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Hot Take: RDR2 HDR Looks Incredible

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BackBackPunch

Member
When RDR2 launched, I had tried playing in HDR on my old TV, and it looked horrible.

Recently, I got a new TV (Samsung QN90A) and decided to replay the game on the PS5. I set the HDR mode to "game" in RDR2's display settings, and set the correct peak luminance for my TV, and WOW. It looks so good. Stunning, really. It's actually some of the best HDR I've seen in a game yet, and feels like I'm looking through a window into a real world.

Maybe this is just a game that needs a very high peak luminance for the HDR to sing? Granted, I've spent a lot of time making sure that everything is calibrated correctly on the TV and PS5 side. :messenger_open_mouth:
 
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KyoZz

KyoZz

Tag, you're it.
brb-using-my-imagination.gif
 
sloppyjoe_gamer

sloppyjoe_gamer

Gold Member
Fuck.....now you got me thinking.....i never played through this, mainly because the HDR was toilet trash back then and made everything washed out and ugly. Can anyone confirm its fixed? I may come back to this now if so, since id be playing on PS5 now and hopefully have faster loadtimes too
 
nightmare-slain

nightmare-slain

Gold Member
RDR2 is one of the best looking games of last gen. i was impressed how good it looked on the standard PS4. so yeah if the HDR is implemented properly and you have a TV capable of proper HDR then of course it's going to look amazing.
 
B

BackBackPunch

Member
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Lucifers Beard

Lucifers Beard

Member
RDR2 is one of the best looking games ever. I’d even say that it’s arguably the best looking game still 4 years later.

I’ve got my problems with the game but there’s no denying that it looks incredible, especially on a high spec PC.
 
D

Deleted member 1159

Unconfirmed Member
Still boggles my mind they can’t just unlock the framerate on PS5…
 
Spyxos

Spyxos

Member
serialcarpens said:
When RDR2 launched, I had tried playing in HDR on my old TV, and it looked horrible.

Recently, I got a new TV (Samsung QN90A) and decided to replay the game on the PS5. I set the HDR mode to "game" in RDR2's display settings, and set the correct peak luminance for my TV, and WOW. It looks so good. Stunning, really. It's actually some of the best HDR I've seen in a game yet, and feels like I'm looking through a window into a real world.

Maybe this is just a game that needs a very high peak luminance for the HDR to sing? Granted, I've spent a lot of time making sure that everything is calibrated correctly on the TV and PS5 side. :messenger_open_mouth:
Click to expand...
It is the only game where i turn HDR off because it is so ugly and just play in SDR. Maybe you have some kind of filter on?
 
Spyxos

Spyxos

Member
Just tried it out on my Series X. Still broken. You have probably just activated Vivid filter or something similar.
 
B

BackBackPunch

Member
Spyxos said:
Just tried it out on my Series X. Still broken. You have probably just activated Vivid filter or something similar.
Click to expand...

Nope, all of the image enhancements are turned off.

What TV do you have? Did you set RDR2 HDR mode to "game" setting?
 
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Venuspower

Venuspower

Member
I strongly recommend you try a few games that have really good HDR. Red Dead Redemption II is one of the games with the worst HDR implementations - even in the "Game HDR Profile".

Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart and Spiderman + Miles Morales are some examples with good HDR.
 
B

BackBackPunch

Member
Spyxos said:
2020 Qled 70a
Click to expand...
Yeah, see, my TV is 3 times brighter than yours, peak. That one is actually not great for HDR, so Im not surprised.

HDR really needs MINIMUM 1000 nits to look decent (with good deep blacks, as well), and the more the better (exponentially)

Venuspower said:
I strongly recommend you try a few games that have really good HDR. Red Dead Redemption II is one of the games with the worst HDR implementations - even in the "Game HDR Profile".

Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart and Spiderman + Miles Morales are some examples with good HDR.
Click to expand...

I have Ratchet. It is definitely better, but.... RDR2 still looks great. :D
 
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Spyxos

Spyxos

Member
serialcarpens said:
Yeah, see, my TV is 3 times brighter than yours, peak. That one is actually not great for HDR, so Im not surprised.



