HDMI 2.2 could be announced at CES 2025 – this could be important for next-gen consoles and RTX 50 series GPUs

We already know that CES 2025 will be a big event for TVs, but with the rumored HDMI 2.2 launch, things are getting a lot more interesting.

The HDMI Forum has confirmed in an email that “next generation HDMI” will be announced on January 6 at CES 2025 – all signs point to it being HDMI 2.2, and that it comes with much higher bandwidth, higher resolution and faster refresh rate. Details are pretty thin on the ground, so let’s take a look at what we know and the implications.

Stunningly sharp HDM

So first, let’s look back. Currently we are using HDMI 2.1b, launching in 2023 – supporting resolution up to 10K and bandwidth up to 48 bps. This also allows for a variable refresh rate of up to 144Hz (although most HDMI 2.1 sockets support a maximum of 4K at 120Hz – purely due to the onboard power that would be required to produce a 10K image at that type of crazy speeds).

This is a drastic increase in bandwidth from the 6 Gbps you saw in HDMI 2.0, but it’s still short of the 80 Gbps you see in DisplayPort 2.1. Now I understand that comparing these two is a bit like comparing apples and oranges: one is a standard used primarily on televisions while the other is almost exclusively a computer port.

But with HDMI LA promising “premium options” for TV and movie studios, as well as game developers, I predict that HDMI 2.2’s bandwidth number will come much closer to DP, which could future-proof the norm for a long time. come.

Big news for players

(Image credit: Nvidia)

This is the game I want to focus on here for my hype about it. Leaks and rumors report that this is a big CES for gaming hardware, as the announcement of Nvidia’s RTX 50 GPUs seems certain, and AMD is looking to launch with its own RDNA 3 GPUs (as well than the next-generation Ryzen Z2 for handhelds).

Nothing has been said about HDMI 2.2 coming to gaming PCs or gaming laptops, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we see it, and if we see true native support for 8K gameplay thanks to that.

Yes, I know 8K is technically supported by this cable standard, but we hope that further bandwidth increases along with efficiency improvements and Fixed Rate Lane (FRL) implementations can help the entire industry to progress.

For example, FRL 6 gives you the full 48, while you only get 40 with FRL 5 and 32 with FRL 4. This is all a bit geeky, I know, but the problem I’m pointing out here is that all HDMI 2.1 ports are not. the same thing, and I hope this will be resolved with a single standard clearly labeled 2.2.

Display companies should catch up and believe me when I say it’s going to be expensive to buy one at first (plus the added investment of a new HDMI cable), but it would be a dream come true for pixel observers.

Additionally, it’s worth paying close attention to these specs, as it’s likely you’ll see them on the next generation of consoles as well. No, I’m not talking about the Nintendo Switch 2, but rather the PS6 (or whatever Sony decides to call it) and the next-gen Xbox.