Halo Infinite looks set to support Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos on Xbox and PC, making it the first game in the series to make use of the popular spatial audio tech, as well as the new dynamic HDR format for games.
As spotted by Wccftech, an official game page for Halo Infinite appeared on Dolby’s website which showed that Master Chief’s latest adventure will benefit from both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos when played on PC and Xbox consoles.
The page now results in a 404 error – suggesting the announcement was made preemptively – but its existence all but confirms that Halo Infinite will support both formats, which is great news for Xbox Series X and PC players.
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Dolby Atmos support in Halo Infinite isn’t exactly a surprise, as developer 343 spoke about utilizing advanced audio technologies in March 2021 in a detailed blog post that confirmed that the game will make use of Virtual Surround Sound via Dolby Atmos, Windows Sonic and DTS Headphone:X.
“These spatial audio technologies allow us to make sounds feel like they’re playing from behind or above you, when you’re only wearing stereo headphones,” said Halo Infinite’s lead audio technical designer Chase Thompson. “We’ve created a custom setup for our in-game sounds so that you get a clear separation between spatial and non-spatial content. This way, whether playing over headphones or on a surround sound system, you can very clearly tell exactly where your enemies are when you’re in combat.”
Infinite contrast ratio
The addition of Dolby Vision support, however, is a nice surprise. The HDR format, which has been adopted by Netflix and Disney Plus, is currently being tested by Xbox Insiders and could roll out to all users soon.
Dolby Vision promises to provide up to 40 times brighter highlights and 10 times deeper blacks, and doesn’t require you to make any adjustments to get the best picture. Dolby Vision games automatically map to your Dolby Vision capable display as you play, so you always get the best picture.
Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos are currently only available on Xbox consoles and PC, but there is no exclusivity deal in place. A blog post from Xbox Wire France suggested that Microsoft and Dolby had a two-year deal in place to keep both Dolby technologies exclusivity for its platforms, but that has since been denied by both Microsoft and Dolby.
For comparison’s sake, the PS5 does not support either Dolby Vision or Dolby Atmos. Instead, Sony’s console makes use of the HDR10 standard and the company’s proprietary spatial audio tech, Tempest 3D audio.
Put a ring on it
While we still don’t have a solid release date for Halo Infinite, we’re expecting to see the game in action during this year’s E3 and Summer Game Fest conferences. We're expecting developer 343 Industries to lockdown a definite launch date, and maybe announce a multiplayer beta for players to try, as was the case with Halo 5: Guardians.
We’ve reached out to Dolby for comment and will update this article accordingly should we receive more information.
