PlayStation’s tweet has given us the reminder that HDR exists on the PS5. You really should give it a try if your display supports it. Sounds simple enough, but here is something strange-the reply section is truly a battleground of opinions, frustrations, and sheer confusion.
So what really is buggy about HDR? Supposedly the term HDR should make the games look better, printing the boundaries in colors, and luminance. The shadows should go deeper, and the highlights more bright; one goes out and needs real sunglasses to block out the full glare of the setting sun. But there have been complaints by many gamers that it is not always the case.
HDR is “either way too dark or way too washed out to enjoy any games,” said one person. And really? They are not alone. Following this were these words of a very angry user: “HDR for games is pure snake oil; it utterly CRUSHES colors” in a bad way. Ouch.
Set down the guns now! There are some who firmly stand with HDR. The catch is that it is all depending on a setup. Another account pointed out that there are all kinds of strange implementations of HDR, so again, knowing how to turn HDR on and off is not enough: some games do it very well, others hardly do.
Would that be a good topic to compare TV and monitor? One user mentions that his monitor only supports HDR 400, which is… just not good. HDR is tagged as a feature for high-end displays, but if your screen doesn’t really support it well, you might possibly end up having a worse experience than if you were to simply go with standard settings.
The negatives are also trying not to get the “flashier” colors but get the frames. When will Battlefront II get a 120fps patch on PS5?” asked del_morcilla straight-up. Priorities.
Meanwhile, there are those still trying to get the console working. “I am about to pull the plug on PlayStation after yet another update bricking my PS4,” warned @BoldDaddy1966. Harsh? Well, PCs are an option.
So here’s the whole verdict: HDR can look phenomenal, but it’s not a one-size-fits-all feature. If your display supports HDR and the game implementation is really good, you get to bask in it. If it’s not tho’, better keep to SDR.
PlayStation linked its official guide on setting HDR through the tweet, so go for it if you feel like trying! Just be warned-however-you might go through an hour of tinkering before giving up and setting it back to default.
At the end of the day, HDR is a love-or-hate feature-there really isn’t anything in-between. Is it even worth that much hassle? You decide. But one thing we all can agree on is that more option for customization would be a good thing.
