Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of the best looking games of this generation. However, not everything about the game is perfect. For instance, the HDR implementation of Red Dead Redemption 2 is fake.
Eurogamer tested our the HDR implementation for Red Dead Redemption 2. Turns out, the game isn’t using true HDR but, is upscaling SDR to give an illusion of HDR. As a result of this HDR implementation, the game doesn’t seem right.
The Red Dead Redemption 2 HDR tests took map luminescence of the image. The map luminescence of the image is then recorded in nits which then is converted to colors.
The color of the image reveals if the game is using SDR or HDR. Eurogamer tested the Xbox One X version of the game to see if it uses HDR or SDR. The tests revealed that the game uses upscaled SDR rather than HDR.
As the site notes that this isn’t the first time a developer has promised HDR and didn’t deliver on it. Platinum Games also holds this achievement for HDR in NeiR Automata.
Speaking of the HDR, this technique does makes the over image quality more lively. But, on PC it comes at the cost of performance, especially for Nvidia GPUs.
According to a report, Nvidia GPU performance saw over 10% drop with HDR enabled. However, AMD GPUs don’t see as much drop in performance as Nvidia’s.
The GTX 1080 was tested on 12 games which revealed a 20% drop in performance. The AMD’s RX Vega 64, the AMD GPU saw a 9% drop in performance with HDR enabled in Destiny 2.
The reason behind this performance drop on Nvidia GPUs is currently unknown. One possible explanation could be that Nvidia GPUs aren’t able to render HDR.
Red Dead Redemption 2 launched with critical acclaim. However, a week hasn’t even passed since its release and a report has emerged that Red Dead Redemption 2 will be remastered for PS5.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is a third-person action shooter developed by Rockstar Games. The game is available for PS4 and Xbox One.
Source: Eurogamer
