement either. Which is perhaps less criticism than simply pointing it out: after all, JBL also makes the Bar 5.1, which comes with a subwoofer, and therefore has all its bases covered (there’s the Bar 9.1 if you want to go all-out too).
Pocket-lint
So while the 50Hz low-end quota of the JBL Bar 5.0 is decent for low-end punch, it can’t distribute this with quite the cinema-going movie-tastic guttural slap of a separate sub. Those pitch-down “wommmms” won’t quite make your furniture vibrate anyway. But they will certainly be a lot tastier than baseline TV audio, that’s for sure.
Verdict
The JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam is a neat all-in-one soundbar solution that delivers sonic grunt, well-balanced musicality, and can passthrough all the necessaries – 4K HDR via eARC (albeit slowly on start-up) – to play nice with any up-to-date A/V setup and add roundness to your TV’s audio.
No, there’s no separates or subwoofer, but that’s half the point of this solution (other options exist within the range to cater if you’d rather splash out). And while it’s not fully, truly surround sound, feed this ‘bar a decent source – namely Dolby Atmos from Netflix – and it does a convincing job of adding extra wideness and immersion to your viewing experience.
If you’re looking to enhance your TV’s audio prospects and don’t own a super-massive screen, this unobtrusive single box solution does a sterling job for an affordable price – with only a few minor hiccups along the way.
Also consider
Polk
Polk Signa S3
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This affordable and effective solution is not only cheaper than the JBL, it comes complete with a separate subwoofer too. It’s not as smart when it comes to pseudo surround though – as there’s no Dolby Atmos certification (but there is Dolby Digital 5.1).
Read our review
Yamaha
Yamaha SR-B20A
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If you want to go cheaper still, then Yamaha’s all-in-one solution – which has the option for a sub to be added later – is a sturdily built box that delivers sturdy audio to boot.
The Philips 558M1RY represents a price breakthrough in the jumbo gaming monitor category. Though it leaves out HDMI 2.1, it brings everything else to the gaming table with 120 Hz, adaptive sync and accurate DCI-P3 and sRGB color. Add in killer HDR and you have a winner for a relatively low price.
For
Good contrast
Color accurate
Bright
Perfect Adaptive-Sync at 120 Hz
Unbeatable audio quality
Against
No HDMI 2.1
No streaming apps
Features and Specifications
Go big or go home. Size matters. The bigger, the better. Whatever your favorite cliché, games are more fun when you play on a big screen. That’s part of the reason the PlayStation 5 (PS5), Xbox Series X and console gaming in general is so popular. It’s not just cost; consoles also make it easier to play on the large TV in the living room, rather than the desk-sized screen sitting in the home office.
But PCs have a huge performance advantage over consoles. You’re not going to hit 144 fps on a console, and you’re definitely not going to find a DisplayPort on a console or TV. For those committed to high-performance and speed in one of the best 4K gaming monitors, the question is how much are you willing to spend on a jumbo monitor?
If around $1,500 is within your budget, the Philips Momentum 558M1RY may be for you. It’s a 55-inch VA monitor specced for up to 1,000 nits brightness, HDR, AMD FreeSync and a 120 Hz refresh rate. If that’s not enough, the 558M1RY includes a high-quality soundbar from Bowers & Wilkins. Yes, that B&W. That’s a premium package at a premium price.
Philips Momentum 558M1RY Specs
Panel Type / Backlight
VA / W-LED, edge array
Screen Size / Aspect Ratio
54.5 inches / 16:9
Max Resolution & Refresh Rate
3840×2160 @ 120 Hz
FreeSync: 48-120 Hz
Native Color Depth & Gamut
10-bit / DCI-P3
DisplayHDR 1000, HDR10
Response Time (GTG)
4ms
Max Brightness
SDR: 750 nits
HDR: 1,200 nits
Contrast
4,000:1
Speakers
B&W 40-watt Ported Soundbar: 2x tweeters, 2x mid, 1x sub
Video Inputs
1x DisplayPort 1.4
3x HDMI 2.0
Audio
3.5mm headphone output
USB 3.2
1x up, 4x down
Power Consumption
53.5w, brightness @ 200 nits
Panel Dimensions WxHxD w/base
48.5 x 32.8 x 12.1 inches (1232 x 833 x 307mm)
Panel Thickness
4 inches (102mm)
Bezel Width
Top/sides: 0.4 inch (10mm)
Bottom: 0.9 inch (22mm)
Weight
58.3 pounds (26.5kg)
Warranty
4 years
We’ve looked at a few jumbo monitors in the past, like the HP Omen X 65 Emperium and the Alienware 55 OLED panel. Both perform admirably but cost a fortune. In terms of jumbo gaming monitors, Philips’ 558M1RY is the least expensive we’ve seen yet.
