Digital Foundry Direct Weekly

We're not angry, we're just disappointed. And a touch baffled. Stupefied even. And actually, yeah, maybe a bit angry too. Just how did The Last of Us Part 1 launch on PC in the state it did? John, Rich and Alex discuss their impressions on the game, what went wrong with the port - and whether Sony should have launched it in this state at all. Meanwhile, it's a sad, sad day as E3 2023 is cancelled and the entire future of the Electronic Entertainment Expo looks bleak. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:59 News 01: TLOU Part 1 suffers performance problems on PC 00:39:37 News 02: Tears of the Kingdom gameplay showcase drops! 00:48:32 News 03: E3 2023 cancelled 01:00:16 News 04: Irem M92 emulation core created for MiSTER 01:06:12 Supporter Q1: Why is software Lumen cheaper than hardware Lumen, and could hardware Lumen be cheaper at the same precision? 01:08:31 Supporter Q2: Should Sony and Microsoft implement a 30fps cap option like the Steam Deck? Would there be technical hurdles? 01:12:28 Supporter Q3: How does DF prepare for various projects? Do you make explicit plans, or is it more free-form? 01:18:40 Supporter Q4: Could fully path-traced games bring back multi-GPU for gaming? 01:22:04 Supporter Q5: Thanks for the informative work! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's GDC week, with Alex, Rich and John discussing the big news from the latest events, including some exciting new Unreal Engine 5 developments, plus Nvidia's latest innovations in real-time path-traced gaming. Meanwhile, the team isn't that impressed by Elden Ring's RT upgrade, while EA's decision to delete a bunch of excellent Battlefield games doesn't go down particularly well either. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:58 News 01: Epic makes UE5 announcements at GDC! 00:35:20 News 02: Elden Ring RT patch drops… and disappoints 00:40:27 News 03: EA to delist several Battlefield games 00:46:38 News 04: Arkane looking into removing Redfall always-online requirement 00:49:14 News 05: Nightdive Studios bought by Atari 00:52:48 News 06: Outer Worlds performance update! 01:04:23 Supporter Q1: Is it reasonable for developers to deliver less ambitious PC versions, given the smaller market share the PC occupies? 01:10:53 Supporter Q2: Could a Switch 2 use Samsung’s 5nm process? Is an Ampere forward port or Lovelace back port a possibility? 01:13:10 Supporter Q3: Will increased server GPU demand due to AI keep consumer GPU prices high? 01:14:56 Supporter Q4: Could the rumoured PS5 Pro include new dedicated machine learning hardware, or is it too soon? 01:19:30 Supporter Q5: Do you have any recommendations for good lesser-known PS VR2 games? 01:25:13 Supporter Q6: As you celebrate DF Direct’s 2-year anniversary, what have you learned about yourselves through the process? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John, Alex and Will take to the mics this week to discuss the possibilities of some exciting iterations on gaming favourites. Do the recent reports of a PS5 Pro make sense? What about an OLED Steam Deck? And if Counter-Strike is so great, why isn't there a Counter-Strike 2? 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:24 News 01: Resident Evil 4 impressions! 00:13:53 News 02: PS5 Pro - is it coming? 00:25:01 News 03: Valve says Steam Deck OLED refresh unlikely 00:32:02 News 04: New Counter-Strike imminent? 00:44:30 News 05: Hands-on with Viture XR AR glasses! 00:47:53 Supporter Q1: Could Xbox Series consoles get small internal improvements, even without an enhanced model? 00:51:20 Supporter Q2: Is the Xbox Series DirectML support just PR? Or is it actually going to be transformative for games? 00:55:21 Supporter Q3: How do you purchase and research older equipment, like CRTs? 00:59:23 Supporter Q4: Could current-gen enhanced consoles run UE5 games at 60fps with hardware RT? 01:03:31 Supporter Q5: Weird Al is “All About the Pentiums”, so what arguments would you say to get him to switch to Zen 4? 01:05:17 Supporter Q6: Alex, what do you think the Next Big Thing is for PC graphics? 01:06:49 Supporter Q7: What do you think about forced DLSS 3 in games, like the PC version of Sackboy: A Big Adventure? 01:09:48 Supporter Q8: Do you still use simple pixel edge counting for determining the resolution of games? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A big week of news to discuss, with Oliver, Rich and Alex talking about Starfield's latest announcement and 'delay', plus the story that Suicide Squad will be pushed back in order to address the negative reaction to its State of Play gameplay reveal. Meanwhile, the COD war between Microsoft and Sony continues - and Halo Infinite on PC receives RT support. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:52 News 01: Starfield gets a release date, Suicide Squad delayed 00:11:18 News 02: The Last of Us Part 1 PC features detailed! 00:22:46 News 03: Sony-Microsoft feud escalates with dueling Call of Duty claims 00:36:50 News 04: Halo Infinite PC gets ray tracing! 00:44:14 Supporter Q1: Are in-house game engines becoming no longer feasible? 00:52:10 Supporter Q2: Would DF be interested in producing PC build videos? 00:57:41 Supporter Q3: With Moore’s Law slowing down, will PCs or consoles need to switch to ARM for performance gains? 01:03:33 Supporter Q4: Would Alex consider making a new “do you really need ultra settings” video, given the advent of new PC technologies like DLSS? 01:05:49 Supporter Q5: Where has Alex’s Crysis Shrine gone? Has it been destroyed by Alex’s rage over #StutterStruggle? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Baldur's Gate 3 isn't exclusive to any particular console, but right now, the Xbox versions are facing a unique problem that could impact the future of Series S. Meanwhile, John, Rich and Tom discuss the latest FF16 footage, the fate of Luminous Productions, Nvidia's new video AI upscaler and the impressive Humanity demo on PS5. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:45 News 01: Baldur’s Gate 3 hits Series S snag 00:16:27 News 02: Nvidia AI video upscaling tested! 00:24:06 News 03: Humanity demo impresses 00:30:12 News 04: Final Fantasy 16 gameplay footage showcased! 