While both the Series X|S and PlayStation 5 support Dolby Vision, neither system has offered the high-end HDR technology for gaming…until now. Today, Microsoft is releasing Dolby Vision gaming for both the Series X and Series S, launching with over 100 titles either ready to go or coming soon. This is in addition to the thousands of classic HDR10 and Auto HDR games that are already on the market, all of which will be seeing improved picture quality with Dolby Vision. How can you get this and what does it mean for the next generation of gaming? Let’s take a closer look.
What is Dolby Vision and why does it matter in gaming?
We’ve already gone in-depth as to what Dolby Vision is previously, but as a quick overview, it’s a high dynamic range (HDR) technology. This allows filmmakers and game developers to have areas of the screen that are both bright and dark at the same time without losing fidelity. Dolby Vision separates itself from other HDR formats as being a frame-by-frame technology, instead of scene-by-scene. This means that each and every frame can have different brightness levels than the last. This more dynamic approach creates a better look overall.
This really matters in gaming because many titles feature extremely dark shadows and bright highlights, like the sky, simultaneously. The dynamic metadata that comes with Dolby Vision allows the brightness to be adjusted with each frame to more accurately reproduce different brightness levels. Before now, games were stuck with the more limited HDR10 standard. Having access to Dolby Vision in gaming on consoles means that more and more titles can become immersive like never before.
Dolby Vision won’t just help new titles, but will also offer an “improved visual experience [on] thousands of classic games”
Dolby Vision is a technology based around newer titles for sure, but that’s not where it ends. Microsoft set out for Dolby Vision to ensure that previous generation titles that currently have traditional HDR10 or Auto HDR features would benefit too. The consoles will automatically enhance your existing games to deliver a “rich, immersive experience” that’s “unrivaled by any other game console.”
9to5Toy’s take
It’s awesome to see Microsoft pushing gaming further with the Xbox Series X|S, now that they’re the first consoles to have Dolby Vision. It’s something that should be coming to Sony’s console at some point, but we’re not sure when or if it’ll actually happen. While Dolby Vision has been available on PCs, most traditional monitors don’t have Dolby Vision support. In contrast, many modern TVs support Dolby Vision, so there’s a good chance console gamers can take advantage of this technology without having to replace anything, and that’s a win for everyone.
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