That Witcher 3 PS4 HDR Patch Is Still Happening, By the Way

But where the heck is it?

by Robert Ramsey Thu 29th Mar 2018

Remember that PS4 Pro HDR update for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt that CD Projekt Red announced ages ago? Well, it's still coming according to the developer. Always informative community lead Marcin Momot posted on Twitter saying that the patch is indeed still in development, it's just taking longer than the team thought it would due to unforeseen bugs.

"[The Witcher 3] PS4 Pro HDR patch is still very much in development. Due to the fact that we've discovered some additional bugs along the way, we need more time to finish it. We don't want to compromise the quality of the update, so we would like to ask you for a bit more patience," reads Momot's tweet.

It's gotta be close, right? Imagine all of the colours in the comments section below.

[source twitter.com]

Robert (or Rob if you're lazy) has been a fan of PlayStation since the 90s, when Tekken 2 introduced him to the incredible world of video games. He still takes his fighting games seriously, but RPGs are his true passion. The Witcher, Dragon Quest, Mass Effect, Final Fantasy, he's played 'em all — a little too much, some might say.

1
Victor_Meldrew
Thu 29th Mar 2018

What they mean is that it was a timed exclusive for xbox. HDR was available on all PS4 consoles in 2016.

2
sabaki08
Thu 29th Mar 2018

Such a shame. I took a 3 years break after beating the base game. A month ago I started playing the Season Pass and bested it. Wish this update came in time. I deleted the game, but I'll be on the lookout for comparisons.

3
Ralizah
Thu 29th Mar 2018

I don't think I'd be lounging in a chair if a winged xenomorph was breathing down my neck.

4
ApostateMage
Thu 29th Mar 2018

@Ralizah That's because you're not Geralt of Rivia.

5
carlos82
Thu 29th Mar 2018

Bugs? This has been on Xbox for sometime so how difficult can it be to put it on PS4? We all know the real reason.

I'm actually replaying this on the X and can say you're in for a treat when it does arrive

6
viciousarcanum
Thu 29th Mar 2018

Lol as much praise they get, CDPR continue to show negligence towards playstation.

7
Futureshark
Thu 29th Mar 2018

I think the effort and quality that CDPR have given to this game allows the Internet to cut them some slack, Witcher 3 is still one of the best games of this generation.

8
Bamf
Thu 29th Mar 2018

I have hdr turned off. All the colours are washed out and I've been in every forum trying to find a solution to no avail. There is plenty of others with the same problems and plenty of YouTube videos telling you that hdr sucks.

9
BAMozzy
Thu 29th Mar 2018

@Bamf Depends on your TV and whether or not you are using Full RGB or Limited. Its essential that both your TV and console are set the same - not all TV's can handle full RGB either. Its not as simple as just plug and play and the settings have to match - if not they can lead to washed out HDR or crushed blacks.

10
GamerDad66
Fri 30th Mar 2018

Where's the HDR patch for Rise of the Tomb Raider?

I'm the type that waits to play till the game is completely finalized.

Now that Doom is getting a Pro patch I'll start that one...

11
Bamf
Fri 30th Mar 2018

@BAMozzy it's a Sony xd903. I'm sure it should be giving me hdr as it's advertised in doing so. If you search about this you find the are a lot of people who have this problem.
Plug in and play it should be. It's like buying a car that takes diesel but before it works you have to collaborate your engine. When I first got the pro I had to go online to find that I had to change the hdmi to enhanced. Wtf. When buying a TV. The sales person should give you a list of links to all the forums for solutions. I love to see the statistics of all those who have PS4 Pro with 4k hdr tv's and have not set it up because they don't know how to.

12
BAMozzy
Fri 30th Mar 2018

@Bamf HDR is not Plug and Play because there are different variables depending on the quality of the TV and the device attached. Not all devices for example offer full RGB - 4k HDR Blurays are all 'limited' RGB - like the standard Bluray. TV's have traditionally been 'limited' too because film and TV use the limited RGB. Not ALL HDR TV's offer 'full' RGB either so you have to have the option to set 'full' or 'limited' on both TV and Device to make sure that both operate correctly. Its no point having the PS4 Pro set to full if the TV can't handle that or having the TV set to full when the source device is only capable of delivering limited.

Its nothing like calibrating a car engine to use diesel at all. If cars could use diesel, petrol or LPG, then having to go into the engine management system and switching it to different modes depending on what fuel you were putting in, whether or not you were wanting to use the car for town, motorway or track use and ensuring everything was set right for both the fuel and the type of use you were intending to use the vehicle for would be more akin to this.

What you have to remember is that SDR has been in place since 'colour' TV's came out. The specs were based on what CRT TV's could deliver and the only thing that has changed really is the resolution. HDR offers a different, wider colour gamut, significantly greater contrast and greater bit depth too. Quality HDR TV's are also able to offer 'full' RGB - the same as gaming monitors - and consoles now offer the ability to deliver full RGB too but both console and TV need to be set the same - ie full to full or limited to limited. If these are not set correctly, you end up with washed out HDR or crushed blacks - depending on which is limited and which is set to full.

Blaming HDR implementation or stating HDR 'sucks' for peoples lack of knowledge or ability to set up the devices/TV's properly is like a bad workman blaming his tools for not being able to do the job...