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The Witness HDR/Pro patch is out and holy freaking crap the HDR mode is INCREDIBLE.

C

chubigans

y'all should be ashamed
hRirz43.jpg


So I thought the HDR in Ratchet & Clank was excellent, and Uncharted 4 had a nice upgrade, but then I tried the Witness, which just had the HDR patch release today for PS4/PS4 Pro.

Holy SHIT is what I kept saying as I walked around the island. Maybe 20 times or so in the last five minutes.

Some of the colors and sheer brightness is so crazy that I almost have to squint. The red water/watercolor lake near the mountain is beautiful. The orange autumn forest is insane. Every color pops with such an intense vibrancy that I've never quite seen anything like it. It is amazing. Holy crap. HOLY CRAP. I find myself exploring just to see what something looks like.

I'm using a Vizio P 2016. If you have an HDR TV, you owe it to yourself to buy this game and just see what HDR can really do. Hoo boy. Pro upgrade is nice but 1440p/60 is way better than the 4k/30 mode for sure.

Every game/movie/everything needs HDR support immediately.
 
F

farisr

Member
Nice. I thought this was just going to be resolution improvements like watch dogs and cod rather than hdr. I kid you not, if it's good hdr implementation, it could make me pick this game back up and go for the platinum. I initially played quite a bit of it a few days in a row, but then had to go out of town and could never get back to it after.

So far I've only been really impressed by the HDR in Forza horizon 3. Other games have shown definite noticeable improvements, but that was just something else. If the witness has good HDR implementation as well, awesome!
 
W

Wallach

Member
I just got off this game to say the same thing. The HDR in this game is glorious. So much so that when I turn it off to compare it's like they intentionally fucked up the normal game so that HDR looked that much better. The difference is fuckin' huge.

The 30 FPS 4K mode doesn't seem so hot, but fortunately the 1440p upscaled 60 FPS mode looks great.

Edit - I will say - and maybe this is just the limits of my X800D - that the really dark area at the start in the tunnel didn't look so hot with HDR on. Like it wasn't using 10-bit color or something.
 
D

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
Wallach said:
I just got off this game to say the same thing. The HDR in this game is glorious. So much so that when I turn it off to compare it's like they intentionally fucked up the normal game so that HDR looked that much better. The difference is fuckin' huge.

The 30 FPS 4K mode doesn't seem so hot, but fortunately the 1440p upscaled 60 FPS mode looks great.

Edit - I will say - and maybe this is just the limits of my X800D - that the really dark area at the start in the tunnel didn't look so hot with HDR on. Like it wasn't using 10-bit color or something.
Click to expand...
You're using 2160p YUV420, right?
 
W

Wallach

Member
dark10x said:
You're using 2160p YUV420, right?
Click to expand...

I switched between both YUV420 and Auto (which seems to use YUV422) and they both looked weird in that initial tunnel (the very dark rock part just before you exit into the sunlight) with HDR on.
 
S

Sword Of Doom

Member
Wallach said:
I just got off this game to say the same thing. The HDR in this game is glorious. So much so that when I turn it off to compare it's like they intentionally fucked up the normal game so that HDR looked that much better. The difference is fuckin' huge.

The 30 FPS 4K mode doesn't seem so hot, but fortunately the 1440p upscaled 60 FPS mode looks great.

Edit - I will say - and maybe this is just the limits of my X800D - that the really dark area at the start in the tunnel didn't look so hot with HDR on. Like it wasn't using 10-bit color or something.
Click to expand...

60fps always looks better to me so I'm not really surprised by this.

I don't have an HDR TV but this game on my plasma is already vibrant and beautiful. I really want to see it with HDR now
 
A

AgeEighty

Member
Looks fantastic, but the only thing I didn't finish in that game already is the Challenge, and I have zero desire to go back and beat my head against that again.

I'll probably load it up just to walk around a bit.
 
Karak

Karak

Member
Agreed. Dislike the game pretty much but saw that mode is one of the few very good implementations currently.
 
D

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
Wallach said:
I switched between both YUV420 and Auto (which seems to use YUV422) and they both looked weird in that initial tunnel (the very dark rock part just before you exit into the sunlight) with HDR on.
Click to expand...
YUV422 using Auto seems to only output at 8-bit for some reason. Not sure why.
 
F

farisr

Member
Just checked it out. Yup, my second favorite HDR mode after Forza horizon 3. Really good and immediately apparent.
 
A

aussiedude08

Member
I got this a month or two ago when it was on sale, but hadnt started it and have been waiting for the pro patch. hopefully get around to it soon.
 
H

Hwoar

Member
I want to see it, but I don't think I'll like this game after a couple hours and it's kinda pricey to just get it anyway :(
 
KainXVIII

KainXVIII

Member
I will definitively check it, when computer monitors with HDR will be released (and be affordable)
ie in next 5 years :-/
 
W

Wallach

Member
dark10x said:
YUV422 using Auto seems to only output at 8-bit for some reason. Not sure why.
Click to expand...

Even YUV420 seems to be outputting 8-bit for me... I actually double checked by turning off enhanced HDMI for the input I have the Pro hooked up to, forcing it to send a 1080p signal, and that area looks correct with HDR enabled.

Edit - I'm going to order a certified cable and see if it is this cable causing issues.

Edit 2 - After some experimentation this has actually got me kinda fucked up. If I force 1080p and set the video range to Full (intentionally mismatching it to my X800D at Limited), I get no fucked up colors in there. If I set the X800D to Full to match the PS4, the black levels are fucked up there. What? What is even happening right now.

