Microsoft to release Xbox Auto HDR feature for Windows
Microsoft is going to release the Auto HDR feature of recent Xbox consoles for PCs. A test version of the feature is currently available for the latest Windows Insider Preview 21337 build.
The test version of Auto HDR for PCs works with “more than 1000 DirectX 11 and 12 games,” Microsoft employee Hannah Fisher reports in a blog post. Operation is the same as on Xbox Series X and S consoles. Auto HDR is only used for games that don’t already support HDR by default and only works on HDR monitors. “While some studios themselves make their games suitable for HDR playback, Auto HDR will only use SDR games and intelligently extend the color and brightness range to HDR,” Fisher writes.
Microsoft reports that the PC version of Auto HDR is currently still being worked on. For example, the feature is not yet available for all DirectX 11 and 12 games, because “for some titles it is difficult to determine whether they are eligible for Auto HDR”. Microsoft goes on to say that the feature will require some GPU computing power, but the company doesn’t expect it to “significantly affect the gaming experience.”
Auto HDR in Gears 5. Image via Microsoft
The Auto HDR feature is available in Windows Insider Preview Build 21377. The feature is enabled automatically when users already have HDR enabled on their system. Auto HDR can also be found in the display settings, under ‘Windows HD Color Settings’. Users need to enable both HDR and Auto HDR to use the new feature. It is still unknown when Auto HDR will be added to the release version of Windows 10.
The new Insider Preview version also includes several other changes. For example, virtual desktops can each be provided with a different background after the update. The order of such desktops can also be changed. Furthermore, the Windows Explorer gets a new layout with extra padding between the different parts of the interface. Users can also switch back to the old File Explorer design. Notepad will now be updated via the Windows Store, Microsoft reports.
The new Windows Explorer layout. Image via Microsoft