Hands-on: How effective is Quest's new display dimming feature?
Meta Quest can now adjust the brightness of the display for better black levels. MIXED has tested the new feature.
The feature introduced with the v69 update is called "Content-adaptive brightness control" (CABC) and must first be enabled in Settings > Experimental Features. Meta describes it as follows:
"Improves the overall contrast in dark scenes by providing truer blacks, but may have adverse effects for certain content."
The feature analyzes the content and automatically adjusts the backlight of the LC display, which can also improve battery life.
A noticeable but subtle difference
To test CABC, I tried it with a number of VR apps that feature dark scenes. A Quest 3 was used for testing.
I started with the horror game Cosmodread, in which you explore an abandoned, mostly dark spaceship. With CABC enabled, the LC displays glow a bit dimmer, resulting in less murky blacks. This makes the scenery look darker and more atmospheric, but the difference is subtle.
Conveniently, you can toggle the CABC on and off in the Quest settings so you can see compate the visual difference while playing.
In general, the darker the scene, the stronger the effect. As soon as the scene gets a little brighter, there is hardly any difference to be seen, as in the better lit castle vaults of the VR horror game Silent Slayer.
A welcome improvement
Since the effect is very subtle, I haven't noticed any negative effects when transitioning from dark to light scenes and vice versa. However, I will have to do more testing to find out if, as Meta writes, the feature can have an adverse effect on certain content. I assume that Meta will continue to refine the algorithm.
I didn't notice any difference in YouTube VR or mixed reality apps (for obvious reasons).
I currently see no downside to using CABC and recommend turning it on. The brightness control is not a game changer, but it is another welcome feature that enhances the Quest experience.
True black levels will only be achieved with OLED microdisplays, which are unlikely to be seen in the Quest 3's price range anytime soon.
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