Dolby Vision for games is now available on Xbox One. Dolby’s patented HDR technology has a new medium now.
Let’s look at the hype around Dolby Vision and why you’ll need it to enjoy in your living room.
Dolby Vision in Games: What is it? Why wasn’t Dolby Vision included in the PS5?
The Dolby Vision HDR system has the potential to improve the gaming experience. It does much more to gaming than it does for video. It brings more structure and consistency to an area of HDR performance.
Dolby Vision allows gamers to enjoy their favorite games while it improves gameplay. It does so by providing brighter highlights, sharper contrast, and more vibrant colors. Color is added to epic worlds such as lush rainforests, desolate war zones, and neon futuristic cities. Dolby Vision can help you see opponents hiding in the shadows. You can find hidden clues by increasing contrast. It gives clarity in both light and dark scenes.
Dolby Vision games automatically map to any Dolby Vision display. You’re always getting the best picture possible because of this. You will no longer need sliders to adjust your image settings.
Dolby Vision is a proprietary format for high dynamic range (HDR) video content developed by Dolby. It’s one of a few formats that allows you to see brighter, vibrant, and punchier images. It takes advantage of this cutting-edge display technology.
HDR is now a standard feature on the majority of new televisions. HDR10 serves as the dominant “baseline” format. HDR video has numerous advantages. Dolby version includes a wider color gamut and improved shadow detail. It offers 10-bit color and eye-catching highlights. It takes advantage of the higher peak brightness on the most recent compatible displays.
The metadata in the HDR instructs the TV on how to render an image, including how bright it should be. Peak brightness in HDR10 is defined as a fixed maximum value for the entire presentation. Dolby Vision improves on this. It defines peak brightness on a per-frame or per-scene basis using dynamic metadata. This gives content creators more control over the image that appears on the screen.
Other advantages
- The maximum peak brightness of 4000 nits (vs. 1000 nits for HDR10).
- Compatibility with 12-bit video sources.
No consumer displays can now exceed 4000 nits or display genuine 12-bit information. The format will be ready for the next generation of TV hardware when it arrives.
Dolby Vision for games aims to bring the benefits of its HDR format to games. There’s more to it than a wider dynamic range and more colors on the screen for gamers. Dolby Vision for games also aims to address the long-standing issue of HDR calibration in games.
Which games are compatible?
Some users have pointed out that this technology can be used system-wide across all games as an HDR pass-through container. It’s unclear whether this is superior to using HDR10 with Microsoft’s Auto-HDR booster.
Games will need to be optimized for Dolby Vision to provide the best effects. Games like Gears 5 and Halo: The Master Chief Collection, as well as indie racer Wreckfest, have already included the technology.
TechRadar says that games that offer native support for the technology have far more remarkable results than those that don’t
Dolby Vision gaming test on the Xbox Series X and S.
Microsoft has launched a Dolby Vision gaming is coming to the Xbox Series X and S for testers in the Xbox Insider “alpha ring.” This HDR format includes enhanced features such as support for dynamic metadata. According to Microsoft, the feature results in “brighter highlights, sharper contrast, and more vibrant colours” in games when played on a Dolby Vision-compatible TV, as well as “better clarity in both light and dark scenes.” Currently, the consoles support HDR via the less advanced HDR10 standard.
Since before the consoles’ release, we’ve known that Microsoft’s current generation of Xboxes would support Dolby’s HDR standard. Dolby announced in September that they would be the “first consoles to support the Dolby Vision HDR format with dynamic metadata for gaming.” Meanwhile, Sony’s PS5 does not currently support Dolby Vision.
In addition to improved picture quality, Microsoft claims that Dolby Vision support will be easier to set up for users. According to the company, “Dolby Vision games automatically map to any display with Dolby Vision, so you’re always seeing the best possible picture available.” “This means… no more sliders to tweak your image settings.” However, it warns that in order to fully utilise the technology, testers may need to update the firmware on their televisions.
Does HDR games support?
All HDR games appeared to be outputting in Dolby Vision during an earlier test of the feature in March, rather than needing to specifically support the upgraded format. However, it is unknown whether or not this will be the case when the feature is officially released. As part of today’s announcement, Microsoft stated that it will share more information about the games that will “fully exploit” the standard “soon.”
