We already know that Forza Horizon 3, the third entry in Microsoft’s arcade racing game franchise, is a hell of a looker, thanks to the almost obsessive tendencies its developers at Playground Games have– but apparently, it can and does look even better in HDR.
Speaking in an interview with Redbull, Playground’s Steve Fulton discussed the game in HDR, pointing out that the effect really was something else, and that it needs to be seen to believed.
“The benefits of HDR are always a difficult thing to describe in words – it’s a technology that really comes alive when you see it in action,” Fulton said. “It’s about accessing a massively expanded color and contrast range from the one we’re used to seeing on our non-HDR TVs. The most striking improvement it makes to Forza Horizon 3 is in those amazing HDR skyscapes we captured in Australia. They look amazing on Xbox One because of their crispness and detail, but they look even better on Xbox One S because there is suddenly so much more variation in the shades of white, which you just don’t see without the expanded range. As I say, it’s a difficult thing to explain in words, but when you see it, you can’t unsee it!”
It sounds like playing the game in HDR will definitely be a hell of a experience. Almost two years after it first launched, DriveClub may finally have some competition as the holistically best looking realistic racer on the market. Forza Horizon 3 will launch on Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs later this year.