00:41:10 News 05: Luminous Productions merged into Square Enix 00:46:56 Supporter Q1: Do the new Pokémon and Chrono Cross patches fix those games? 00:50:39 Supporter Q2: Is there a database of Alex’s optimised settings for PC? 00:51:46 Supporter Q3: With more games launching in troubled form, do you think consumers will start holding off day one purchases? 00:58:00 Supporter Q4: Is this the best time to remake demanding 7th gen titles, now that console hardware has caught up to their ambitions? 01:03:25 Supporter Q5: Will this console generation last longer than 7 years? 01:08:43 Supporter Q6: If you could banish one gaming-related object or concept, what would it be? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a massive 100th Special Edition, DF Direct Weekly delivers the biggest show to date, with all current serving members of Digital Foundry at the mics. John, Alex, Rich and Audi take point on the main news stories of the week, joined by Tom, Will and Oliver for a gigantic supporter Q+A 'AMA' special. Thanks for watching and listening to the show over the last couple of years! 00:00:00 Introduction 00:03:00 News 01: State of Play impressions! 00:32:15 News 02: Microsoft makes Nintendo, Nvidia game deals 00:41:07 News 03: Half-Life gets ray tracing upgrade 00:45:15 Supporter Q1: If Audi is being held in Rich’s basement, wouldn’t he still be living overseas? 00:47:02 Supporter Q2: Could we see a performance difference between different Switch models in Tears of the Kingdom? 00:48:48 Supporter Q3: Series X has been performing worse than PS5 in some major recent titles - what’s the explanation? 00:54:51 Supporter Q4: Would you rather wait to do coverage on a game until major technical faults have been addressed, or run the risk of needing to redo big parts of the coverage as updates come in? 01:04:33 Supporter Q5: Alex, if you could pick a studio to develop a new Turok, who would you choose? 01:07:32 Supporter Q6: Tom, what do you think of the Suspira remake? And what dream film director plus game combination would you put together if you could? 01:10:23 Supporter Q7: John, what cars would you own if money was no object? And what’s your favourite factory car colour? 01:12:39 Supporter Q8: Will, what type of coffee roast do you prefer? Which country has the best coffee? 01:14:25 Supporter Q9: Oliver, what is your favourite part of the content creation process? 01:15:37 Supporter Q10: Rich, would you like to expand DF significantly or keep it as a smaller group? 01:17:37 Supporter Q11: What do you enjoy the most about each other’s videos? 01:25:11 Supporter Q12: John, how’s the racing wheel going? And does anyone else on the team enjoy some large sim gear? 01:30:05 Supporter Q13: Is Alex the only person who still uses the correct vertical orientation on controllers? 01:31:26 Supporter Q14: What are your favourite DF game benchmarks? 01:39:01 Supporter Q15: Tom, has anyone pointed out that you look like the lead singer from the band Nothing More? 01:39:52 Supporter Q16: Tom, can you give us a thorough walkthrough of your haircare routine? 01:42:27 Supporter Q17: Which hardware release have you been most excited for? 01:49:30 Supporter Q18: Have recent struggles with PC games made any of you play more on consoles? 01:56:13 Supporter Q19: I’ve watched nearly 6 days of DF Direct! Are there any fun DF stats you can share? 02:00:44 Supporter Q20: John, how did you meet the guys from My Life in Gaming? 02:02:48 Supporter Q21: Oliver, what did you think of the time the BBC quoted you on Mario Kart 8? 02:03:56 Supporter Q22: Alex, are you a German native? If not, how did your German language skills get so good? 02:06:22 Supporter Q23: What have you learned about DF supporters that has surprised you? 02:09:13 Supporter Q24: Rich, what do you look for when hiring for DF? 02:11:05 Supporter Q25: No question, but thanks for making amazing videos! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We join John, Rich and Alex in the immediate wake of the PSVR2 review period, further discussing the hardware, talking games and answering supporter questions. Rich and Alex investigate a tip-off that DLSS is accessible on select Nvidia non-RTX GPUs in Cyberpunk 2077, while John and Rich discuss issues with games they looked at outside of work hours - Wild Hearts on PC and the new Tales of Symphonia remaster. Spoilers: there's disappointment. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:11 News 01: PSVR2 Post Mortem 00:28:38 News 02: Cyberpunk exposes DLSS support on Nvidia Turing GTX cards - but is it the real deal? 00:36:01 News 03: Wild Hearts suffers PC performance woes 00:46:32 News 04: Tales of Symphonia remastered disappoints 00:51:10 News 05: Nuon DVD player console gets new lease on life with controller adapters 00:55:52 DF Supporter Q1: Can DF still capture direct-feed footage off an undocked Switch? 00:59:51 DF Supporter Q2: Why do PC games do a poor job of optimizing settings for your specific hardware? 01:06:53 DF Supporter Q3: Could frame generation technology be used to offload game animation onto the GPU? 01:08:36 DF Supporter Q4: Could DLSS 3 double the frame-rates of emulated retro games? 01:10:54 DF Supporter Q5: Would FSR 1 style upscaling work for backwards compatible titles on consoles? 01:12:51 DF Supporter Q6: The RTX 2000 series had a bit of a slow start with few RT titles, so should the RTX 3000 series have been the first to support RT instead? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A big week for news as the first phase of Sony's PlayStation VR2 embargo decloaks, meaning we can take the hardware out of its box and offer first impressions on the headset and controllers! Meanwhile. the latest Nintendo Direct turns out to be a bit of a banger - Pikmin 4 takes centrestage, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom gets a new trailer and the brilliant Metroid Prime Remastered gets a surprise 'shadow drop'. Also: why are PC VRAM requirements becoming so bloated? 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:07 News 01: PS VR2 hands-on impressions! 00:14:25 News 02: Nintendo Direct reactions: Pikmin, Zelda, Metroid Prime 00:41:46 News 03: Hogwarts Legacy coverage plans 00:45:57 DF Supporter Q1: Avatar 2 mixes 24fps and 48fps footage - is this a good idea? 00:50:37 DF Supporter Q2: What can we expect in terms of timing for a Switch successor? 