These days, keeping up with the latest and greatest video game hardware is not cheap. PlayStation 5 launched at a minimum price point of $399.99 for an all-digital edition. In the past, console prices have fallen over time. But the current generation of console gaming is an anomaly thanks to the strained economy and global DRAM shortage. In 2025, the all-digital base console rose to a retail price of $499.99. Earlier this year, another price increase took effect, and now the lowest retail price of a PS5 console is a whopping $599.99, $200 over the console’s launch price in 2020. So, there’s absolutely a hefty price tag that comes with being a modern gaming fan.

Your PS5 is a valuable piece of hardware, which means you should do everything that you can to extract as much value from it as possible. Those hard-earned dollars should grant you the best possible experience. So, it behooves PS5 owners to ensure they’re maximizing the potential output of their PS5 from both a visual and audio perspective. With console gaming increasingly becoming a premium luxury item, chances are that many PS5 owners also have 4K TVs and enhanced audio systems. If that is the case, be sure to adjust your settings accordingly.

Double-check your HDR settings

Believe it or not, many people miss these optimization settings

This is one option many often overlook, assuming that the console will properly calibrate. While the console has you do this out of the box, it’s actually better to adjust HDR after you’ve spent some time with the console. In the HDR settings, you can adjust the calibration at any time, and I highly recommend you consider doing so. Simply find your way to the settings menu and select “Screen and Video” and then “Video Output.” You can find HDR settings under this menu. Regarding the HDR toggle, you can select to keep this “always on” or to have it “on when supported.” I actually recommend the latter. When always on, the console converts unsupported games to HDR. But in my experience, this artificial adjustment to SDR titles dampens the intended visuals for those games. You’ll get a more authentic experience based on the developer’s vision.

If your TV or display supports HGiG (HDR Gaming Interest Group), you should toggle this setting on. Many modern TVs, especially OLED, have an HGiG setting that can be enabled. Many TVs typically provide tone mapping during movies or shows to set an accurate and digestible brightness. The PS5 naturally handles the tone mapping, and if HGiG isn’t enabled, your TV is trying to provide extra mapping on top of what the PS5 is already doing, which could impact the dimming and brightness accuracy. In fact, if you have an HGiG option, toggle this on before you go into your PS5 to adjust the calibration of the HDR as detailed above.

Adjust 120Hz and VRR appropriately

These settings can offer a smoother gameplay experience if your TV is compatible

In the same menu (Screen and Video), there are adjustments for 120Hz and VRR. Let’s start with 120Hz. If your TV supports 120Hz playback, you should absolutely take advantage of this option. If your TV is 120Hz, you can experience a faster refresh rate. Many OLED models are 120Hz. If you’re unsure, check online sources available for your model. For those unfamiliar, this is the rate at which your TV is capable of refreshing the picture. A faster refresh rate coupled with higher frame rates produces a buttery smooth picture in motion. Many standard models come with a 60Hz output.

VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) couples your current gaming experience (frame rate) with your TV’s refresh rate. It essentially ensures these two items remain in sync and helps to avoid issues like screen tearing. Make sure these settings are toggled to automatic.

Configure audio for your specific setup

Good audio is half the experience

The setting that I want to point out here is the PS5’s 3D audio capabilities. This is an excellent setting that caters 3D audio output specifically to your entertainment space and your distance from your audio sources. There’s a calibration module that can provide you with the instructions for setting this up. Whether you have a soundbar or other external speakers, this is a feature worth exploring. If you have a headset with 3D audio capabilities, you can also enable that feature here. Of course, be sure to review the other options under “Audio Output” to verify that you have the optimal settings in place. For instance, make sure that Audio Format (Priority) is set to the option that best suits your audio devices (Linear PCM, Dolby, and DTS).

Gaming Presets

You can adjust in-game preferences automatically

Until recently, I had no idea that this option even existed. I suppose I just never explored the menus completely. Under settings, you can actually adjust specific gaming presets to lock in certain preferences right out of the gate when playing games. For instance, if you prefer inverted controls when playing first-person games, you can set that preference as a preset. The same goes for third-person games. You can even adjust your preferred difficulty levels here so you don’t have to mess with the in-game options. Subtitles, audio, and performance mode versus resolution mode are also potential presets that can be made. Don’t sleep on this option, as I did. It can save you some time and make gaming easier in the long run.

While there are many ways to tweak your console, display, or audio equipment to get the most out of the experience, these are a few that might slip past people. But you should consider running through your full settings menus and exploring all of your options. You never know what you might be missing under the hood.