4K TVs, gaming, and input lag

[acorn1812]

Hey all, apologies in advance for what is probably a bit of a dumb question:

On a 4K TV, do the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X output *everything* at 4K, even if the game itself is older and/or not optimized for 4K?

I ask because I'm looking to upgrade my old TV to a 4K model, and the RTINGS review of the one I'm most seriously considering lists the following input lags:

- 40.8ms for 1080p @ 60Hz + HDR (not great)
- 24.2ms for 4k @ 60Hz + HDR (generally fine)

If I'm playing all my games on a PS4 Pro or Xbox One X, will I ever be dealing with 40.8ms? Or will everything be output or upscaled to 4K—even if the game is older—thus resulting in input lag of 24.2ms?

 

[Kasper Jorgensen]

Can only speak for Xbox One X, but not all games can run 4K 60Hz, some will only run 30Hz at that resolution. If the games are not updated for the higher resolution the output will be 1080p as far as I know.

 

[acorn1812]

Can only speak for Xbox One X, but not all games can run 4K 60Hz, some will only run 30Hz at that resolution. If the games are not updated for the higher resolution the output will be 1080p as far as I know.

Thanks for your response

I guess my confusion is around what I've read about upscaling. Don't the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X attempt to upscale everything to 4K, even if it's not in the higher resolution? And if that's the case, does that mean even old games will essentially be running with 24.2ms input lag?

Using a game like Just Cause 3 as an example: it's an older game that doesn't have 4K support (and won't be patched to include it). With a PS4 Pro/Xbox One X + 4K TV, is that going to get upscaled and run with 24.2ms input lag, or does it just output at straight 1080p (for 40.8ms input lag)?