There’s no question around whether or not the 558M1RY is a TV. There’s no tuner and no smart TV apps. But despite Philips advertising the monitor as offering “new-level console gaming,” there is no HDMI 2.1 to support the new PS5 and Xbox consoles’ fastest frame rates. If you use the monitor with a console you’ll be limited to a 60 Hz refresh rate, unless you drop down to 1440p resolution, where you can reach 120 Hz. For 4K at 120 Hz, you have to use the DisplayPort connection, which, of course, is only found on PCs.
A VA panel promises high native contrast, there’s an extended color gamut and an LED edge-array backlight that Philips promises is good for 750 nits brightness with SDR content and a whopping 1,200 nits with HDR, which surpasses VESA’s highest HDR certification, DisplayHDR 1000, which requires 1,000 nits. The 558M1RY certainly has the tools to produce a stunning 4K image.
Gamers will enjoy the 558M1RY’s seamless AMD FreeSync Premium Pro implementation. Compared to standard FreeSync and FreeSync Premium, FreeSync Premium Pro adds HDR support and low latency in HDR mode. We also got Nvidia G-Sync to run on the scree,n even though it’s not G-Sync Compatible-certified. (To learn how, see our How to Run G-Sync on a FreeSync Monitor tutorial). We verified that both kinds of Adaptive-Sync work over a 48-120 Hz range with or without HDR through DisplayPort 1.4.
Assembly and Accessories on Philips Momentum 558M1RY
You’ll need a friend to help you unbox the Philips Momentum 558M1RY because it arrives fully assembled with stand and soundbar already fixed in place. The package weighs around 65 pounds in total. As with a desktop monitor, you get an IEC power cord plus HDMI, DisplayPort and USB cables. A tiny remote is also included which makes menu navigation a lot easier. If you plan to wall mount, there’s a 200mm VESA pattern in back with four large bolts included in the box.
Philips Momentum 558M1RY Product 360
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It’s hard to appreciate the scale of the Philips Momentum 558M1RY from the photos, because it’s styled just like a standard PC monitor. The first clue that this is an extreme display is the soundbar firmly attached to the panel. These B&W speakers are covered with a burlap-like wool-blend fabric in dark gray. Meanwhile, the base and upright are very solid and stable and offer a tilt adjustment like a desktop display. The generally low-key design makes sense, considering that this will likely sit in a living or family room for all to see. There are no gaming cues in sight — until you activate the 558M1RY’s colorful lighting effect.
The 558M1RY features what Philips calls Ambiglow, a lighting feature across the sides and top of the panel’s backside. It can glow a single color with adjustable brightness or you can set it change according to what’s currently on the screen. That effect adds an interesting motion element you won’t find on any other gaming monitor. It works particularly well if you have a neutral-colored wall behind the screen.
From a side view, the 558M1RY looks chunky with angles and straight lines making up the 558M1RY’s shape. In back, you can see a heat vent across the top and a tiny Philips logo. The small dots around the perimeter are the Ambiglow LEDs. On the soundbar, you can see a port on one side that extends the bass lower.
Perfect for a living room, the 558M1RY even comes with a 6-inch-long wand-shaped remote that easily controls all monitor functions. You get a power toggle, plus mute, input and menu up top. After the four-way nav pad is picture mode and return. Two rockers at the bottom adjust brightness and volume.
The input panel is up under the upright and fairly hard to reach. You get three HDMI 2.0 inputs and a single DisplayPort 1.4. USB is version 3.2 and includes one upstream and four downstream ports. Two of them can charge or power devices when the 558M1RY is off.
OSD Features on Philips Momentum 558M1RY
With 12 logically arranged submenus, the on-screen display (OSD) is exactly like the one found in all the Philips monitors we’ve reviewed. You can access it with a joystick on the back-right side of the panel or the handy remote control.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
First up is Ambiglow, the LED lighting effect. You can set any color to a steady state and adjust its brightness with a slider, or choose a random rotation of colors. The coolest feature is image match, where the colors change with the onscreen content. It sounds gimmicky, but in practice, it added an interesting dimension to both gameplay and video.
A Game Setting menu offers aiming crosshairs, a low input lag mode, which can be left on all the time, and a three-level overdrive. The speediest overdrive settings, Fastest, works well at reducing motion blur without leaving ghosting artifacts.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Most of the image controls are in the Picture menu, where you get brightness and contrast, along with sharpness and color saturation. At the top, SmartImage offers 7 different picture modes, which are task-specific. One of the modes focuses on improved screen uniformity. It delivered but reduced contrast in the process. Our sample didn’t need that feature though.
