Overwatch (PC) HDR Analysis

[KoKlusz]

Technical Info:

• Custom Engine
• HDR available in the windowed mode
• Ignores peak brightness from EDID/OS calibration
• No apparent sRGB/G2.2 EOTF mismatch in HDR

HDR Settings:

HDR Calibration 1/2 - peak brightness, no values provided

The game seems to have a fixed 2x peak brightness to exposure/screen brightness ratio, with defaults being at 400 nits peak and around 200 nits of screen brightness. Increasing or decreasing peak brightness always lowers the overall brightness as well. The minimum value is 100 nits, the maximum value is 1600 nits, and every step on the slider is 10 nits.

HDR Calibration 2/2 - black point, no values provided

The default value is 0.00 nits. The minimum is 0.00 nits, and the maximum is 0.26 nits.

Review:

I guess the implementation could be described as "pragmatic". It's an online shooter, so visibility is crucial, which might be the reason why HDR here is designed to never get in the way.

It doesn't really have much in terms of "pop", but the highlights and colors do get a small boost, which does not go unappreciated by me. The internal gamma seems fairly high, so the game shouldn't look any more washed out than in correctly set up SDR.

It's completely fine, really. Not gonna convert anyone, but I see no reason why not to use it if you have the means.

Comparisons

Warning

In order to view them correctly on Windows, you must use a Chromium browser with Windows HDR enabled and the brightness slider set to the value of 31

SDR Defaults (203 nits, Gamma 2.4)
HDR Defaults