An interesting observation was made today, a crafty contemporary change in the text on Nvidia’s website seems to indicate that NVIDIA has downgraded the requirements for the top of the line G-Sync Ultimate certification. The VESA DisplayHDR 1000 requirement changed to ‘lifelike HDR’.

In the past, NVIDIA applied stringent qualifications towards the Ultimate spec; G-Sync Ultimate required mandated features like VESA DisplayHDR 1000 certification and a G-Sync module. And that means a monitor has to offer at least 1000 nits of brightness performance (peak). Stuff that is tested by NVIDIA and then Certified, I should mention, where they do perform over 300 tests.

The previous spec list requiring 1000 nits of peak brightness

The new writing shows 1000 Nits being changed to ‘lifelike HDR.’ And that is rather fluent wording; that value can be anything you need it to be deciphered. Previously the HDR 1000 requirement meant needed to be paired with an expensive G-SYNC module for that G-Sync Ultimate tag, as very well observed by website pcmonitors.

What if a manufacturer offers a 400 or 600 nit monitor with a GSYNC module? Yes, in this wording, even that could be tagged as G-SYNC ultimate, and you'd still pay the certification premium.

Update: NVIDIA responded with a statement that you can read here. 

Did NVIDIA silently downgrade the G-Sync Ultimate HDR specification?