There are also five gamma presets in the Picture menu.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The Color menu offers color temp adjustments by Kelvin value or with RGB sliders. The Philips Momentum 558M1RY measures well out of the box and doesn’t need calibration, but there are slight gains available with a few adjustments. Here also is the sRGB mode, which effectively renders that gamut with decent gamma and grayscale tracking. Color purists will be happy to have this feature available.
Philips Momentum 558M1RY Calibration Settings
The 558M1RY has a native DCI-P3 color gamut that it uses for all content unless you engage the sRGB mode in the Color menu. Since sRGB mode can’t be calibrated, we calibrated the 558M1RY via the User Define color temp and left SmartImage off. With slight changes to the RGB sliders and a switch in gamma from 2.2 to 2.4, we achieved excellent results.
You’ll notice in the table below that we could only turn the backlight down to 105 nits minimum. That’s a bit bright for gaming in a completely dark room, but you can get some relief by turning on Ambiglow and setting it to a dim white.
Here are the calibration settings we used for SDR mode on the 558M1RY:
Picture Mode
Smart Image Off
Brightness 200 nits
54
Brightness 120 nits
12
Minimum
105 nits
Contrast
50
Gamma
2.4
Color Temp User
Red 99, Green 99, Blue 99
When an HDR signal is applied, you get five additional presets. For the brightest presentation, choose DisplayHDR 1000. For the best HDR image, choose Personal.
Gaming and Hands-on with Philips Momentum 558M1RY
Using a 55-inch monitor for workday tasks is a bit unusual, but if you sit around 6 feet away, it works. The Philips Momentum 558M1RY’s stand raises the screen a bit less than 5 inches from the desktop, so to put your viewpoint in the center, you’ll have to raise your chair or use a lower than typical piece of furniture. Unlike a TV, the Philips’ stand has a tilt function of 10 degrees, so there is some flexibility there. The soundbar moves with the panel so its sound is always focused on the user.
With font scaling set to 300%, Windows apps were easy to use from up to 10 feet away. Small text was easily readable, so if you want to sit on the couch and browse the web, the 558M1RY can oblige. Contrast is superb with a nearly 5,000:1 contrast ratio available in SDR mode. We used the extended color gamut for most productivity apps, except Photoshop, where we switched to the sRGB mode.
Movie watching is a pleasure with such a large screen. You can sit close and have a very immersive experience, both visually and sonically. The impact of good audio cannot be overstated either. In the AV world, the most commonly given — and most commonly ignored — advice is to spend twice as much on audio as video. This is hard to do because we all want the largest possible display. But when sound is as good as the B&W soundbar included with the 558M1RY, you’re getting a huge value-add.
With two tweeters, two 10W midranges and a 20W woofer for bass, the Philips Momentum 558M1RY has some of the best built-in sound we’ve ever heard. The full frequency spectrum is represented and only the very deepest bass, below 80 Hz, is a little weak.
For gaming and movies, the soundbar is a huge asset. Not only is the audio crystal clear, but also the sound stage is much wider than the bar’s physical size. Higher partials, like female voices and finely detailed ambient effects, came through in perfect balance with no trace of sibilance or harshness.
Of course, the Philips Momentum 558M1RY is at heart a gaming monitor, and for that, it excels. SDR games, like Tomb Raider, look fantastic when running at 120 frames per second (fps) at 4K resolution with max detail. We paired the monitor with a system running a GeForce RTX 3090. One of the best graphics cards, it has no trouble keeping frame rates high. We also tested the monitor with a Radeon RX 5700 XT-equipped machine. In either case, we got Adaptive-Sync to run perfectly. And in general, response and input lag were low enough not to call attention to themselves.
Contrast was particularly impressive in the dark areas of the game environment where blacks were true and shadow detail was rich. The depth afforded by a quality VA panel like this makes the suspension of disbelief far more palpable.
Color also stood out, thanks to an accurate gamut. We played Tomb Raider in sRGB mode, where it looked great, and with the full DCI-P3 gamut engaged, where it looked even better. Though purists like us prefer to use the mastered color spec whenever possible, there’s no denying the impact of a little more saturation.
Switching to HDR in Windows worked seamlessly, and thanks to the availability of the contrast slider in the HDR Personal mode, we were able to dial down the extreme brightness to make the desktop less fatiguing to look at. With the HDR title Call of Duty: WWII, however, we enjoyed 750-nit highlights that made the picture really pop. It never looked too bright, even in daylight outdoor scenes.
Video processing was also perfect with HDR engaged. 120 Hz and Adaptive-Sync worked flawlessly on both AMD and Nvidia platforms with HDR content.
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