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[dcx4610]

I'm primarily a PC gamer but I do have a PS4 and always get consoles for exclusives. One thing that has really changed the landscape for me though is HDR and 4K.

I just recently wrapped up the Last of Us Part II and the HDR did wonders for that game. It really set an atmosphere and tone where I couldn't imagine not playing it without it. It added to much to the experience where it puts me in a conundrum -especially with the upcoming PS5.

A game like Resident Evil 2, I played on PC. The high frame rate and extra settings made it look fantastic but would have HDR elevated it that much more? With the PS5, I would hope that we'd get more 60fps games so 4K + HDR + 60fps is really going to temp me to go with the console version at least for certain games.

I guess the answer is to simply get a HDR monitor but it seems like that space is limited and the technology is not as good as on TVs currently, not to mention the insane prices. Is anyone in a similar mindset and love HDR? I'm hoping HDR will become more prevelant on PC and we get some good monitor choices soon. It's going to be a real struggle in deciding between high frame rate vs. HDR/4K for console going forward.

 

[Spokker]

HDR in movies is a subtle improvement. Dolby Vision helps achieve that glass window effect that's hard to describe, but makes the picture feel more alive.

HDR in games doesn't do it for me. First it relies on HDR10 and second, implementation tends to be subpar. Some games even have fake HDR, per Digital Foundry.

I'd love to see what games look like with Dolby Vision.

 

[Elog]

I am with the OP. The first time I saw a proper HDR implementation on my OLED display, nothing have looked the same on my PC (it looks consistently bland). I believe my first proper HDR game was HZD on a PS4 Pro and nothing on my PC matches that graphical experience despite my PC beating my PS4 Pro with a vengeance (and after HZD there has obviously been a good string of games with proper HDR implementation as well).

 

[lastmessiah]

Am I to understand that PC games don't output HDR? I'm pretty sure if you played them on an HDR TV you would see it...

I agree that monitors aren't there yet though. The whole monitor market is really shitty.

 

[Boss Mog]

Resident Evil 2 looked great on PS4 Pro, ran at 60fps too.

 

[Thugnificient]

Am I to understand that PC games don't output HDR? I'm pretty sure if you played them on an HDR TV you would see it...

I agree that monitors aren't there yet though. The whole monitor market is really shitty.

They do but HDR on monitors tends to be dogshit.

 

[Chromata]

HDR is already prevalent on PC, but monitors that support HDR aren't. The only monitors that support true HDR (aka HDR 1000 certification) are $1500+.

 

[Beer Baelly]

It might be because I have a C8 but I feel HDR is greatly overrated.

 

[LaughingStock]

I can't tell the difference.

 

[skneogaf]

I don't understand the bit about resident evil 2 remake?

I played on steam in both 4k@60fps and 1440p@120fps with hdr10 and dolby atmos on my LG c9.

 

[Aidah]

I have my PC connected to my OLED TV. That way I don't have to sacrifice one thing for another.

You're right though, HDR can be such a huge deal depending on the game.

 

[Gavin Stevens]

In my experience, HDR on gaming monitors is a mine field. In fact I have one of the best monitors about, and it’s HDR is... well let’s put it this way, I leave that shit off, as it’s awful.

TVs you have to pay a fortune for a good HDR implementation. Pc? Same.

 

[ViolentP]

It might be because I have a C8 but I feel HDR is greatly overrated.

Indeed. I have an HDR/4K TV and when I replaced my monitor, I opted for ultrawide gsync without hesitation instead.

 

[nkarafo]

HDR in Resident Evil 2 was crap. The game already has a very washed out look and low contrasts in dark areas. HDR made it even worse for me.

Reshade was the actual improvement for this game.

 

[-Arcadia-]

Am I to understand that PC games don't output HDR? I'm pretty sure if you played them on an HDR TV you would see it...

I agree that monitors aren't there yet though. The whole monitor market is really shitty.

From what I understand, there’s poor support at the software/OS level as well.

Hopefully everyone involved gets their shit together and starts doing it justice. A great HDR presentation is as elevating as 4K itself, and goes hand in hand with it.

