Stay ConnectedWhen it comes to video games and the hardware and tech we play them on, the team at Digital Foundry are unparalleled experts. Each week, DF Direct breaks down the latest breakthroughs in video game visuals, sound, and performance happening on PlayStation, Xbox, the most powerful PC setups, and more. If you’re a geek for graphics, GPUs, or just video games in general, DF Direct will help you get the most out of your gaming setup.
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After last week's get-together, the DF Team are back in their boxes, talking Starfield reviews, how Larian and Microsoft resolved the Baldur's Gate 3 Xbox impasse and the unfortunate closure of Volition. John's excited about Sonic Superstars and Armored Core 6, while Rich and Alex decide that there needs to be an intervention and some level of expectation management when it comes to FSR 3 frame generation's deployment on the consoles. All this and more in this special 'go on lads!' edition of DF Direct Weekly.
0:00:00 Introduction
0:01:14 News 01: Starfield: reviews and reactions
0:44:09 News 02: Baldur’s Gate 3 to hit Xbox this year, without Series S split-screen
0:49:45 News 03: PSA: FSR 3 won’t fix console performance
1:00:39 News 04: Volition closes after 30 years
1:08:30 News 05: Sonic Superstars impressions!
1:12:52 News 06: Armored Core 6 is good on PC
1:20:49 Supporter Q1: Did you see Switch 2 at Gamescom? And do you think the Switch 2 in portable mode could run Switch 1 software with docked mode settings?
1:25:15 Supporter Q2: Do you think running games designed for CRTs at super high resolutions makes sense?
1:29:49 Supporter Q3: Should DF give medals for technically accomplished games?
1:35:14 Supporter Q4: What games would you like to see remastered by Nightdive Studios?
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With Rich, John and Alex meeting up together at Gamescom for the first time since 2019, this one is a very different, very special DF Direct Weekly. The team discuss Starfield at Gamescom and their meeting with Phil Spencer and Todd Howard, before ploughing on into their reaction to the FSR and AMD Fluid Motion Frames demonstration they saw at the show. Meanwhile, Nvidia takes things to the next level with DLSS 3.5 ray reconstruction, there's reaction to the latest PlayStation Portal disclosures, STALKER 2 hands-on and much, much more.
0:00:00 Introduction
0:00:45 News 01: Gamescom Starfield impressions!
0:12:06 News 02: AMD shows off FSR 3
0:27:54 News 03: AMD demos Fluid Motion Frames
0:36:54 News 04: DLSS 3.5 Ray Reconstruction revealed
0:56:12 News 05: PlayStation Portal named, detailed
1:00:09 News 06: MGS Collection targets 1080p, 720p
1:06:31 News 07: STALKER 2 demoed at Gamescom
1:14:24 News 08: New Nightdive remasters unveiled
1:23:51 Supporter Q1: What are the benefits for DF to go to Gamescom? What does a typical Gamescom day look like?
1:30:10 Supporter Q2: Could XeSS be viable on current-gen console hardware?
1:31:11 Supporter Q3: How do you feel about your various signature phrases?
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Another big DF Direct Weekly 'drops' as John, Rich and Alex look forward to visiting Gamescom 2023, a range of big Intel news is discussed and new information emerges on Immortals of Aveum in the wake of a extensive tech interview. Meanwhile, the mooted demise of the Xbox 360 store is lamented, while John raves about Bomb Rush Cyberfunk - a 'spiritual successor' to Jet Set Radio.
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:20 News 01: Gamescom: what to expect!
00:19:07 News 02: Intel update: Arc DX11 driver, PresentMon Benchmarking
00:39:28 News 03: Xbox 360 store shutting down
00:51:35 News 04: Immortals of Aveum tech interview
01:00:52 News 05: Bomb Rush Cyberfunk launches
01:08:36 Should we expect most UE5 titles to struggle with performance? And are upsampling technologies just a crutch in lieu of optimization?
01:23:40 Are you pleased or dissatisfied that the rumoured RTX 4090 Ti may not be getting a release?
01:27:26 Could path tracing be beneficial or highly stylized games?
01:31:25 The end of the year will be loaded with titles, so how are you planning to keep up?
01:35:55 There’s a wide price difference between Microsoft’s Xbox storage cards and regular SSDs. Should Microsoft try to lower their prices?
01:40:03 Would moving gaming towards a single platform be beneficial for the industry?
01:44:54 What are the best phrases to use for a Digital Foundry drinking game?
