Anyone who wants to experience their games with the best visual quality should look into HDR gaming,
HDR (or High Dynamic Range) is becoming more common every year and displayed on more TVs and gaming monitors than ever before. It is popular in the movie world, allowing cinephiles to enjoy their favorite movies in high quality, but it is also very beneficial for gamers.
However, it can be difficult to achieve true HDR gaming on a console or even a desktop PC. This can be affected by the screen you use, your gaming hardware, and even the individual game.
To help you figure out the best way to do HDR gaming, keep reading as we’re going to explain everything you need to know.
What is HDR?
HDR stands for High Dynamic Range and refers to the contrast between the brightest and darkest parts of an image.
SDR (or Standard Dynamic Range) is the standard for many displays. It’s more limited than HDR and won’t represent as much contrast or color, making it the less superior option.
HDR helps preserve details in the darkest and brightest parts of an image, with HDR10 being the industry format for most TVs. There are other forms of HDR including HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, which are dynamic forms meaning they use metadata to optimize an image scene by scene.
You can read more about HDR in our dedicated walkthrough, but it essentially helps extend the color and contrast range in an image or game, giving the image more depth and detail overall. This makes it ideal for games as it makes the experience more immersive and potentially more enjoyable for players.
How can I play games in HDR?
If you’re a console gamer who wants to experience their games in HDR, make sure your console supports it.
The first console to ever deliver HDR support for gaming was the Xbox One S. If you’re looking for more recent consoles, both the Xbox Series X and Series S support Auto HDR, allowing games running on SDR to get HDR. . image.
The PS4 also supports HDR video output for gameplay, as well as video streaming. Plus, the next-gen PS5 will support HDR up to 4K at 120Hz from launch.
However, you need to find a TV that supports HDR to activate it. Unfortunately, you’ll find that different TVs perform differently, with price usually being a major factor. This means you can experience better HDR picture quality on some devices, but since there’s no set industry standard, it can be difficult to determine what your money’s worth.
The main way to check if a TV has decent HDR is to look for a sticker labeled Ultra HD Premium. It was developed by a loose federation of tech companies and film studios, such as Netflix and Samsung, and indicates that the device has a good level of HDR. You can refer to our explanation of Ultra HD Premium for more information.
If you’re a PC gamer, it’s a little less obvious. While Windows 10 and Windows 11 both support HDR content, make sure your chosen monitor also supports it. This can be noted by looking at the VESA DisplayHDR logo, which confirms that the monitor’s specifications have been tested by the VESA program, the only global open standard for the software.
You should also check that the PC games you play support HDR, although many of them will have some HDR options in the settings menu. Some games can be set to HDR in Windows, while others can be set to HDR in-game.
Which games are HDR?
While some TVs and consoles can convert SDR content to HDR, it’s ideal if the game itself supports the software.
Again, this depends on the setup you want to play with, although more and more games have HDR support. For the Xbox, titles like Forza Horizon 4, Sea of Thieves, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, DOOM Eternal, and Resident Evi 7: Biohazard support HDR, but the list doesn’t end there.
Looking at the PS4 and PS5, Horizon Zero Dawn, Gran Turismo 7, Marvel’s Spider-Man, The Last of Us Part II, and God of War come with HDR support.
And the number of HDR-supported games is even greater, with older titles like Shadow Warrior 2 boasting high dynamic range, as well as more recent games like Deathloop and Elden Ring.
We recommend doing a little research on your favorite games to make sure it also supports HDR, and while we can’t promise anything, it’s a software that is slowly gaining popularity, with many modern games boasting it as a feature.
Is HDR worth it?
Whether it’s worth upgrading to HDR is a tough one, as it can be a time-consuming and expensive undertaking. However, if you’re interested in playing titles like Elden Ring or Horizon Forbidden West with the best visuals possible, it might be worth splashing out and researching which products support HDR.
If you’re more interested in titles like Stardew Valley or Two Point Campus, where the graphics are placed in the background or purposely scaled down for aesthetics, then you may not want to worry about HDR as it has less of an impact on your game. experience.
However, supported games look significantly better with HDR, and it’s an ideal way to improve visuals without needing a current-generation upgrade.
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