You can find optical ports on a wide variety of devices, ranging from computers, to televisions, to even video game consoles. These ports are highly valuable for enhancing the audio experience of the devices they are connected to, although they are not the most commonly used due to being relatively niche due to what they are meant to connect to. The PlayStation line of consoles has put an optical port on previous consoles, but does the PS5 have an optical port?
If you can’t find the optical port on your PS5, there’s a good reason for that – it is no longer present in the console. No version of the PS5 has the optical port built into it, meaning that you cannot plug an optical cable into it. However, using adapters, you can get around that problem.
But when did Sony stop putting optical ports in their consoles? And will the optical port ever come back?
Does the PS5 have an Optical Port?
As mentioned above, the PS5 does not have an optical port. This means that if you have grown accustomed to using an optical cord to connect your PlayStation console to another device, such as a surround sound system, you will have to find another way to do that with the PS5.
What does an optical port do?
The optical port, also known as the digital audio out port, is used to deliver audio from one device to another, such as a television, computer monitor, or audio system. These ports use a combination of fiber optic cables and laser lights to transmit digital audio between the two devices.
Why doesn’t the PS5 have an optical port anymore?
There are two main reasons why the PS5 no longer has an optical port. The first is because of cost. The optical port is not very often used, as the point of the optical port is to be used for a (relatively) niche of devices. Thus, Sony decided that they should drop it from the PS5. It ultimately saved them a little bit of money on every PS5 sold, justifying it from a business perspective. The other reason why they dropped it, and one that contributed to the first reason, is that optical ports are becoming outdated in this day and age.
As sound systems, such as Dolby True HD, have grown more advanced, so too has the requirement for bandwidth increased. Because of this, newer sound systems have different requirements than old ones, and optical cords just don’t do the trick as well as they used to.
Do TVs still have optical ports?
While the PS5 no longer has an optical port, that does not mean that other devices have begun dropping them as well. You can still find optical ports on modern televisions, even if they are the latest 8K televisions.
What does the optical port look like?
Whether there is an optical port or not on your device, if you don’t even know what it looks like, you are going to have some trouble figuring out where one may be. Thankfully, the optical port has a rather distinct look to it, meaning that if you know what to look for, it’s unlikely that you will mistake it for something else. The optical port has a trapezoid shape, usually found on the back of a device (as is the case with PlayStation devices). The shape may vary somewhat, but the ports are usually pretty uniform.
Are there alternatives to an optical port for the PS5?
While the newer sound systems work through means other than the optical port, and for a good reason, not everyone is necessarily going to have one of these systems. If you have an older surround sound system that still uses an optical port, you may be wondering whether it is possible to plug your PS5 into your surround sound system. By itself, you cannot plug an optical cord into your PS5, which means you cannot connect as you would with early PS4s. However, instead, you can use an adapter that would allow you to still do it.
The only way to connect a PS5 to an audio-playing device would be to use an HDMI, but with an adapter, you can still plug your PS5 into your stereo system, even if there is no HDMI port on the stereo itself. This can be done using an HDMI converter, which allows you to connect the HDMI cord from the PS5 to it, and then connect the optical cord from the stereo to the adapter. You can find one such adapter here, although there are multiple adapters you can find on the market. However, if possible, we do encourage upgrading your stereo if you are able. A better stereo will give you better audio output from your PS5, and will thus enhance the experience even further as a result.
When did PlayStation consoles stop having an optical port?
The loss of an optical port is a relatively new thing for Sony, with the port being present on PlayStation consoles up until 2016. The PS4 originally came with an optical port, but it lost this port with the new revisions – the PS4 Slim and the PS4 Pro.
When did PlayStation consoles get an optical port?
The PS1 itself did not have an optical port, but the next console, the PS2, did. This enabled players to get higher quality audio for their PS2 games than they could on PS1. They then included it with the PS3, and then the PS4, until the PS4 revisions.
Will PlayStation consoles get an optical port in the future?
For people who still want to use their optical cables with their PS5s (or later consoles), the bad news is that it is not likely that they will return the port in future revisions. Considering the port has been absent for six years, we expect that Sony has decided that the optical port is simply not worth the cost of installing it.
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