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In the latest DF Direct Weekly, John, Rich and Alex discuss the controversy surrounding the Red Dead Redemption conversions, Mark Cerny gets in touch to reveal more about PlayStation 5's Dolby Atmos support, a brace of leaks look set to confirm a new PlayStation 5 model with detachable optical drive - but it's not looking particularly slim. Meanwhile, RDNA4 rumours are discussed, while John shares impressions on the Quake 2 Remaster and new 4K retro scaler, RetroTink 4K.
00:00:00 Introduction
00:03:36 News 01: Red Dead Redemption ports announced
00:20:04 News 02: Mark Cerny on PS5 Dolby Atmos
00:34:00 News 03: Revised PS5 model appears in apparent leaks
00:48:53 News 04: RDNA 4 to skip high-end GPUs?
01:11:35 News 05: Sony starts testing PS5 cloud streaming
01:20:16 News 06: Quake 2 remaster released!
01:30:56 News 07: RetroTink 4K: John’s impressions
01:42:41 Supporter Q1: Has John recovered from Sonic 2006 yet?
01:47:27 Supporter Q2: With limited competition and a lucrative server market, will Nvidia GPUs become a worse gaming value in the future?
01:54:48 Supporter Q3: Why are PC game frame-rate limiters often so poor?
02:04:38 Supporter Q4: Could older 3D games prove unsuitable for ray tracing upgrades?
02:11:40 Supporter Q5: Given that DLSS 3 works best at high frame-rates, might it prove unsuitable for a hypothetical Switch 2?
02:15:47 Supporter Q6: Rich is in the credits for Panzer Dragoon Saga! Is anyone else at DF in a game’s credits?
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In this week's DF Direct Weekly, the team discuss EA's announcement of a last-gen version of Star Wars Jedi Survivor, wondering how this new development fits in with the fact that the current-gen versions still need work. Meanwhile, an amazing-looking path-traced version of Skyrim is trailered - and the RT upgrade could work on all DX9+ games. John shares his thoughts on PS5's beta firmware Dolby Atmos support, while Rich reveals the results of a new PS5 exploit - showing Gravity Rush PS4 Pro running at 60fps for the first game. Finally, news of The Last Hope's departure from the Switch eShop causes all manner of amusement.
00:00:00 Introduction
00:00:56 News 01: Jedi: Survivor coming to last-gen consoles
00:21:17 News 02: Skyrim modded with path-traced lighting
00:29:29 News 03: PS5 exploit allows modded PS4 games to run
00:39:58 News 04: Beta PS5 firmware features Dolby Atmos support
00:48:36 News 05: Switch 2 to launch in 2H 2024?
00:56:57 News 06: The Last Hope removed from Nintendo eShop
01:05:28 Supporter Q1: Doesn’t targeting 8K with a hypothetical PS5 Pro benefit 4K displays through downsampling?
01:10:49 Supporter Q2: What could the PS5 Pro’s rumoured AI acceleration enhancements mean?
01:18:12 Supporter Q3: Mark Cerny suggested that the PS5 could load in high quality assets as the player moved the camera viewport. Will this actually be implemented?
01:21:27 Supporter Q4: Is it time for Microsoft to let developers skip certain features on Series S?
01:28:39 Supporter Q5: With Sony aggressively discounting the PS5, are they trying to bury Microsoft’s ninth-gen console hopes?
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A clean sweep of Sony news stories this week, as John, Oliver and Rich react to the alleged PlayStation 5 Pro specs and discuss the apparent debut of the Project Q handheld device in the flesh in the least flattering manner possible. At the same time, Sony is slashing the price on PS5 consoles... so could a new, replacement model be arriving soon? After that, there's more footage from Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart running off a launch PlayStation 4 hard drive. Plus: are GPU teraflop metrics now essentially useless?
00:00:00 Introduction
00:00:50 News 01: PS5 Pro detailed in new rumours
00:29:08 News 02: Big PS5 summer discounts: what could they mean?
00:37:48 News 03: Project Q handheld potentially leaked
00:46:09 News 04: Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart vs PS4 HDD!
00:59:13 Supporter Q1: Why don’t developers include an uncapped mode in games, for the benefit of more powerful future consoles?
01:03:58 Supporter Q2: Are teraflop figures for GPU hardware pointless nowadays?
01:08:53 Supporter Q3: Could Rich be given the high-end PC version in system comparison videos for once?
01:10:49 Supporter Q4: Oliver operates in a totally different timezone to everyone else at DF. Is this ever helpful?
01:12:26 Supporter Q5: What are the benefits of playing on original hardware if the console can be emulated very effectively?
