How to Adjust the Screen Size on PlayStation 4

As one of the best-selling consoles in history, millions of consumers own a PlayStation 4 gaming system. What happens, though, if the game you are playing does not optimize the display settings for your TV or monitor?

To adjust the screen size on the Playstation 4, go to the Settings menu, choose Sound and Screen, and change the Display Area settings to fit your screen.

Easy, right? Read on for more information about screen size settings on the PlayStation 4 in addition to other PlayStation consoles and handhelds.

Adjusting the Screen Size on the PlayStation 4

Here are some more detailed instructions to change the screen size on your Playstation 4 gaming console.

Access the Home Screen

To get to the Settings menu, you need to first access the home screen. If you have just switched on your PS4, the home screen will automatically appear once you have logged in.

If you are already playing a game, you can press the PlayStation button in the middle of your controller to easily go to the home screen.

Sound and Screen Settings

Once you have accessed your home screen, you must select the Settings menu (it looks like a miniature toolbox). Inside the Settings menu, you will see Sound and Screen settings.

In the Sound and Screen settings, you have several different options available. There are options to adjust Video Output Settings, Start Screensaver, Display Area Settings, Audio Output Settings, System Music, and Key Tone.

To adjust the screen size, you will want to select the Display Area Settings.

Display Area Settings

After you choose Display Area Settings, you will be greeted with a blue box with white lines in the four corners. Pressing up on the D-pad on your controller will make the screen size larger, while pushing down on your D-pad will make the screen smaller.

Once the display area is perfect for your TV or monitor, press the X button on your controller to accept the changes.

What If Your Display Settings are Still Not Acceptable?

If you have tried to set the display settings in your Playstation 4 but part of the screen is still cut off or the video is too small, then you might need to look through the settings on your television or monitor to see if you can fix it there.

Is Screen Size Based on My TV?

There are a few things that determine the screen size that your PS4 outputs. For most users, the initial setup of the PlayStation 4 will determine the best settings.

Make sure to choose the best video output settings when you are setting up your PS4. That will help the console to make sure games and other applications use the correct display ratio.

For most people, the Playstation 4 should be able to detect your TV, output the correct size, and display resolution automatically without you needing to adjust things in the settings menu.

Can You Adjust the Screen Size on All Playstation Variations?

Sony has released five different PlayStation consoles at this time and two different portable gaming consoles. Can you adjust the screen size on all of those?

PlayStation 1

The original PlayStation console was released in 1994 for the holiday season. Since it has been almost 30 years since the console came out, video outputs have changed drastically.

Games on the PlayStation 1 run at a native resolution of 240p in a 3:4 aspect ratio, the display size of televisions when it was released.

Since things were much simpler then, there is no way to change the screen size of games on the PlayStation 1 console.

PlayStation 2

The new millennium saw a new, much more advanced PlayStation 2 console released. DVD playback was added, as well as more settings for widescreen TVs that were becoming more popular.

On the PS2, you can change your screen size settings to display a 3:4 ratio (the ratio for old TVs) or 16:9 (the widescreen settings for newer HD TVs). Those are your only display options.

PlayStation 3

Six years later, Sony released the PlayStation 3 to much fanfare. HDMI was becoming the standard, and high-definition televisions were the norm.

Similar to the PS4, the PS3 has display settings but with a few fewer options. You can choose the output cable type and resolution, but that is about it.

PSP/PS Vita

If you are connecting a PSP or a PS Vita to a television, then you have some options for display resolution and size for your TV.

There are some times if you are playing a PS1 classic, that you can adjust the display settings to fill the screen better.

Conclusion

Sony is great at giving customers the option to fully customize their settings for the optimal video gaming experience. If you need to adjust the screen settings on your PS4 or just about any of Sony’s gaming consoles, you can adjust screen size options in your display settings.