

Skyrim begs for HDR but, unfortunately for fans, was released years before HDR became available. It’s a minor annoyance, but one you’ll frequently encounter while navigating the game’s multiplayer matchmaking menus. Using HDR led to distracting macroblocking artifacts in this video. Halo: The Master Chief Collection plays pre-rendered video in the game’s menus. Auto HDR is a clear improvement in-game, but the feature had a negative impact on the game’s interface. It better depicts the vivid glow you’ll see when watching a sunrise (or sunset) in real life. The SDR photo looks fine, but Auto HDR brightens and adds color to the clouds immediately surrounding the sunrise without losing detail. There’s a noticeable increase in color and brightness in the sunrise. Auto HDR is better, but I could take it or leave it. Still, the overall improvement is just ok. I appreciate the added dazzle of spell effects which, on a good HDR monitor like the Samsung Odyssey G9 Neo, offer eye-searing results. My feelings on Auto HDR in Final Fantasy XIV are mixed. Those with a brighter presentation, like the map, could appear overly bright when opened in an otherwise dark environment. Final Fantasy XIV, like most MMORPGs, has a lot of menus. Spell effects looked more defined and impactful.Īuto HDR’s issues with loading screens and menus remain.

Spells cast by my White Mage appeared to peak at a higher maximum luminance. I also noticed spell effects had more punch with Auto HDR turned on. Dark areas appear darker and brighter areas brighter, yet both retain detail. Finally, I think Auto HDR shows slightly more contrast overall. The street lights also appear less blown out. Look closely, though, and you may notice the Aether crystal, surrounded by a blue glow, shows more detail with Auto HDR. It’s clear that Auto HDR doesn’t entirely change the game’s look even in this high-contrast scene.