00:55:08 DF Supporter Q3/4: CPU performance is bottlenecking modern games - can developers work around this? Plus, ninth-gen games haven’t shown the expected bump in simulation complexity, so are the additional CPU resources just going towards draw calls and RT? 01:02:58 DF Supporter Q5: Will PC VRAM requirements continue to steeply increase throughout this generation, or is this a short-term phenomenon? 01:09:25 DF Supporter Q6: Why don’t console games support 50Hz output, given that nearly all TVs support it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's time for another round of Digital Foundry Direct Weekly, on this occasion featuring the technical stylings of Sam Machkovech, John Linneman and Alex Battaglia. On the docket this week: layoffs at Halo developer 343 Industries amid a rumoured switch to Unreal Engine 5, a new PS5 beta firmware and is it 'safe' to move to Windows 11 on a gaming rig? 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:53 News 01: Halo developer suffers layoffs, switching to UE5 00:17:37 News 02: Major live service games canceled 00:27:11 News 03: DLSS 3 added to Cyberpunk 2077, Dying Light 2 00:36:21 News 04: The Witcher 3 gets RT performance boosts 00:43:11 News 05: Goldeneye launches on Xbox, Switch 00:53:56 News 06: PS5 beta firmware adds 1440p VRR support 01:05:04 DF Supporter Q1: Sam, you called the RTX 4090 a bargain. What other bargains do you recommend? 01:09:04 DF Supporter Q2: Have you tested copying the shader cache from one PC to another to eliminate shader stutter? 01:10:08 DF Supporter Q3: Could Square Enix be in financial trouble after Forspoken’s poor reception? 01:13:51 DF Supporter Q4: With PS VR2 pre-orders reportedly lower than expected, could the VR2 go the way of the Vita? 01:18:58 DF Supporter Q5: Do you think that it is safe to move to Windows 11 on a gaming rig? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At Digital Foundry, we've been complaining about gaming events - and the way games are shown - for years... but you know what? Microsoft's Developer_Direct cracks it, with only one more aspect required to make the format almost perfect. But what's not perfect? The release of Forspoken, especially on PC. John, Rich and Alex are at the mics to discuss all of this - and more. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:44 News 01: Microsoft "Developer_Direct" reactions! 00:41:50 News 02: Forspoken released- and there are issues 00:58:12 News 03: Dead Space: our early impressions 01:06:03 DF Supporter Q1: Will you be covering the RTX 4050 at launch? What are your pricing expectations? 01:08:55 DF Supporter Q2: Could generative AI power an “auto-remaster” feature to upgrade game graphics in real time? 01:14:08 DF Supporter Q3: What kind of performance leap should we expect from a Switch sequel? 01:20:10 DF Supporter Q4: When will DirectStorage support become the norm for PC developers? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A packed week of news as John, Rich and Alex discuss the elevated min specs for the PC versions of Forspoken and Returnal, which beg the question: ARE MIN SPECS OUT OF CONTROL?!11 Meanwhile, Stadia finally dies, while GeForce Now 4080 arrives to demonstrate that high-end cloud gaming can actually work. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:58 News 01: Forspoken and Returnal PC requirements detailed 00:21:55 News 02: Layoffs at Microsoft: 343 and Bethesda affected 00:29:20 News 03: PSVR2 launch titles announced 00:38:16 News 04: Stadia dead, RTX 4080 Geforce Now launches 00:49:11 News 05: Suicide Squad leak reveals games as a service components 00:56:24 News 06: The Callisto Protocol falls short of sales expectations 01:01:08 DF Supporter Q1: Why did Unreal Engine 3 games have that ‘wet’ look? 01:05:57 DF Supporter Q2: What are your CPU recommendations for demanding games? 01:09:05 DF Supporter Q3: How do your computers and consoles affect your home heating and cooling? 01:12:23 DF Supporter Q4: If you have a 120Hz screen running 60fps content, what is the best way to get a good experience? 01:15:29 DF Supporter Q5: What is the most memorable show you’ve attended? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The big topic of the moment - has Nintendo Switch hit its limits? Is performance not good enough anymore and do we need a next-gen successor? John, Rich and Alex share their thoughts on the current Switch and a prospective replacement model. The team also discuss Microsoft's new Developer_Direct initiative, Xbox's 'carbon aware' credentials and finally... what on earth is happening at Ubisoft? 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:37 News 01: Does the Switch need to be replaced? 00:30:33 News 02: Xbox “Developer_Direct” to showcase first-party games 00:39:30 News 03: Xbox becomes “first carbon aware console” 00:49:43 News 04: Ubisoft has financial difficulties, cancels several upcoming games 00:57:01 DF Supporter Q1: Should Microsoft switch to rechargeable batteries for their controllers? 01:03:31 DF Supporter Q2/3/4: Any thoughts on the PS5 liquid metal console damage story? 01:09:42 DF Supporter Q5: Could shader compilation be handled with a separate app while the PC idles? 01:14:52 DF Supporter Q6: In 10 years, will high-end PCs be able to brute force their way past compilation stutters? 01:18:19 DF Supporter Q7: What do you think about gaming laptops? Is their negative perception just because of price for performance, or is there more to it? 01:23:03 DF Supporter Q8: What does DF think of producing the weekly DF Direct show at 4K? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

