Control Mod Developed by Remedy Programmer Adds Native HDR, Full Ultrawide Support

A Control mod created by Remedy gameplay programmer Filippo Tardini was updated a few hours ago to also add native HDR display support. Since he has access to the game code, the results are superior to Microsoft’s AutoHDR or SpecialK HDR.

Here’s the full changelog:

• Native HDR (improves color accuracy/banding, allows greater contrast and brighter highlights).
• Upgraded DLSS to 2.5.1 and improved its implementation (people reported this is compatible with FSR 2.1 injection)
• Added a new “Max” texture setting to improve the slow texture streaming.
• Full UltraWide support: unlock any resolution and aspect ratio, including 32:9+.
• Fixed UI issues at non-16:9 aspect ratios (e.g., enemies’ health bars were displaced).
• Some FOV and LOD fixes for UW.
• Improved window+borderless+fullscreen management.
• Fixed the launcher (and game) failing to find your DX12 card if it wasn’t Nvidia or AMD (e.g., Intel Arc GPUs).
• Minor fixes and features around.

This Control mod does not work with the Microsoft Store version of the game. Additionally, HDR only works when running the game in DirectX 12 mode. To activate it, you can enable it in Windows or in the game itself. Make sure to run the calibration app first since the Control mod will read the calibration results.

There are also several HDR settings added to the graphics options, such as HDR Brightness, HDR Extra Saturation, HDR Deeper Blacks, and HDR Ui Brightness. Regarding the HDR conversion, Tardini explained:

The HDR implementation skips the Reinhard tonemapper the game used in SDR. In my opinion it made the image look overly flat, which was a choice dictated by the limitations of SDR. Removing it allows to take full advantage of HDR, by outputting an image with a much greater level of contrast, and without disadvantages to visibility.

HDR support was the only missing feature in what was otherwise a fantastic graphical showcase. If you still haven’t played this great game, check out this Control mod and let us know if you like it.