 

[diffusionx]

Comfy couch PC gaming gets you HDR, but Windows 10 even after like 5 years of work is still pretty iffy about it. For some games it's worked great for me, for others it was a nightmare to set up and use consistently (like RE7).

 

[MiguelItUp]

I can't tell the difference.

Neither can I. I got a new 4K HDR TV not long ago and watched some of the new Unsolved Mysteries on Netflix that supports HDR. I saw nothing mindblowingly different, lmao.

 

[Shai-Tan]

hdr often doesn't work properly on pc like it does on consoles but I'm guessing they will fix that eventually. it definitely looked better in shadow of the tomb raider but i was fighting it the entire time in Devil May Cry 5, Metro Exodus, etc

 

[Keihart]

HDR in ND's games it's amazing.
HDR in RE2 was alright, not impressive really, it even looks better on DMCV.

It really is up to the developer, i think it's more notorious when the dev has more care in what colors they are showing and when they detail stuff with the whole shade available in that space. I think ND's games might be developed for that color space since the differences are night and day.

 

[dcx4610]

For those saying HDR is subtle, I'm not quite sure you've experienced it properly. If you have a OLED or FALD LCD, it's hard to watch movies or play games without it. The issue is that most TVs that people have will either have software dimming, global dimming or edge dimming. You won't see anything mindblowing with those dimming solutions.

OLED or FALD however, that's when it gets into game changer territory.

 

[Victoria3D]

What the hell does HDR or TVs have to do with console or PC gaming?

I play PC games with HDR on my 4K TV all the time.

You know what’s really a game changer? Getting HDR, native 4K, and 60 FPS all at the same time because you’re smart enough to use that HDMI output port that’s on your graphics card and connect your PC to your TV.

You don’t need some dumbed down proprietary PC that can only output games at 1440p with some weird temporal upscaling and a slideshow frame rate to play games in HDR on a 4K TV. Cut the bullshit and just connect your PC to your TV if you want HDR on the big OLED.

 

[Golgo 13]

HDR is indeed quite nice in the few games that do it well (Horizon Zero Dawn, Doom Eternal to name a few) but I’ll take 144hz and no screen tearing with almost zero input latency (all perks of PC gaming that don’t generally exist on consoles) over HDR alone. With time I believe HDR will become better on PC, at least I hope so.

 

[Golgo 13]

What the hell does HDR or TVs have to do with console or PC gaming?

I play PC games with HDR on my 4K TV all the time.

You know what’s really a game changer? Getting HDR, native 4K, and 60 FPS all at the same time because you’re smart enough to use that HDMI output port that’s on your graphics card and connect your PC to your TV.

You don’t need some dumbed down proprietary PC that can only output games at 1440p with some weird temporal upscaling and a slideshow frame rate to play games in HDR on a 4K TV. Cut the bullshit and just connect your PC to your TV if you want HDR on the big OLED.

This sounds good on paper but it’s not practical for most people — most adults have their desktops in a different room than their expensive TV’s, and lugging a 40LB PC tower room to room and back isn’t feasible for most. It’s the reason this discussion even exists at a fundamental level.

 

[The Hamburglar]

Did it make you question if your father was your real father and not Tyrone?

 

[dcx4610]

This sounds good on paper but it’s not practical for most people — most adults have their desktops in a different room than their expensive TV’s, and lugging a 40LB PC tower room to room and back isn’t feasible for most. It’s the reason this discussion even exists at a fundamental level.

This. A computer experience to me is at a desk with a nice chair and a good quality monitor. I use my computer for way more than games and I've never been into the idea of hooking it to a TV and sitting on a couch. I just hope PC gaming adopts HDR and we get some affordable and quality monitors eventually.

 

[Mister Wolf]

I played RE2 and RE7 on PC with HDR. Its not the developers fault you don't have an HDR display hooked up to your PC.

 

[Spukc]

4K 60? EH
HDR 30? YES PLEASE

 

[Rbk_3]

Indeed. I have an HDR/4K TV and when I replaced my monitor, I opted for ultrawide gsync without hesitation instead.