DF Direct Weekly is back for 2023, kicking off with the reactions of John, Rich and Alex to the big CES keynotes, discussing Nvidia's latest innovations and the RTX 4070 Ti backlash - plus the latest enhancements to OLED TV technology. And as always, DF supporters provide a wealth of excellent questions for the team. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:25 News 01: Sony at CES 2023: PS VR2 and Gran Turismo 00:15:37 News 02: Nvidia debuts RTX 4000 laptop GPUs, RTX video upscaling at CES 00:50:27 News 03: AMD announces new CPUs, discrete RDNA 3 laptop GPUs during CES showcase 01:01:02 News 04: Upcoming OLED TVs get brightness boost 01:06:42 DF Supporter Q1: Could modders add shader precompilation to a game? 01:09:09 DF Supporter Q2: Are path traced remakes of classic games feasible on consoles? 01:11:22 DF Supporter Q3: Would DF produce a video covering ray tracing games on Series S? 01:12:39 DF Supporter Q4: What do you think DF has done right over the years to survive - and to keep growing? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The end of the year draws closer and as the Digital Foundry crew prepare to take a well-earned vacation, John, Rich and Oliver have just enough time to cram in one more DF Direct Weekly, looking back over a challenging 2022, looking forward to the New Year - and cramming in more supporter Q+A than we've ever done before! 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:35 DF Supporter Q1: What does Epic’s delisting of classic Unreal games say about the preservation of older titles? 00:08:24 DF Supporter Q2: What was the most successful cross-gen release of the year? 00:12:40 DF Supporter Q3: Could an Xbox One X set to 120Hz output 24fps game content without judder? 00:14:28 DF Supporter Q4: Why do PCs have to compile shaders while consoles don’t? 00:19:23 DF Supporter Q5: Can you name some positive developments in gaming this year? 00:26:37 DF Supporter Q6: What was your surprise game of 2022 - and your most disappointing game of 2022? 00:32:33 DF Supporter Q7: What was the most technically complete game of the year? 00:37:22 DF Supporter Q8: With TAAU a common sight on consoles, why exactly were we waiting for FSR 2? 00:41:04 DF Supporter Q9: Does Oliver have any thoughts on his time with DF so far? And does the team have any ideas to improve or shake up future content? 00:47:25 DF Supporter Q10: With so many big 2023 games and hardware releases, what are you looking forward to most in 2023? 00:50:26 DF Supporter Q11: If the Switch 2 launches in 2023, what kind of hardware is it likely to have? 00:58:06 DF Supporter Q12: Do you think Nintendo would add an option to Switch to allow it to run at docked settings in portable mode? 01:00:05 DF Supporter Q13: Could FSR 3 run on current-gen consoles? If it could, would it be worthwhile? 01:03:45 DF Supporter Q14: Would DF members ever make videos about their all-time favourite games? 01:06:05 DF Supporter Q15: Will Tears of the Kingdom have a significant graphical upgrade over Breath of the Wild? 01:09:21 DF Supporter Q16: Will DF do more frequent live streams next year? 01:11:40 DF Supporter Q17: With the year of the PS Triple almost over, any chance of a “Best PS3 Game” in your game of the year lists? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is slated for release in 'Fall' 2023, Kojima's helping to make a movie, Steam Deck is set to get a successor - and Returnal's recommendations include a mammoth 32GB of memory. All this, plus discussion of the RDNA 3 review aftermath in this week's show. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:00 News 01: Spider-Man 2 to launch in fall 2023 00:08:51 News 02: Death Stranding film in the works 00:14:45 News 03: Valve discusses Steam Deck successor 00:26:45 News 04: RX 7900 XT/XTX review follow-up! 00:51:34 News 05: Returnal PC requirements announced 00:57:39 News 06: High on Life launches with major issues, quickly patched 01:06:54 DF Supporter Q1: Which games would you like to get RTX Remix enhancements? 01:10:51 DF Supporter Q2: Why doesn’t DLSS significantly lower VRAM use? 01:12:22 DF Supporter Q3: Would you ever release the DF performance analysis tools to the public? 01:17:05 DF Supporter Q4: Alex, would you prefer to play a game with great ray tracing with PSO stutters, or a game without ray tracing with no stutters? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Game Awards - aka 'The Geoffs' - are back once again, bringing a deluge of new trailers and announcements for Rich, John and Alex to pore over in the latest DF Direct Weekly. Meanwhile, Stadia devkits are starting to emerge and Microsoft is raising game prices - but before all of that, the team takes a look at a dramatically improved build of The Callisto Protocol on PC. The Game Awards - aka 'The Geoffs' - are back once again, bringing a deluge of new trailers and announcements for Rich, John and Alex to pore over in the latest DF Direct Weekly. Meanwhile, Stadia devkits are starting to emerge and Microsoft is raising game prices - but before all of that, the team takes a look at a dramatically improved build of The Callisto Protocol on PC. Join the DF Patreon for EARLY ACCESS to every DF Direct Weekly, pristine video downloads, behind the scenes content and much, much more: https://bit.ly/3jEGjvx Podcast RSS Feed: https://digitalfoundry.podbean.com/ Subscribe for more Digital Foundry: http://bit.ly/DFSubscribe 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:59 News 01: Callisto Protocol PC updates 00:09:12 News 02: The Game Awards game reveal rundown! 00:50:33 News 03: Stadia devkits dissected, analyzed 00:54:03 News 04: Microsoft increases game prices to $70 01:01:21 DF Supporter Q1: Is Alex doing better this week? Has DF considered doing numbered ratings to send a message about certain issues? 01:04:37 DF Supporter Q2: Would you consider giving a “seal of quality” to games that meet technical standards? 01:05:44 DF Supporter Q3: Would you prefer to play on a huge projector screen, or a top-of-the-line OLED TV? 01:08:46 DF Supporter Q4: Portal RTX demands DLSS, so is Quality, Balanced, or Performance the best DLSS preset? 01:13:04 DF Supporter Q5: Rich, do you still think that Xbox OS and PlayStation OS will become interchangeable on consoles? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a challenging week reviewing The Callisto Protocol and awaiting various performance patches, Alex, John and Rich unload about the triumphs and tragedies of the launch period, while reflecting on how good the game actually is. Meanwhile, Nintendo's promising improvements to Pokémon Scarlet/Violet, modders tackle Sonic Frontier's shortcomings - and Jesus Christ himself appears, rendered at 4K60 on RTX 4090. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:37 News 01: Callisto Protocol review aftermath 00:33:04 News 02: Poké-patch arrives for Scarlet/Violet, Nintendo apologizes 00:36:06 News 03: Fixes arrive for Sonic Frontiers 00:41:23 News 04: I am Jesus Christ Prologue: biblically-accurate graphics! 