Audio Video News

The sound of PlayStation 5 is about to get better. Sony has announced that Dolby Atmos support is included in the latest beta software release.

In a blog post, Hideaki Nishino, senior vice president of platform experience for Sony Interactive Entertainment, wrote: “3D Audio powered by Tempest 3D AudioTech can now be enjoyed by those who own compatible Dolby Atmos-enabled HDMI devices such as soundbars, TVs, or home theater systems. Tempest 3D AudioTech specifically renders to the Dolby Atmos audio devices in use — including overhead channels — allowing for even greater levels of immersion in the audioscapes of PS5 games.”

The sequence for turning on Atmos is as follows: Settings > Sound > Audio Output > Audio Format (Priority) then select Dolby Atmos.

Beta access is limited to invited participants in the U.S., Canada, and other countries but Sony says it plans to release the update globally later this year. PS5 owners who were selected to participate in the beta received an email invitation with download details.

A footnote elaborating on the announcement noted that media app providers will be able to update their apps on PS5 to support Dolby Atmos in the future, “giving users another way to experience immersive audio in movies, TV shows, and more,” but that these app updates are not currently supported in the PS5 beta.

Xbox Series S and Series X consoles already support Atmos gaming, and the PS5 supports Atmos for movies via the bitstream pass-through option.

The full blog post, which covers a number of other updates, is here.