Neither can I. I got a new 4K HDR TV not long ago and watched some of the new Unsolved Mysteries on Netflix that supports HDR. I saw nothing mindblowingly different, lmao.

What TVs do you have? Most of the TVs marketed as HDR are not actually close to being able to properly display it. To have true HDR you need to have a maximum luminance 1000 cd/m2 or more, along with a black level of less than 0.05 cd/m and wide color gamut (ie LEDS) or a maximum luminance of over 540 cd/m2 and a black level of less than 0.0005 cd/m2 and a wide color gamut (ie OLED).

My guess is you guys don't have actual HDR TVs and have been bamboozled.

 

[Jigga117]

For anyone with an HDR tv especially OLED need to take those computers off your monitor and hook the up for a weekend you not going to go back

 

[Iorv3th]

I played RE2 and RE7 on PC with HDR. Its not the developers fault you don't have an HDR display hooked up to your PC.

No, but it sucks that HDR monitors are shit and we have to hook up to a TV.

 

[YCoCg]

Remember to properly calibrate your TV/monitor HDR modes to get the absolute best out of the games.

 

[TLZ]

I love HDR too OP.

It feels like it brings a picture to life. Going back to SDR makes the picture feel flat for me.

 

[ViolentP]

What TVs do you have? Most of the TVs marketed as HDR are not actually close to being able to properly display it. To have true HDR you need to have a maximum luminance 1000 cd/m2 or more, along with a black level of less than 0.05 cd/m and wide color gamut (ie LEDS) or a maximum luminance of over 540 cd/m2 and a black level of less than 0.0005 cd/m2 and a wide color gamut (ie OLED).

My guess is you guys don't have actual HDR TVs and have been bamboozled.

It’s a Sorny.

 

[pochepiller2]

Battlefield V was great in HDR on my OLED tv

 

[Kuranghi]

HDR doesn't mean the overall contrast of the image will be higher, it will look how they want it to look. The "washed out" look for RE2make is intentional, it also mostly happens in that first hallway you explore, the rest of the game has more deeper black after that. They applied a blue colour grade in that corridor, so its the grade thats raising the black level and making it look washed out.

As others have said, HDR is trash on even $1000+ monitors, you need a FALD LCD or OLED to see it properly, there are only a handful of TV's that will really display HDR as its meant to be shown. If your TV has a real scene brightness of 400 nits in SDR and 500 in HDR, you are barely going to notice the difference. The main issues are lots of people have the backlight maxed out in SDR and turn on dynamic tonemapping which expands the range of an SDR image to use the full capabilities of the set, so then you switch to HDR and its showing a bigger dynamic range but the image isn't actually as bright overall, so it look "crap" for them.

The monitors are shit because they mostly have IPS panels for better response time, which have a crap contrast ratio, so blacks are grey in a dark room.

 

[wordslaughter]

The choice for PC gamers right now is between a large TV for 4k 60fps + HDR ... or a smaller monitor that's high refresh rate 1080p or 1440p and no HDR.

There do exist large 4K PC monitors that do all of the above in one package. I think I saw a 55' 4K 120fps OLED monitor on Linus Tech Tips but it cost $5000.

I'm firmly in the comfy couch camp and HDR is also great when done properly. When done properly there is close to zero performance impact and the game just looks better. I'd like to see an HDR option in ALL games.

You just have to be honest about the kind of gamer you are. Are you hardcore into CS GO or some other competitive twitch shooter? If that's what you spend most of your time playing, then giving up large 4K TVs with HDR in favor of lower resolution but higher refresh rate makes sense.

But if you're a more general kind of gamer then IMO 60fps is enough for completely smooth gameplay in the vast majority of titles. Don't tell me that Kerbal Space Program is so much better at 144fps lol

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

It’s a Sorny.

This means nothing without a model number because chance are you didn't get a real HDR TV just one branded HDR to confuse the masses.

True HDR when done right is a game changer.

Problem is HDR is so hit or miss on a per game basis and too many times its a miss.

 

[Victoria3D]

This sounds good on paper but it’s not practical for most people — most adults have their desktops in a different room than their expensive TV’s, and lugging a 40LB PC tower room to room and back isn’t feasible for most. It’s the reason this discussion even exists at a fundamental level.

