Eager High Dynamic Range (HDR) video gamers may be pleased to learn that Microsoft announced Tuesday the Dolby Vision dynamic metadata flavor of the contrast and color expanding technology is now available on its Xbox Series X and Series S consoles.
Furthermore, owners of the latest Xbox consoles will find more than 100 next-generation titles available to take advantage of the luminance adjusting profile now or coming soon.
The announcement was made through a Microsoft blog that also revealed that thousands of classic HDR10 and Auto HDR games will benefit from improved picture quality using the Dolby Vision enhancement on the consoles connected to supporting TVs.
The company said “Xbox Series X|S are the first game consoles to support gaming in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, which enhance gameplay with both full-spectrum visuals and immersive audio.”
The Dolby Vision content is compatible with other next-generation gaming features available the Xbox Series X|S, inluding DirectX Raytracing, Automatic low-latency mode (ALLM), Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), and up to 4K/120FPS.
Looking ahead, Microsoft said Dolby Vision will be coming to new chapters of popular game franchises, such as Halo Infinite, which will see full Dolby Vision enhancements when it launches in December.
As for Dolby Vision enhanced games available now through the latest Xbox consoles are: Ori, Psychonauts 2, Gears 5 and the Will of the Wisps.
Prior to the Dolby Vision gaming ability, Xbox Series X/S owners were previously able enjoy Dolby Vision HDR enhancement in supported movies and programs streamed through supporting OTT services like the Apple TV+ using that service’s app. Unfortunately, the consoles support Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc movies in HDR10 but not Dolby Vision.
Dolby Vision shows available on Apple TV+ include: “Ted Lasso,” “Mythic Quest,” “For All Mankind,” “See,” and “The Mosquito Coast”. These also support Dolby Atmos surround sound.
Dolby Vision is a set of high dynamic range technologies developed by Dolby Laboratories, and involves brightness and color grading in the content creation process, distribution, and playback. The Dolby Vision leverages dynamic metadata luminance instructions to compatible displays to adjust the brightness, color and sharpness according to the grading levels made to each frame of the video to match brightness cues and color volume.
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Microsoft said: “starting today, gamers with compatible Dolby Vision-enabled TVs will be able to enjoy full-spectrum visuals with the rollout of Dolby Vision gaming on Xbox Series X|S. With Dolby Vision, epic worlds – such as lush rainforests or neon futuristic cities – are brought to life in more vivid color. Dolby Vision deepens your immersion into the experience by enabling you to see an enemy hiding in the shadows or spot hidden clues through expanded contrast and better clarity in both bright and dark scenes.”
“To ensure a growing library of games are available, Dolby and Xbox are working together closely with developers to provide the tools they need so their titles can take full advantage of Dolby Vision. They can do this through built-in features within the Xbox platform or they can choose to implement the technology directly into a game’s engine,” the announcement continued.
Microsoft said games in Dolby Vision automatically map to any display that supports Dolby Vision. Furthermore, games that were previously made available in the static metadata HDR10 profile (color and luminance mapped at one set of parameters for an entire game) will get further visual enhancement from Dolby Vision technology when the console is connected to a Dolby Vision-ready monitor or TV set. Microsoft said this will be the case for “thousands of existing HDR10 and Auto HDR games.”
To get the benefit, users will need to enable Dolby Vision through the settings menu on their Xbox Series X|S to have the consoles and enable the television’s next-gen gaming settings for features including automatic low-latency mode (ALLM) or variable refresh rate (VRR) to automatically engage the richer and more immersive experiences that are now possible.
Microsoft said it is working closely with Dolby and TV manufacturers to update firmware support for Dolby Vision capabilities at 120Hz where possible.
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By Greg Tarr
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