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In this week's DF Direct, John, Rich and Alex share their thoughts on the latest Spider-Man 2 trailer and its accompanying custom PS5, sort (likely) facts from the fiction surrounding the upcoming Switch 2, and lament the total lack of review coverage for the RTX 4060 Ti 16GB. Meanwhile, there's clarification on the Dolphin emulator's no-show on Steam and discussion on the lack of a Saturn mini retro console - and the end of the mini console phase in general. And did you know that Digital Foundry is actually 18 years old?
00:00:00 Introduction
00:00:58 News 01: Spider-Man 2 story trailer released
00:20:48 News 02: Beware fake Switch 2 leaks!
00:35:09 News 03: RTX 4060 Ti 16GB launched
00:44:31 News 04: Sega Saturn mini console unlikely?
00:50:15 News 05: Dolphin emulator skipping Steam
00:58:01 Supporter Q1: Have you considered benchmarking CoD on Steam Deck to gauge whether it is “too big for Switch”?
01:00:49 Supporter Q2: Should Sony include a wired option for their streaming-based Project Q handheld?
01:03:13 Supporter Q3: Could Intel break into the console market?
01:08:12 Supporter Q4: What Japan-only Sega Saturn games would you recommend for someone who can’t speak Japanese?
01:13:58 Supporter Q5: What piece of old gaming media would you like to see re-released in higher quality?
01:21:25 Supporter Q6: Digital Foundry is 18 years old! How do you feel about DF after all these years?
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With the recent legal challenges to the deal failing or crumbling as we speak, it's time to discuss the realities of Microsoft's acquisition of Activision, Blizzard and King. Where does the deal stand right now? What are/were Microsoft's business objectives? Can Call of Duty actually run on Nintendo Switch? Does the recent Sony deal mean Microsoft gets early access to PS6? And to conclude, what final words does the panel have for Xbox boss Phil Spencer?
00:00 Introductions
01:50 Acquisition overview and legal proceedings
10:02 Microsoft’s business objectives
25:44 Can Call of Duty work on Switch?
31:47 Would Call of Duty be compromised on PS6?
34:43 Current CMA proceedings
40:58 Discussion and final thoughts
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This week, the team take a look at the specs required to run Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart on PC and discuss how crucial DirectStorage is to the future of PC gaming. Meanwhile, the AMD Starfield partnership sees specs reveals turned into an awkward marketing exercise that confuses gamers. Classic cut content is coming to Halo: The Master Chief Collection, while Rich reveals initial results using the world's first full HDMI 2.1 capture card.
00:00:00 Introduction
00:00:48 Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart PC requirements drop
00:29:11 Halo cut content returning to Master Chief Collection
00:35:40 X68000 Mini retro device has issues
00:38:26 Limited Run Games shows off new and old titles
00:47:02 Leaked document details Sega of America’s struggles
01:05:40 What’s up with the new HDMI 2.1 capture cards? And can’t PCs record 4K120 internally?
01:12:10 Does console software receive system-wide performance boosts over the course of a generation?
01:15:42 Why has Nvidia, besides the Switch, checked out of consoles?
01:23:24 Why was the Digital Foundry Twitter account in a Twitter Spaces event on UFOs?
01:26:32 Do you have plans for more conference commentary videos?
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In this week's DF Direct Weekly, the team discuss potential PS5 Slim and PS5 Pro hardware as revealed by... Microsoft? Meanwhile, Final Fantasy 16's motion blur is revised via a new patch, John tells us about a bunch of excellent PSVR2 games you may not have heard about - and the team chat tech concerning a potential Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag remake. Finally, CD Projekt RED's opinions about the Cyberpunk 2077 launch have caused some minor controversy... but why?
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:25 News 01: Microsoft expects $400 PS5 Slim, sub-$300 “Project Q” handheld
00:19:24 News 02: Final Fantasy 16 gets motion blur options
00:28:17 News 03: John’s PSVR2 game roundup!
00:41:57 News 04: Assassin’s Creed 4: Blag Flag remake rumoured
00:46:59 News 05: CD Projekt claims Cyberpunk reception was overly harsh
01:01:14 Supporter Q1: Now that RT is here, what’s the next big real-time graphical breakthrough?
01:14:20 Supporter Q2: Why can’t DLSS be added to the Nvidia Control Panel?
01:15:41 Supporter Q3: Now that gamers are used to 60fps, will it be hard for developers to go back? Is it smarter to target 60fps even if it means cutbacks to resolution?
01:23:51 Supporter Q4: People often claim that game updates improve performance, when they often don’t. How can gamers get over the placebo effect here?
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