00:46:53 DF Supporter Q1: Which Switch games look better than you would expect? 00:50:54 DF Supporter Q2: Given the success of the Steam Deck, should Valve do Steam Machines again? 00:54:03 DF Supporter Q3: Who will implement a Nanite-style virtualized geometry system next? 00:58:28 DF Supporter Q4: Why do some games have broken physics when you increase the frame-rate? 01:03:14 DF Supporter Q5: Could Nvidia offer new tech as a paid subscription in the future? 01:06:54 DF Supporter Q6: If you could bring back a dormant Activision/Blizzard IP, which would it be? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Will we have to wait until 2028 for new consoles from Microsoft and Sony? And how are the two companies at war over Call of Duty? Audi, John and Rich discuss, also covering news on The Witcher 3's upgrade plus the latest news about The Callisto Protocol. Meawhile, what on Earth is the Boner in Berlin? 00:00:00 Introduction 00:02:31 News 01: Next-gen consoles to launch in 2027/2028? 00:13:41 News 02: Microsoft and Sony engaged in Call of Duty value dispute 00:27:01 News 03: Witcher 3 current-gen + PC upgrades revealed! 00:37:34 News 04: Callisto Protocol leaks and reveals 00:46:45 News 05: The Game Awards nominees announced 00:55:39 News 06: Warzone 2.0 tested! 01:07:17 DF Content Discussion: What has Audi been up to? 01:10:43 DF Supporter Q1: Given the performance woes of the new Pokémon games, does the industry need to re-evaluate yearly franchises? 01:18:10 DF Supporter Q2: How does being multilingual help the DF team? 01:24:05 DF Supporter Q3: With GPU/CPU stock still on store shelves, have AMD and Nvidia misjudged the market? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the latest episode, John, Rich and Alex share observations, thoughts and hopes for The Witcher 3's forthcoming re-release and there's discussion on Epic's improvements to Unreal Engine 5, plus thoughts on RTX 4080/4070 Ti pricing. Meanwhile, what on earth is happening with Pokémon Violet and Scarlet polish and performance? 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:48 News 01: Witcher 3 next-gen patch incoming 00:12:48 News 02: Unreal Engine 5.1 delivers big improvements 00:27:29 News 03: RTX 4080 released! 00:44:35 News 04: Gamers Nexus solves 4090 power connector mystery 00:50:35 News 05: DLSS 3 gets frame-limiter to overcome vsync issue 01:00:42 News 06: Pokémon Violet and Scarlet suffer serious tech issues 01:07:33 DF Supporter Q1: Why don’t we ever get anisotropic filtering above 16x? 01:10:03 DF Supporter Q2: Why does the PS5 reserve 1.5 cores for the OS, leaving only 6.5 for games? 01:16:51 DF Supporter Q3: Is Elden Ring a good candidate for game of the year, given its performance problems? 01:18:34 DF Supporter Q4: Are game developers relying too much on DLSS? 01:24:21 DF Supporter Q5: When will Audi be released from Rich’s basement and appear in videos again? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's been a lot of debate recently about whether Xbox Series S's limited performance is 'holding back' the other consoles from being everything that they can be - so Rich, John and Alex weigh in with their opinions based on developer discussions and two years' worth of gaming data accrued by the channel. Meanwhile, it's all about the patches as Forza Horizon, Sackboy PC and Halo Infinite receive important updates. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:18 News 01: Is Series S limiting next-gen gaming? 00:23:32 News 02: Forza Horizon 5 patch brings DLSS, FSR 2, improved RT 00:34:13 News 03: Sackboy PC updated to eliminate #StutterStruggle! 00:43:26 News 04: Halo Infinite gets animation fix… but many issues remain 00:52:44 News 05: “Unlaunched” 4080 12GB to become 4070 Ti? 01:01:40 News 06: Mega Drive Mini 2 released! 01:08:42 DF Supporter Q1: With AMD focused on raster performance, is this an indication most gamers don’t care about ray tracing? 01:17:08 DF Supporter Q2: What’s the most impressive game to play on a new high-end PC system? 01:22:09 DF Supporter Q3: Should developers include advanced modes in console games to enhance future backwards compatibility? 01:25:07 DF Supporter Q4: How do you think the current economic environment will impact next-gen consoles? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A big, big week for PC and console gamers as AMD emerges to showcase its new RDNA 3-powered RX 7900 XTX and RX 7900 XT graphics cards with Rich, Will and Alex delivering their verdict on the reveal. Also, what to make of the PSVR2 launch line-up and pricing? Meanwhile, the realisation that new gaming tech is going up in price hits home as it's discovered that Microsoft is losing $100-$200 per console sold. 00:00:35 News 01: RDNA 3 unveiled! 00:24:15 News 02: FSR 3 frame-rate boost tech teased 00:31:26 News 03: How does RDNA 3 measure up against RTX 4000? 00:45:18 News 04: RT upgrades in Halo Infinite, Forspoken, and Snowdrop 00:51:31 News 05: PS VR2 release details announced 00:59:33 News 06: Microsoft takes $100-200 loss on Xbox Series consoles 01:03:51 News 07: Sackboy PC Stutter Struggles + shader compilation questions 01:11:47 DF Supporter Q1: What’s the best value CPU + motherboard + RAM combination for a PC? 01:15:41 DF Supporter Q2: Was FSR 2 really worth it for the Series X version of Scorn? 01:18:09 DF Supporter Q3: IS ALEX GERMAN OR AMERICAN? I MUST KNOW. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John, Rich and Alex re-convene to share first impressions on the new God of War and the extent to which it leverages PlayStation 5. Meanwhile, rumours start to gather pace on AMD's RDNA 3 offerings, Microsoft hints at price increases - and what should we make of the Modern Warfare 2 PS4 Blu-ray with just 70MB of actual data on it? 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:37 News 01: God of War Ragnarök impressions! 00:16:54 News 02: AMD RDNA 3 GPU reveal incoming 00:26:05 News 03: Xbox price increases hinted by Phil Spencer 00:35:33 News 04: Original The Witcher game gets UE5 remake 00:40:18 News 05: Age of Empires makes console return on Xbox 00:44:23 News 06: MW2 uses just 70MB of data on PS5 disc 00:49:33 DF Supporter Q1: Is it feasible to launch a current-gen game at 30fps and later patch in 60fps support? 