NVIDIA has released a brand new update to its WHQL driver, and hidden deep within the release notes is one major addition – Dolby Vision for Games.

Dolby Vision has thus far been dominant in the theatrical space, with numerous blockbuster films having used Dolby’s proprietary HDR format. The company hasn’t had much success in the broadcast space, however, with many broadcasters waiting for the BBC’s Hybrid Log Gamma format instead. Now Dolby is ready to bring a little bit of high dynamic range to a new art form – games.

Bioware recently revealed Mass Effect Andromeda, the first game to support the Dolby Vision HDR format. Initially it was thought the game would only support the more open HDR 10 standard, although Bioware GM, Aaryn Flynn confirmed that both HDR formats would be supported.

HDR has been commonly associated with theatrical productions, but Bioware says that HDR will be incredibly important in Mass Effect Andromeda, and it’s easy to see why. The Mass Effect series has always been set in a wide variety of environments, from colourful and expansive, to dark and gloomy. The company opted to use HDR to further enhance the immersion players experience.

Mass Effect Andromeda will only support Dolby Vision on compatible NVIDIA graphics cards, which means it’ll be available for PC gamers only. Those gamers will also have to have the PC hooked up to a compatible Dolby Vision TV, as there’s currently not a single monitor on the market that supports Dolby’s HDR format.

It’s likely that Dolby Vision will eventually make its way onto dedicated gaming consoles, after all it’s now possible to deliver the technology through a software update. It’s not quite clear if manufacturers have any desire to update existing generation consoles with Dolby Vision, however, and Microsoft is preparing a new high-end gaming console for launch later this year – and it could have Dolby Vision in tow.