Four years on, Sony finally admits the PS5 is incapable of doing something originally claimed

Years on from its initial release, it looks like Sony has quietly backed away from one of the bolder claims it originally made about the PlayStation 5.

Alongside the logos showcasing the console's compatibility with HDR content and its ability to work with 120Hz 4K displays, the PS5 launched with a box that also featured the 8K logo. However, that is finally no longer the case.

Until now, the badge has been used to signpost that the console was (and still is) technically compatible with 8K televisions and content – two things that are still rare. But, although it technically could output video at 8K, Sony never activated this feature, meaning the console actually cannot do so right now. 

So, perhaps realising that there's no point boasting about a feature that the console is incredibly unlikely to ever receive, Sony has changed the box to longer feature the 8K logo. 

In reality this may have happened a while ago, but it was highlighted by Digital Foundry's John Linneman on X this week when he picked up a new console. 

The timeline is at least relatively recent, though, because there are plenty of examples of the PS5 Slim, which launched in late 2023, with the 8K logo still on the box.

In fact, if you buy from the likes of Amazon or another online retailer, chances are the box will still have 8K on it – it's Sony's own store that is now selling versions without it. 

Even notwithstanding the fact that the feature still isn't activated, there's only ever been a single game released on the PS5 that supports 8K – an indie title called The Touryst. 

Whether boasting about the compatibility helped it get a little sales boost is anyone's guess but, either way, you can't play it in 8K on a PS5 now. Perhaps if the long-rumoured PS5 Pro appears later this year the whole question will resurface, even if 8K TVs remain incredibly rare and prohibitively expensive.