If this is targeted toward me, I'm not defending Asus. I've posted about several issues and currently have an open ticket on what I consider fairly significant bugs with Uniform Brightness and P3 gamut mapping, but I also have the technical means and knowledge to verify any claims I make with actual measurements. If ConsoleHDR mode is functioning as an HGIG mode, which is how it behaves in measurements using a 10% window, then yes, hard clipping at 450nits in the Window's HDR Cal Tool for Max Luminance is logical. On the other had, the Max Full Frame Luminance not clipping at the same value is odd, and that mismatch is typically a sign of some sort of tonemapping. That doesn't show in 2% window measurements though, at least not how one would expect.
For the ABL concern between 1000nit and TB400 modes... I think it's worthy of discussion, but anyone who understands ABL will know it's not definitive on whether or not it's broken or by design on this monitor. In real scene content the monitor only shows an overall brightness discrepancy with higher APL, while in lower APL content the brightness is quite high, even higher than some other brands. That isn't abnormal behavior when aggressive ABL is at play. It's pretty obvious a result of ABL since you can play the same scenes that cause it in a smaller window instead of full screen and it doesn't happen. As for it being addressed by reviewers @ApolloEleven, Monitors Unboxed covered it in their HDR testing, as well as a brightness discrepancy in some gaming content between Nvidia and AMD. They also showed 10% and 2% window testing for ConsoleHDR that aligns with my results. They're typically quick to call stuff out, and the only issue they asked to be addressed is the Nvidia/AMD one. Most reviewers aren't using the Windows HDR Calibration tool because it's largely pointless when you can manually set peak brightness in most HDR games. I wouldn't expect them to even touch that menu.
I get that people are upset, but complaining about stuff that is a function of how HDR works like tonemapping/hard clipping isn't very helpful unless one can show how it's working against spec with some sort of validation. Also, comparing ABL configs between this monitor and other brands doesn't prove Asus is broken given how ABL works. If you're not happy with that, my suggestion is to try to exert some patience while waiting for Asus to comment/address stuff. If you're too impatient for that and have recently purchased your monitor, return it and buy a different one that works for your needs.
