Samsung has come up with an HDR10+ alternative to Dolby Vision gaming, as predicted back in June. The HDR10+ Gaming extension will enable HDR10+ gaming on supported smart TVs from 2022 (via flatpanelshd).
The extension, which was announced at the recent Samsung Developer Conference 2021, supports VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) up to 120Hz, HDR auto-calibration and low latency tone-mapping. Samsung says the addition of these three features to HDR10+ will make for "perfect gameplay".
"On receiving the physical attributes from the display the game automatically performs its HDR10+ video output optimization... without the user having to do it manually," said Samsung engineer Bonggil Bak. "This process is not only convenient but also very effectively preserves the original creative intent of the game creators."
As for low-latency tone mapping, the tech should come in handy when playing fast-paced first-person shooters. Bak says Samsung worked hard to ensure "zero extra latency", and that the tech should work for both cloud gaming and physical consoles.
The first TVs and displays to support the HDR10+ Gaming extension are expected to launch next year, but there's no word on whether the current crop of Samsung TVs will be updated – via firmware – to support HDR10+ Gaming.
There's also no news on where the HDR10+ games will come from. Dolby Vision, supported by TV makers such as LG, is said to be exclusive to the Xbox Series X and S for two years. Could Samsung be working with Sony to bring HDR10+ gaming to the PlayStation 5? It's certainly one possibility.
It's also worth noting that Samsung revealed earlier this week that it is developing its own a cloud gaming platform. The platform will let users stream games on Tizen-based smart TVs without a console.
Samsung seems to be keen to target cloud gamers at the minute. In addition to the new HDR10+ Gaming extension, it announced that future TVs will have better support for Bluetooth gaming controllers.
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