The X80J is a new entry level television model released by Sony in 2021. So, how capable is this 4K LED TV when it comes to playing games on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and other gaming consoles?
You can find out with this guide from Seeking Tech.
Quick Summary
The Sony X80J is not a good television set for the new PlayStation and Xbox consoles due to the lack of support for HDMI 2.1, Variable Refresh Rate and 120 frames per second.
While this TV is compatible with the HDR10 and Dolby Vision formats, it has below average HDR brightness levels. As a result, you won’t take full advantage of playing games in HDR.
With that said, the X80J does have great input lag reduction when you use its game mode setting.
X80J Screen Sizes
You can take a look at the available screen sizes for the X80J below:
- 43″ (KD-43X80J)
- 50″ (KD-50X80J)
- 55″ (KD-55X80J)
- 65″ (KD-65X80J)
- 75″ (KD-75X80J)
Does the X80J have any HDMI 2.1 ports?
The Sony X80J does not come with any HDMI 2.1 ports. Instead, the television set includes four HDMI 2.0 ports.
Without HDMI 2.1, you won’t be able to play videogames at 120 frames per second in 4K. However, you can still play games at 60 frames per second in 4K or 60 frames per second in 1080p with this TV model.
You won’t be able to play games at 120 frames per second in 1080p with the X80J as the maximum refresh rate for this TV is 60 Hz.
Legacy Consoles Support
The X80J includes a composite input although you need to purchase a adapter in order to connect older consoles like the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Nintendo 64, GameCube, Wii, Sega Saturn, Sega Dreamcast and Xbox.
This budget TV does come with a cable antenna tuner, which can be used to connect much older systems such as the NES, Super NES and Sega Genesis.
X80J HDR Features
When it comes to HDR, the X80J support Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG and Wide Color Gamut. This entry level Sony television does not support HDR10+.
HDR10 is a common HDR format that is used by the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4 Pro, PlayStation 5, Xbox One S, Xbox One X, Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X.
The Xbox Series consoles also support the Dolby Vision format.
X80J’s HDR Brightness in Game Mode
The Sony X80J has below average HDR brightness levels when you use its game mode setting.
For HDR to really begin to stand out, we recommend getting a television set that is capable of displaying a minimum of 500 nits.
According to tests done by RTINGS.com, the X80J failed to get anywhere close that the aforementioned minimum threshold as it can only achieve 369 nits at Real Scene Highlight.
You can find the HDR brightness test results below (via RTINGS):
- HDR Real Scene Highlight: 369 nits
- HDR Peak 2% Window: 328 nits
- HDR Peak 10% Window: 405 nits
- HDR Peak 25% Window: 406 nits
- HDR Peak 50% Window: 406 nits
- HDR Peak 100% Window: 406 nits
- HDR Sustained 2% Window: 328 nits
- HDR Sustained 10% Window: 405 nits
- HDR Sustained 25% Window: 405 nits
- HDR Sustained 50% Window: 405 nits
- HDR Sustained 100% Window: 405 nits
- HDR ABL: 0.014
Adaptive Sync Support
The Sony X80J does not support any of the FreeSync, GSYNC or Variable Refresh Rate modes.
These adaptive sync features are designed to make games run smoother and remove any screen tearing.
Variable Refresh Rate is currently supported by the Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X. This feature is also expected to be added to the PlayStation 5 in the future.
X80J’s Input Lag
The Sony X80J does provide extremely low input lag when you used its game mode.
We recommend getting a television set with 30 ms of latency at most if you want a relatively lag-free experience when playing a videogame.
According to tests conducted by RTINGS, the X80J managed to be comfortably below that upper limit when game mode is enabled.
With the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, you will play most games at 4K, 60 frames per second and HDR.
With the Xbox Series S, you will mostly be playing at 1080p resolution and 60 Hz refresh rate.
You can take a look at the input lag test results for the Sony 4K television set below (via RTINGS):
- 1080p resolution and 60 Hz refresh rate (Game Mode Enabled): 11.8 ms
- 1440p resolution and 60 Hz refresh rate (Game Mode Enabled): 11.6 ms
- 4K resolution and 60 Hz refresh rate (Game Mode Enabled): 11.6 ms
- 4K resolution and 60 Hz refresh rate + 10 bit HDR (Game Mode Enabled): 11.4 ms
- 4K resolution and 60 Hz at 4:4:4: 11.4 ms
- 1080p resolution and 60 Hz refresh rate (Game Mode Disabled): 132.6 ms
- 4K resolution and 60 Hz refresh rate (Game Mode Disabled): 132.7 ms
- 4K resolution and 60 Hz refresh rate With Interpolation: 132.7 ms
Is the X80J good for PS5, Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X?
The X80J is not the best television set for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X due to the lack of support for HDMI 2.1, 120 frames per second and Variable Refresh Rate.
Not to mention that this Sony TV is also quite poor when it comes to displaying HDR brightness levels.
Is the X80J good for Switch, PS4, PS4 Pro, Xbox One, Xbox One S and Xbox One X?
The Sony X80J does have low input lag when you used its game mode. Thus, it is perfectly suitable for older consoles that use the HDMI input, which include the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii U, Switch, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
However, the X80J’s poor HDR brightness levels mean that it will display HDR poorly on HDR-supported games running on the PS4, PS4 Pro, Xbox One S and Xbox One X.