00:52:42 DF Supporter Q2: With most games supporting high frame-rate options, was cross-gen a good thing? 00:58:16 DF Supporter Q3: Why do 30fps games look so much better now than they used to? 01:02:37 DF Supporter Q4: What retro genres should be brought back? 01:06:10 DF Supporter Q5: Will DLSS 3 be on the next Switch? Could it be enough for 4K60? 01:10:35 DF Supporter Q6: I loved Rich’s shirt last week - any other shirt ideas? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Will the end of the cross-gen console era also see the end of 60fps as the standard for gaming on Xbox Series and PlayStation 5? It's the big topic for this week in the wake of the arrival of Gotham Knights and A Plague Tale: Requiem. Also, the team shares its enthusiasm for the return of Silent Hill, Resident Evil 4 and the latest Final Fantasy 16 trailer. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:05 News 01: Gotham Knights and Plague Tale run at just 30fps on consoles 00:26:39 News 02: Silent Hill returns! 00:40:33 News 03: Resident Evil 4 remake gameplay trailer released 00:48:16 News 04: Final Fantasy 16 gets impressive new story trailer 00:55:33 DF Content Discussion: Uncharted PC: Review Code vs Day One Patch 01:05:39 DF Supporter Q1: What performance should we expect from consoles once FSR and SSDs are maximized? 01:10:00 DF Supporter Q2: How much performance loss will I see by using a 4090 in an older system? 01:12:47 DF Supporter Q3: If an emulated game has an improved frame-rate, should gameplay be adjusted to compensate? 01:14:04 DF Supporter Q4: Why don’t developers offer higher bitrate versions of game video files as an optional download? 01:18:53 DF Supporter Q5: With many PC gamers on 144Hz displays, why not do benchmarking at 72Hz instead of 60Hz? 01:20:58 DF Supporter Q6: Was Gotham Knights sabotaged just to spite Rich? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nvidia delivers a massive u-turn, 'unlauching' the RTX 4080 12GB. Rich, John and Alex discuss the reasons why and mull over the bizarre benchmarks revealed by the firm last week. In the meantime, with the RTX 4090 launched with coverage aplenty out there, the team discuss the reaction to the new GPU flagship and answer a bunch of supporter questions. Meanwhile, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales is set to receive even more RT upgrades over the PS5 version - just how far could it be pushed? 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:24 News 01: Nvidia “unlaunches” RTX 4080 12GB 00:21:21 News 02: RTX 4090 launched: our coverage + supporter questions 01:10:30 News 03: Spider-Man: Miles Morales gets big PC boosts 01:06:58 News 04: Two unique unreleased NES games listed for sale 01:10:32 DF Supporter Q1: Was it a good idea for CD Projekt Red to announce so many new games at once? 01:13:59 DF Supporter Q2: Why can’t I disable TAA and upscaling on console games? 01:17:16 DF Supporter Q3: Is an Nvidia/AMD/Intel GPU market sustainable? 01:23:57 DF Supporter Q4: Modern GPUs are 200x as powerful as the best GPU in 2007, so do modern games look 200x better than Crysis? 01:26:04 DF Supporter Q5: Could future LG OLED TVs offer 4K/240Hz to suit high-end GPUs? 01:29:05 DF Supporter Q6: John: give us a eulogy for Google Stadia! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The leak of a Sony document suggesting the existence of a remake for Horizon Zero Dawn kicks off our discussion, which encompasses PSVR2 mass production, rumours of Half-Life Alyx for the new headset, path-traced Quake, the new Need for Speed - and much, much more. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:58 News 01: Horizon Zero Dawn PS5 remake leaked! 00:12:00 News 02: PSVR 2 enters mass production 00:18:53 News 03: Ray-traced Quake 1 released 00:25:10 News 04: New gameplay trailer for Dead Space remake 00:31:31 News 05: Need for Speed: Unbound revealed, dated 00:38:59 News 06: Nintendo shows first trailer for Mario film 00:45:45 DF Content Discussion: Intel ARC review follow-up and questions 01:01:30 DF Supporter Q1: Is there a project that was just too big for DF Retro? 01:03:39 DF Supporter Q2: Will Unreal Engine 5.1 fix the #StutterStruggle? 01:04:55 DF Supporter Q3: What’s a game you love that is largely unknown? 01:10:35 DF Supporter Q4: What potential RDNA 3 feature could get people to switch to AMD? 01:16:27 DF Supporter Q5: Is there any reason to use last-gen hardware instead of current gen backwards compatibility for PS4/Xbox One games? 01:18:43 DF Supporter Q6: Why don’t developers use DLSS 2/XESS/FSR 2.0 to upscale RT effects? 01:21:43 DF Supporter Q7: What game would you like to see remade that will never happen? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The upcoming demise of Google Stadia dominates discussion, but we find plenty of time to discuss a range of topics: PS5's new 6nm processor, the arrival of XeSS and the imminent deployment of Intel Arc, the quality of Ryzen 7000 CPUs and the challenges of CPU reviewing in general, DLSS 3 reaction and EVEN MORE. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:48 News 01: Google Stadia is shutting down 00:20:00 News 02: PS5 gets a die-shrink! 00:23:31 News 03: XeSS debuts, Arc A750/A770 priced 00:37:13 News 04: New Ryzen 7000 CPUs reviewed 00:57:49 News 05: Sony PC game announcements, leaks 01:02:18 DF Content Discussion: DLSS 3 reactions and follow-up 01:07:48 DF Supporter Q1: Is latency a big issue with DLSS 3? Could a future version have unnoticeable lag? 01:10:22 DF Supporter Q2: Could tech similar to DLSS 3 come to consoles? 01:11:40 DF Supporter Q3: Would a slower version of DLSS 3 be able to run on Ampere cards? 01:13:48 DF Supporter Q4: Is vendor-agnostic frame generation tech similar to DLSS 3 possible? 01:16:40 DF Supporter Q5: How does DLSS 3 cope with RT effects? 01:19:14 DF Supporter Q6: Would DLSS 2 Quality mode work better as a base for DLSS 3 than Performance mode? 01:22:15 DF Supporter Q7: What do you expect from AMD’s new graphics cards? 01:28:47 DF Supporter Q8: Thoughts on EVGA leaving the GPU market? 01:32:45 DF Supporter Q9: Is 8K excessive? Shouldn’t we focus on visual features and not pixel count? 