Option to turn on Windows HDR automatically for games that need that.

[Catovitch]

Some games can turn on HDR themselves, and that's great. This wouldn't apply to them.

Other games require HDR to be turned on for the Windows desktop before they are launched. This is annoying, because the Windows desktop looks like garbage with HDR enabled and you also can't take screenshots of software properly (the same as with games, but with no visual benefit to offset the downside).

Since neither the devs/pubs nor Microsoft are ever going to do anything about this, it'd be great if Valve saved the day (yet again).

Games could be flagged as needing them (which the community could help with; I think PCGaming Wiki also has this information in many cases).

When launching a game flagged in this way, Steam could automatically turn on HDR, and then turn it off again when the game exits. (Leave it on when we alt-tab.)

Of course, this should be optional, as some people may want to play (some) games in SDR for whatever reason, even with an HDR screen.

[BJWyler]

Great in theory, but not so much in practice when people start tagging games with HDR that don't need, nor deserve that tag.

At the end of the day, Steam is not gaming's savior, nor should it be. It's a storefront selling games, with some social features tacked on. It really doesn't need to be any more than that.

[oPless]

Originally posted by BJWyler:

Great in theory, but not so much in practice when people start tagging games with HDR that don't need, nor deserve that tag.

I think catovitch mentioned the site as an example of a data source to seed the initial list. Obviously not linking to the site directly. Can you imagine the carnage from the gaming trolls?

Originally posted by BJWyler:

At the end of the day, Steam is not gaming's savior, nor should it be. It's a storefront selling games, with some social features tacked on. It really doesn't need to be any more than that.

Except it's not, a storefront is it? It's a content maker that happens to allow other creators share its storefront. That and it creates hardware, that many have copied.

Oh and controller remapping too 🤣🤣🤣

So you could say they're innovators in the Gaming industry, so a perfect forum to hook in Microsoft's HDR enabling, as the only thing microsoft are innovating at the moment is serving you adverts and adding insane chatbots to the O/S 🤣💀


Wait. Are you an Troll sent from Epic? 🤣

[Catovitch]

Originally posted by BJWyler:

Great in theory, but not so much in practice when people start tagging games with HDR that don't need, nor deserve that tag.

Why on earth would anyone do that? And if they did they'd just get banned from tagging things.

Besides which, it wouldn't necessarily be something random individual users could set.

We already have user-supplied control schemes for games using Steam Input, and those work well on the whole.

Originally posted by BJWyler:

Great in theory, but not so much in practice when people start tagging games with HDR that don't need, nor deserve that tag.

At the end of the day, Steam is not gaming's savior, nor should it be. It's a storefront selling games, with some social features tacked on. It really doesn't need to be any more than that.

Steam is way more than that already. Just look at Steam Input and the SteamDeck, or Steam's overlay, screenshots, workshop... the list goes on.

It's sad that Valve are the only ones actually improving the state of gaming on Windows, because Windows is owned by a delinquent company, but Valve have been doing a good job of taking up the slack.

This is another area where they could improve things even more.

[oPless]

In fact someone should put a file manager on Steam so we don't have to deal with windows full stop

[RichyBoy]

Sounds like a good idea to me.. if the enviornment needs to be managed then it may as well be implemented via steam so that it is consistent. It's super annoying when games don't exit you back to the windows settings that you actually launched with!

[m0rta_della]

Good idea, actually pretty obvious that it needs to be done. Stream wants to provide a console like interface where you can switch between games just with a controller but because of this you need to toggle ♥♥♥♥ on and off before starting a game and again when leaving the game. Reminds me each time about everything that's ♥♥♥♥ about PC gaming vs consoles.

[Iron Knights]

HDR is a GIMMICK !!! HELLO !
Want more vibrant colors ? Go to the GPU drivers and increase SATURATION.

[Catovitch]

Obviously you've never experienced a proper HDR display, or you wouldn't be saying that. (Which is understandable, as most "HDR" displays are still atrocious at HDR.)

HDR is less about saturation, more about brightness and contrast.

[Crashed]

Originally posted by Catovitch:

Obviously you've never experienced a proper HDR display, or you wouldn't be saying that. (Which is understandable, as most "HDR" displays are still atrocious at HDR.)

HDR is less about saturation, more about brightness and contrast.

I think the user above just doesn't believe in Windows OSes that are HDR-ready.

[Iron Knights]

I have an HDR display, played a game with it and it looked awful, too shiny & cartoonish.

Guess what, you can modify brightness & contrast in video drivers also.

My monitor performs less with HDR on - 8bits only, preferred SDR and 10bits.
Some refresh frequencies are not available with HDR on.
(Acer Nitro 32in., HDR-400)

[Iron Knights]

I am of the belief that less is more, never failed me in 30yrs. of work in computer tech..
K.I.S.S.

[Crashed]

Originally posted by Iron Knights:

I have an HDR display, played a game with it and it looked awful, too shiny & cartoonish.

Guess what, you can modify brightness & contrast in video drivers also.

My monitor performs less with HDR on - 8bits only, preferred SDR and 10bits.
Some refresh frequencies are not available with HDR on.
(Acer Nitro 32in., HDR-400)

If you're running Windows 7 then there is no native HDR support in the operating system. Also HDR400 is mostly gimmicky.

[KalGimpa]

seeing as you are asking or the option

i do not see why not

of course it depends on how difficult it would be to do

might be a reason others do not do it

[Pocahawtness]

Originally posted by Catovitch:

Some games can turn on HDR themselves, and that's great. This wouldn't apply to them.

Other games require HDR to be turned on for the Windows desktop before they are launched. This is annoying, because the Windows desktop looks like garbage with HDR enabled and you also can't take screenshots of software properly (the same as with games, but with no visual benefit to offset the downside).

Since neither the devs/pubs nor Microsoft are ever going to do anything about this, it'd be great if Valve saved the day (yet again).

Games could be flagged as needing them (which the community could help with; I think PCGaming Wiki also has this information in many cases).

When launching a game flagged in this way, Steam could automatically turn on HDR, and then turn it off again when the game exits. (Leave it on when we alt-tab.)

Of course, this should be optional, as some people may want to play (some) games in SDR for whatever reason, even with an HDR screen.

I agree, it would be useful.

At the moment, people use AutoActions, which does the same thing, but is a bit clumsy.

Originally posted by Iron Knights:

I have an HDR display, played a game with it and it looked awful, too shiny & cartoonish.

Guess what, you can modify brightness & contrast in video drivers also.

My monitor performs less with HDR on - 8bits only, preferred SDR and 10bits.
Some refresh frequencies are not available with HDR on.
(Acer Nitro 32in., HDR-400)

HDR is fantastic, if you have a good monitor. It's not the same as just turning up the brightness and contrast. By "good monitor" I really mean an OLED, IPS just can't cut it.

SDR is not 10bit.

The reason that some monitors can't do 10bit at all refresh modes is that it exceeds their bandwidth. It's no big deal, though, because most HDR GPU's and monitors HDR can use magic that can use two 8bit frames to transfer the data instead, giving almost identical results.

[Crashed]

Originally posted by Pirate☠️Pocah:

SDR is not 10bit.

The reason that some monitors can't do 10bit at all refresh modes is that it exceeds their bandwidth. It's no big deal, though, because most HDR GPU's and monitors HDR can use magic that can use two 8bit frames to transfer the data instead, giving almost identical results.

My monitor can do 10 bit in SDR mode; it just requires an override in the NVIDIA Control Panel.

It defaults to 10 bit in HDR mode of course, as it needs the extra bit depth to display smoothly.