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...since when has the location of one’s PC in proximity to their TV ever been an issue?

My PC is in a completely separate room from my TV yet I have no issues with connecting it to my receiver and controlling it with USB based input methods despite being in a completely different room.

There are easy solutions to the physical location problem. It is a non-issue.

 

[ParanoidAndroidz]

I have a 4k tv with hdr and a monitor with 1080p hdr, the monitor tends to look better but I usually turn it off for more competitive games like warzone or mk11, my tv I almost always turn it of, it seems like it was just added for a spec list looks either really washed out or colours are crushed to saturated so I always turn it off. My tv is a tcl 65 4k 425 and I can't remember what my monitor was but cost me less than 300$. Bought both just to have and hopefully upgrade both when the new consoles come out.

 

[ViolentP]

This means nothing without a model number because chance are you didn't get a real HDR TV just one branded HDR to confuse the masses.

True HDR when done right is a game changer.

Problem is HDR is so hit or miss on a per game basis and too many times its a miss.

It was a joke. I have a 65-inch KS8000.

 

[PhillMeCream]

I played it on a c9 and omg it was amazing
But I return it and had gotten a laptop instead imma wait for the 48inch

 

[Pantz]

Consoles for HDR
PC for Ultrawide

 

[captainclutch777]

I am with the OP. The first time I saw a proper HDR implementation on my OLED display, nothing have looked the same on my PC (it looks consistently bland). I believe my first proper HDR game was HZD on a PS4 Pro and nothing on my PC matches that graphical experience despite my PC beating my PS4 Pro with a vengeance (and after HZD there has obviously been a good string of games with proper HDR implementation as well).

100% agree. I just got a LG C9 and playing LOU2 in HDR is insane. It's a completely new experience. Playing Destiny 2 from my PC at 120fps with gsync and HDR on a big TV with zero lag is just mind-blowing. I never understood all the hype about OLED and HDR, but I am a believer now. Can't wait for more HDR and 4k/120hz support. My crappy TN monitor just doesn't compare for me anymore, even if its 1440p and 165hz. I'll be prioritizing color performance going forward with my next monitor purchase.

Also there is just something about how OLED refreshes and displays resolution, it just feels so damn smooth and responsive compared to even my higher hz gaming monitor. I wish there was something smaller than the new LG 48". A 32-34" 4k OLED 120hz would be perfect for PC gaming.

 

[theclaw135]

PC gaming on a couch is for lamers. I need my swiveling chair and a solid mouse surface.

 

[iorek21]

The Witcher 3's HDR on PS4 is a fucking joke, makes me want use Cat potion even during daylight because everything is so dark

Games like GoW, TLOU2 and Spider Man are great with HDR on though

 

[namekuseijin]

sure bud

more, better, pathtraced HDR pixels in the same flat panel is truly revolutionary and more than makes up for dragging gameplay and bad story

 

[rofif]

I just want 27" 4k oled on PC,.. 40 to 60hz freesync is enough for me. I have exact that monitor but ips (lg 27uk650) and I do not care for high hz. 30 or 60 and freesync with 4k is great. If it just was oled...

 

[captainclutch777]

sure bud

more, better, pathtraced HDR pixels in the same flat panel is truly revolutionary and more than makes up for dragging gameplay and bad story

I'd argue that it actually does impact the gameplay. Those dark scenes that are lit by something like flares are just so much more immersive with HDR. I found myself really having a different experience with HDR/OLED compared to my previous displays. Going back to a washed out grey blacks just pulls you out of the game. Good colors and contrast 100% make games more fun IMO.

 

[rofif]

My pc Was 2000usd... My PS4 slim was 200... There are no games on pc that look as good as uc4, gow or Lou2... Lol makes me question everything but steam library is too big.. and I am a PC gamer for over 20 years. I can't stop

 

[Guilty_AI]

It does look great, but i think HDR upsets my eyes. I don't know if its because of the high contrast or something else, but i can't play games on a HDR TV for too long without feeling somewhat sick. It isn't much of a problem with movies though, since i don't have to keep focusing on multiple details.