To take advantage of the feature, your TV must be Dolby Vision-compatible, which an increasing number of 4K TVs are. However, you should always be cautious and double-check your specifications. For example, Samsung, the world’s largest TV manufacturer, does not support the format.
Microsoft did not provide a timeframe for when the feature will be available to everyone, only stating that it will be available “once we’ve completed testing.”
Does the PlayStation 5 support Dolby Vision? Why wasn’t Dolby Vision included in the PS5?
The main reason for the absence of Dolby Vision in the PS5 was, as always, down to money.
Dolby Vision is a Dolby-developed proprietary technology. Third-party companies, such as Sony, must pay a license fee in order to use Dolby Vision in their products.
The license isn’t too expensive: depending on how many licenses you buy in bulk, it costs around $4.However, when multiplied by millions of units, $4 quickly adds up.
Consider this, If Sony sold 100 million PS5s, and early indications suggest that it may sell far more, Sony would have to pay Dolby $400 million in licensing fees alone.
So it’s hard to blame Sony for rejecting Dolby Vision.
What You Need to Enjoy Dolby Vision
Dolby Vision for games is still in beta testing on the Xbox platform as of this writing in May 2021. Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and S consoles are the only ones that support the format (at present). Sony has yet to announce Dolby Vision support for games on the PlayStation 5. Dolby Vision could theoretically arrive on Sony’s platform via a software update, but there are no plans to do so.
To enjoy Dolby Vision for games, you’ll need a Series X or S console as well as a Dolby Vision-capable TV or monitor. Because Microsoft has yet to announce support for the format in Windows, PC gamers will have to make do with HDR10 and HGIG for the time being.
Teething problems have emerged as Dolby Vision for games becomes more widely available. While the format is theoretically compatible with HDMI 2.1 compliant displays in full 4K resolution at 120Hz, many models (including the most recent LG OLEDs) currently only support 4K at 60Hz. According to Vincent Teoh of HDTVTest, LG is working on a patch for the company’s newer TV models, such as the C1 and G1, that will be available in May 2021. Hopefully, LG will bring that update to older models as well.
Does Dolby Vision support 4K 120Hz?
Dolby Vision delivers Dynamic HDR via the current HDMI 2.0a specification and does not support 4K 120 hz due to the HDMI 2.0a specification, which is why enchanted Dolby Vision supports 4K 60 hz due to the HDMI 2.0a specification.
Dolby Atmos compatible games
The following games are currently Dolby Atmos compatible:
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (including Warzone)
- Call of Duty: Cold War
- Borderlands 3
- Overwatch
- Battlefield 1 (PC)
- Star Wars: Battlefront
- Gears of War 4 (Xbox One X)
- Gears 5
- Crackdown 3 (Xbox One/Xbox One X)
- Star Wars: Battlefront II
- Assassin’s Creed Origins (Xbox One X)
- Final Fantasy XV (Xbox One X)
- Rise Of The Tomb Raider (Xbox One X)
- Super Lucky’s Tale (Xbox One X)
- Mass Effect: Andromeda (PC)
- For Honor
- Forza Horizon 4
- Metro Exodus
- Resident Evil 2
- The Division 2
- Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps
- Tom Clancy’s The Division 2
- Immortals Fenyx Rising
- Microsoft Flight Simulator
- Grounded
- GRID
- Resident Evil 2
- Need for Speed Heat
What about mobile gaming?
There are a variety of mobile phones that support Dolby Atmos via their built-in speakers. Some modern phones also support Dolby Atmos variations designed specifically for mobile gaming. You can usually find these settings under your phone’s sound settings. The following phones currently support Dolby Atmos (but are not limited to):
- Apple iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Max
- Axon 7
- GM 9 Pro
- Lenovo Phab 2
- Lenovo Vibe K5
- Huawei P30
- Nokia 6
- OnePlus 7 Pro, 7T
- Oppo Reno, Reno 2, Reno 2F, Reno 2z
- Realme X, X2, X2 Pro, XT
- Razer Phone
- Samsung Galaxy Note 9, Note 10, Note10 Plus
- Samsung Galaxy S9, S10, S10 Plus, S20
- Sony Xperia 1
- RealMe X, X2 Pro
- Xiaomi Mi Note 10
- Motorola G8 Power
- Nokia 9 Pureview