01:35:13 DF Supporter Q10: Could PCs move to unified memory instead of two discrete memory pools? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's show, the team discuss the Nvidia RTX 4000 reveal, the new tech on offer and the backlash over RTX 4080 pricing. The new RT Overdrive rendition of Cyberpunk is discussed along with the rich potential of RTX Remix. Elsewhere, PS1 Classics' first European 60Hz release proves to be fundamentally flawed, John has issues with the new Star Ocean demo - but it looks like there's good news about improvements to Xbox's restrictive DRM. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:43 News 01: Nvidia announces 4090, 4080 graphics cards 00:21:59 News 02: DLSS 3.0 revealed! 00:42:19 News 03: RTX Remix modding tools impress 00:47:33 News 04: RT “Overdrive” patch teased for Cyberpunk 2077 00:52:38 News 05: Xbox DRM scaled back for disc games 00:58:48 News 06: NTSC/PAL switching for PS+ classic games introduced 01:02:05 News 07: New Star Ocean demo suffers performance woes 01:06:21 DF Supporter Q1: Given the leak of the Tegra T239, a likely Switch SOC, when is the new Switch going to be released? 01:12:32 DF Supporter Q2: How much difference does memory speed make in games? 01:14:07 DF Supporter Q3: Do you think Konami will go back to developing new big games? 01:16:51 DF Supporter Q4: What are your thoughts on the GTA 6 leak? 01:22:49 DF Supporter Q5: Rich, did you imagine yourself doing this sort of work 20 years ago? And what’s one game you need to have a physical version of? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Digital Foundry is joined by Eurogamer's Ian Higton to discuss PlayStation VR 2 in extreme detail, followed up by John, Alex and Rich discussing the week's gaming and technology news - with a strong focus on the Tokyo Games Show and its surrounding Sony State of Play and Nintendo Direct mini-events. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:41 News 01: PSVR 2 hands-on impressions! 00:48:22 News 02: Sony’s latest State of Play 01:10:05 News 03: New Nintendo Direct showcases 2023 games 01:25:46 News 04: Suikoden I and II remasters announced 01:28:41 News 05: Uncharted PC collection finally dated! 01:32:51 DF Content Discussion: John’s upcoming DF Retro project 01:34:51 DF Supporter Q1: Could AI techniques be used for more exotic real-time image enhancements? 01:39:44 DF Supporter Q2: Why does John still like split-screen when he could just play on two consoles in the same room? 01:42:53 DF Supporter Q3: What is one of the biggest changes you’ve made to a video before release? 01:48:28 DF Supporter Q4: What’s the best cheap alternative to OLEDs with similar picture characteristics? 01:51:17 DF Supporter Q5: Is it really worth it to target 4K at 30 FPS? 01:55:40 DF Supporter Q6: When playing a PC game at 30 FPS, why not play at 30Hz instead of 60Hz with a frame-rate cap? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The team discuss the arrival of a brand new PlayStation 5 revision, the arrival of 1440p support for the console - and the ongoing war over COD between Sony and Microsoft. Meanwhile, Halo Infinite's campaign co-op split-screen cancellation provokes frustration... and who is 'Jim Mattrick'...? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's been a rocky road to market for Intel with its Arc range of graphics cards... and just over a year since Intel talked to us about it. In this extended interview, Alex and Rich talk to Intel Fellow Tom Petersen about the state of play with Intel Arc, what's going on with DX11, DX12, Vulcan and Resizeable BAR, plus there's new information on XeSS upscaling (which we're currently testing) and what Intel says is best-in-class ray tracing performance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've looked at how the Last of Us Part 1 compares with prior TLOU versions, we've detailed all of the various performance modes, what they do and how they work. Now, we get down to brass tacks. Is this a game that actually required a remake? Is it worth the money? John Linneman and Oliver Mackenzie share notes and come to the conclusion that yes, it is. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What should have been a celebration of gaming with the arrival of Gamescom 2022 is marred by a bunch of bad news - including price rises for PlayStation 5 in multiple territories that are not the United States of America and the mooted arrival of Denuvo DRM for... Nintendo Switch? As John and Rich seem to continually remind us the episode... it's not great. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:37 News 01: Sony bumps PS5 prices! 00:16:17 News 02: Denuvo DRM launches on Switch 00:27:26 News 03: “Super Mario RTX” UE5 demo footage released 00:32:32 News 04: Impressions from Gamescom! 00:52:14 News 05: Intel showcases XeSS in new video 00:59:33 News 06: Pac-Man World Re-Pac packs 50Hz physics 01:01:56 DF Supporter Q1: Should I get an RTX 3070 now, or wait for RTX 4060/4070? 01:09:01 DF Supporter Q2: Which older proprietary engines do you wish were still being developed on? 01:12:59 DF Supporter Q3: Could 360/PS3 have gotten mid-gen enhanced consoles? 01:15:59 DF Supporter Q4: If Japan had gone with the PAL television standard, would 25fps/50fps have been the gold standard for games? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