Edit 3 - Confirmed not the cable. All settings exhibit what looks like 8-bit color depth issues in that dark scene, unless I set the console to 1080p Full and set the X800D to Limited. No fucking idea where to go from here.
 
B

byron_hinson

Member
One of the best HDR titles by far. But like others. Awful colour banding on my Samsung JS9000 in 4:2:2 auto mode. Switch to 4:2:0 and it's better. But this is a console. You shouldn't have to keep switching resolution settings outside of a game to get the best picture.
 
D

DOT DASH DOT

Member
byron_hinson said:
One of the best HDR titles by far. But like others. Awful colour banding on my Samsung JS9000 in 4:2:2 auto mode. Switch to 4:2:0 and it's better. But this is a console. You shouldn't have to keep switching resolution settings outside of a game to get the best picture.
Click to expand...

Is 422 auto an option in the PS4 video settings then? Don't remember seeing that, just 420 and RGB, Is auto definitely known to use 422?
 
M

Mugen08

Member
Glad to hear it but I am done with The Witness, beat The Challenge and unlocked all movies and just left some enviro-puzzles. Almost surely my GOTY2016 and even my favourite over the last 5-10 years. But I have no desire to play it again, the beauty of the first run is unbeatable no matter the graphics.
 
E

elfinke

Member
Not gonna lie, 60fps + HDR makes a far more compelling case for a Pro (and I guess a HDR TV/Projector) than any 4k business, as stunningly clean as that can be.

This sounds great, hope to see some side-by-side shots sooner or later.
 
A

Aarglefarg

Member
shmoglish said:
Is it the Version 1.01 Patch?
Click to expand...
It's 1.03, but the Update History patch notes still say 1.01 for me. I think they just didn't update the patch notes. When pressing Options when over the icon for The Witness, if you check Information (rather than Update History) you will get the right version number.
 
M

Markitron

Is currently staging a hunger strike outside Gearbox HQ while trying to hate them to death
I bought this on release but dropped it for some reason.

I know what I am playing next.
 
Robot Pants

Robot Pants

Member
It's funny I really didn't like this game when it came out even after waiting so long in anticipation for it.
Decided to start it up again for a second try two days ago and got really rally into it and this HDR patch came at the perfect time cause now I'm REALLLY loving it.
Is definitely the best HDR I've seen in a game so far. And 1440p is just fine.
 
G

Gen X

Trust no one. Eat steaks.
I have HDR on my Bravia but it looks shit, I assume it's simulated over the top of media that's not supported so till I see some actual HDR content myself I'll have to take others words for it.
 
BigEmil

BigEmil

Junior Member
I don't care about higher resolution but HDR is what mostly makes me want to upgrade my TV but still gonna hold till a few more years before I buy a 4k HDR TV
 
J

JP

Member
Jacob4815 said:
1080p users can't choose the supersampled mode.
Very, very disappointed :(
Click to expand...
I'm disappointed in this too.

The Witness was an amazing looking game before this patch, it looks even better now but I don't the reasoning behind having that higher resolution in the game but disabling it for some people fro what seems to be completely arbitrary reasons.

Hopefully this is something they'll sort put though and as I said, it does look amazing on the PS4 however you're playing it.
 
T

taoofjord

Member
Started testing SDR vs. HDR in The Witness. There appears to some funkiness with it set to on that mit be my TV settings or could just be the result of not having an in-game HDR brightness setting. The brightness of the darker areas is increased with HDR and the game's automatic color/brightness changing as you look around is way more pronounced. Hard to describe, but you see the changing values creep along the textures while you look around.

I have all my PS4 Pro's video settings set to auto btw and am viewing on a Samsung KS8000.
 
C

Chao

Member
Like any other "holy shit" HDR impressions before, I just don't believe it.

Maybe I had such high expectations for HDR that I find the implementation disappointing in most cases, a difference than can only be spotted by switching on and off and focusing in a particular spot.

If I had to tell wether HDR is switched on or off to save my life I would be in trouble most of the time.

Maybe this one is different, but I was told all previous HDR games also were fucking incredible -compared to the SDR version-, and they weren't.
 
Lister

Lister

Banned
Equanimity said:
Yep. Shadow Warrior 2 has HDR on PC.
Click to expand...

And nvidia announced some games offering HDR on PC soon.

Rise of the Tomb Raider
Paragon
Shadow Warrior 2
The Witness
Lawbreakers
The Talos Principle
Obduction

You'd imagine all multiplats that have an HDR mode on PS4 will also offer it on PC eventually.
 
F

FarFromAnyGame

Banned
DOT DASH DOT said:
Is 422 auto an option in the PS4 video settings then? Don't remember seeing that, just 420 and RGB, Is auto definitely known to use 422?
Click to expand...

Auto will set the highest quality your TV/HDMI cable supports. It will output RGB for non-HDR games and 422 for HDR games. Setting it to RGB also gives 422 when an HDR game is on.
 
S

sector4

Member
Chao said:
Like any other "holy shit" HDR impressions before, I just don't believe it.

Maybe I had such high expectations for HDR that I find the implementation disappointing in most cases, a difference than can only be spotted by switching on and off and focusing in a particular spot.

If I had to tell wether HDR is switched on or off to save my life I would be in trouble most of the time.

Maybe this one is different, but I was told all previous HDR games also were fucking incredible -compared to the SDR version-, and they weren't.
Click to expand...
It will vary greatly depending on what display you're seeing it on. Not all HDR is equal unfortunately.

Ideally you want either an OLED, or an LCD with a direct backlight + FALD, not an edge lit set. Z9D is my choice for the most impactful HDR presentation I've seen.

Once you've seen it running on a decent set, you'll become a believer.
 
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