Xbox Series X is so smart it will be able to add HDR effects to game that didn't originally ship with them, it has been revealed.
Eurogamer's Digital Foundry visited Microsoft's HQ and was shown a demo of Halo 5 – a game that never shipped with support for the feature – with HDR turned on. It apparently went a long way to illustrating what 'machine-learning' HDR can produce.
That was just one extreme – a game from four years ago – but Digital Foundry was also shown the other extreme – the OG Xbox title Fusion Frenzy, a game that is almost 20 years ago, running with HDR enabled. It's safe to say that jaws were dropped.
The algorithm in question is based on Gears 5’s own HDR tech, and uses heat mapping to see which parts of an SDR image would benefit from HDR. Unlike existing methods of 'fake' HDR, this approach boosts the peak brightness of all on-screen elements, reaching up to 1,000 nits at the most bright.
Microsoft's Claude Marais reveals that, in theory, there's no reason why this couldn't be applied to all non-HDR games played on the console:
It can be applied to all games theoretically, technically, I guess we’re still working through user experiences and things like that but this is a technical demo.
What do you make of this new feature? Let us know with a comment.
[source eurogamer.net]
Comments 4
The ability to add hdr to original xbox games is really cool. Will be interesting to see how it actually looks when trying it out in person
@SuperNintendoMii I had to comment even if just to get these 2 avatars next to each other.
But yes I'm very excited for how this can enhance old games particularly with HDR
What has me most worried about this generation of gaming coming up is just how much focus is being put on the graphics. But for me, graphics are pretty far down on the list of importance for games.
1. Gameplay
2. Story
3. Replayability
4. Graphics
I don't care if a game is the most visually stunning thing ever created if it lacks 1-3.
And with so much going into the graphics, games are getting to be ridiculous sizes! 80-120GB for a single game? The idea of a 1TB HD not being big enough for a measly 10 games is nuts! Especially as more and more games trend toward digital and installation.
I honestly cant wrap my head around this viewpoint. The story has literally as much to do with the console itself as a films plot has to do with the blu ray player your watching it on. Number 2 gameplay now gameplay innovations are what new gens are all about. Ok so the more photorealistic the graphics become the easier it is to become totally immerssed into the world and game. I have a One X and 4 year old gaming PC. Some games look so good already on my One X I have to just stop and stare sometimes. However Phil spencer has said multiple times that yes graphics will get a big boost but he is more interested in how the game feels. In other words smooth responsive gameplay. My one X has the excellent 4K HDR image with Dolby Atmos Hi Do 7.2.4 setup with overhead speakers. Audio adds a whole other layer of immersion onto the graphics. But if i want those high frame rates i have to jump on my pc. The Series X takes out all compromises. And as for the games thing have we not seen enough console gens to know we are way to early in the marketing push to realistically have them blow their whole load ( obviously this would be next gen game footage). They have to be super confident in their lineup to show off so much of the console already. I mean its the quantum leap of CPU power married to the GDDR6 Ram and SSD that are going to deliver entire new gameplay experiences not possible before. Having insanely realistic graphics and audio are the icing on the cake and even if only subconsciously add immensely to the expiernce. Otherwise why even have another console generation?
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