I have Ratchet. It is definitely better, but.... RDR2 still looks great. :D
Click to expand...
It is great for HDR gaming and Rdr2 is the only game that looks bad in HDR. I have seen brighter HDR screens sure they look better but they are not so special.
 
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B

BackBackPunch

Member
Spyxos said:
It is great for HDR gaming and Rdr2 is the only game that looks bad in HDR. I have seen brighter HDR screens sure they look better but they are not so special.
Click to expand...

https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/samsung/q70-q70a-qled
6.9 out of 10.
The HDR brightness in Game Mode is okay. Most highlights are slightly brighter than outside of Game Mode, except for small highlights, which are dim due to frame dimming. This means that small, specular highlights in games don't pop. Also, the EOTF in Game Mode is much worse than outside of Game Mode, so the entire image appears darker than intended.
Click to expand...

560 cd/m² is not great for HDR. This is why I bought a new TV. My old one claimed to be "HDR" but was not nearly bright enough.
 
B

BackBackPunch

Member
R6Rider said:
This is not true. HDR needs around 700 nits minimum.

Even then, the issue with RDR2's HDR isn't the brightness.
Click to expand...

It's true, but people lower their standards due to marketing from TV manufacturers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-dynamic-range_television
In practice, HDR is not always used at its limits. HDR contents are often limited to a peak brightness of 1,000 or 4,000 nits and P3-D65 colors, even if they are stored in formats capable of more.[10][11] Content creators can choose to what extent they make use of HDR capabilities. They can constrain themselves to the limits of SDR even if the content is delivered in an HDR format.[12]
Click to expand...

And yes, if your TV isnt bright enough, certain games will look horrible in HDR mode. Riders Republic is another that looks like crap on a lower spec HDR tv.
 
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Spyxos

Spyxos

Member
serialcarpens said:
https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/samsung/q70-q70a-qled


560 cd/m² is not great for HDR. This is why I bought a new TV. My old one claimed to be "HDR" but was not nearly bright enough.
Click to expand...

serialcarpens said:
https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/samsung/q70-q70a-qled


560 cd/m² is not great for HDR. This is why I bought a new TV. My old one claimed to be "HDR" but was not nearly bright enough.
Click to expand...
It doesn't change anything with the bad rdr2 HDR. All other games look good. And my TV has 7.8 points in HDR gaming.
 
B

BackBackPunch

Member
Spyxos said:
It doesn't change anything with the bad rdr2 HDR. All other games look good. And my TV has 7.8 points in HDR gaming.
Click to expand...

The 7.8 is when they adjust it for "value," not for the actual performance.

Some games will look OK. Some will look bad. If you want them all to look good, that TV won't deliver. But I'm glad youre happy with it at least
 
R6Rider

R6Rider

Gold Member
serialcarpens said:
It's true, but people lower their standards due to marketing from TV manufacturers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-dynamic-range_television


And yes, if your TV isnt bright enough, certain games will look horrible in HDR mode. Riders Republic is another that looks like crap on a lower spec HDR tv.
Click to expand...
You're mistaking peak brightness within the actual brightness range recommended for HDR. 1000 nits is typical the minimum nits for peak brightness. Meaning if your TV can hit 1000nits as its peak then it's fine for HDR.
 
Spyxos

Spyxos

Member
Dude, I don't know why you just try to shit on my TV. It is fine. Just accept that rdr2 HDR was, is and probably will be broken. Maybe you like that washed out look others don't.
 
timmyp53

timmyp53

Member
I guess it's a hot take because yes hdr is still broken in this game. You probably just like the way it looks.
 
zeroluck

zeroluck

Member
RDR2 HDR looks very good on my 1200 nits(fullscreen) mini-led monitor, looks like shit on my OLED with ABL and overexposure. The sun in the game can get up to 5000 nits.
 
B

BackBackPunch

Member
Spyxos said:
Dude, I don't know why you just try to shit on my TV. It is fine. Just accept that rdr2 HDR was, is and probably will be broken. Maybe you like that washed out look others don't.
Click to expand...
RDR2 HDR is objectively NOT broken anymore. Unless you think DigitalFoundry are liars and have no clue what they're doing.
 
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