DF Weekly reaches its three-quarter-century this week, with John, Rich and Will discussing evidence of Sony creating its own PSN launcher for its PC titles, a fascinating inteview with Astro's Playroom developer Team Asobi, more GPU price madness and Intel video card discussion - plus, a remarkable new voxelised version of Doom! 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:41 News 01: PlayStation PC game launcher to come? 00:11:10 News 02: Team Asobi interview hints at new game 00:19:03 News 03: Sonic Mania decompiled… and ported to Vita! 00:25:19 News 04: Intel ARC GPUs finally for sale outside of Asia + A380 performance discussion 00:37:53 News 05: GPU prices collapse! 00:46:14 News 06: New DOOM mod replaces sprites with 3D voxels 00:49:44 DF Content Discussion: New DF website launch 00:54:26 DF Content Discussion: DF Retro on the Klonoa series 00:59:21 DF Supporter Q1: Do 240Hz OLEDs have good enough motion clarity to match CRTs? 01:04:41 DF Supporter Q2: Could the Steam Deck be sold in mass-market retail stores? 01:09:08 DF Supporter Q3: Why do Insomniac’s VRR modes get high praise, given their inconsistent performance? 01:13:26 DF Supporter Q4: What are some examples of high-end PC game options that never run well, even with new hardware? 01:16:46 DF Supporter Q5: Will Rich ever go back to doing unboxing videos? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's been a challenging week for Digital Foundry as the review process for Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered was set back twice owing to patch updates. So what actually went on, why was some of the embargoed review content out of date on embargo day, how was the game improved and where do we stand right now on day one - the day this Direct was filmed? 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:57 News 01: Spider-Man Remastered released on PC! 00:27:05 News 02: Boneworks gets Metal Gear Solid mod 00:35:30 News 03: RTX 4070/4080 power consumption less than expected? 00:42:48 DF Update: DF site upgrade + Half-Life charity stream 00:46:01 DF Supporter Q1: Is Rich surprised DF Direct has run this long? 00:47:52 DF Supporter Q2: Was the Xbox BC program cancelled for licensing reasons or technical issues? 00:52:54 DF Supporter Q3: Could Microsoft introduce lower-feature OS modes to free up more performance on Series S? 00:55:37 DF Supporter Q4: How much will RT improve with efficiency improvements alone this generation? 00:59:23 DF Supporter Q5: What are your favourite methods of implementing complex graphical effects in retro games? 01:06:54 DF Supporter Q6: Would Sony ever release a new portable PlayStation system? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PlayStation icon Kratos arrives on ALL Xbox consoles in one of the most unlikeliest stories we've ever seen, while Xbox Series S gets more memory delivered to game-makers via a development kit update. Meanwhile, John, Rich and Alex discuss the seemingly incredible perf boosts we should expect from the next-gen Nvidia GPUs, while Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origins gets a PC AA/DLSS upgrade. All this - AND MORE - in this episode of DF Direct Weekly! 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:57 News 01: War Gods Zeus of Child hits Xbox consoles! 00:13:59 News 02: Xbox Series S to receive memory boost in new GDK 00:25:28 News 03: Lovelace GPUs reportedly very, very fast 00:35:59 News 04: Stranger of Paradise gets DLSS upgrade 00:38:58 News 05: Return to Castle Wolfenstein gets new PC release 00:51:59 News 06: Analogue Pocket gets beta 1.1 firmware 00:55:39 DF Content Discussion: Upcoming DF Retro projects! 00:57:44 DF Supporter Q1: What does John think of the new RetroTINK 5X updates? 01:02:59 DF Supporter Q2: Does HDR impact game performance? 01:04:22 DF Supporter Q3: How do low-power systems like the Steam Deck slot into DF coverage? 01:11:25 DF Supporter Q4: How did you enjoy your vacations? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the DF Direct Weekly "Hot Beast" Edition as John and Rich return from holiday to join Alex Battaglia for an extended discussion on the week's news, covering the surprise reveal of 1440p display support for PlayStation 5, an official look at more of The Last of Us Part 1, the highs and lows of VR - and Alex's Core i9-12900K PC upgrade! 00:00:43 News 01: 1440p output support in new PS5 beta firmware 00:13:49 News 02: TLOU Part 1 gameplay showcase video released 00:20:31 News 03: PSVR 2 features detailed, Quest 2 price increased 00:34:10 News 04: Xbox boot times shortened with faster boot video 00:39:07 News 05: Returnal port updated with Steam Deck support 00:43:38 DF Content Discussion: Alex’s i9-12900K upgrade 00:59:28 DF Supporter Q1: Given the stutter issues on Unreal Engine, is it better to just play UE games on consoles? 01:07:45 DF Supporter Q2: Is there a way to get pre-cached shaders for EGS games on Steam Deck? 01:09:39 DF Supporter Q3: Why do so many Switch games lack anti-aliasing? 01:13:55 DF Supporter Q4: DLSS has a fixed cost, so have you ever seen a scenario where DLSS was slower than regular rendering? 01:15:43 DF Supporter Q5: If the next Switch can achieve performance similar to Series S, will major third party games come back to Nintendo? 01:19:46 DF Supporter Q6: When playing on PC, what is your personal target frame rate? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's something of a DF Direct special this week, as regular co-host Alex Battaglia is joined by two insightful guests: Sam 'samred' Machkovech of Ars Technica and Addie 'EposVox' of... YouTube. The trio tackle the week's news - including the first details on the Spider-Man Remastered PC port, leaked footage from the upcoming The Last Of Us Part 1 remake and early reviews of Intel's Arc GPUs - and answer an unparalleled 12 DF Supporter questions. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:09 News 01: Spider-Man Remastered PC port details revealed 00:09:57 News 02: The Last of Us Part 1 leaked footage and impressions 00:16:30 News 03: Intel Arc GPUs get benchmarked and reviewed 00:34:50 News 04: Activision gets official Steam publisher page 00:40:28 News 05: Classic PC titles available for free via Xbox Insider 00:48:22 News 06: John Romero to make new UE5-based FPS game 00:52:07 News 07: Bloodlines 2 development resumed at new studio 00:55:01 DF Content Discussion: Sam’s new release roundup 01:02:33 DF Supporter Q1: Could Series S run some One X-enhanced games? 01:07:57 DF Supporter Q2: Why don’t PC games compile shaders in advance? 01:15:59 DF Supporter Q3: Using a One X as “extra storage” for a Series X library - is it a good idea? 01:19:21 DF Supporter Q4: Will other manufacturers produce Xbox Series SSD expansion cards? 01:22:57 DF Supporter Q5: How good is Windows HDR for games? 01:26:53 DF Supporter Q6: What games or tech releases is Sam looking forward to? 01:30:50 DF Supporter Q7: If streaming had been around in the 90s, what games would have been popular to stream? 01:35:37 DF Supporter Q8: What is the best way to get high quality game capture for editing using OBS? 01:36:48 DF Supporter Q9: Would a stream deck or other specialty input peripheral be helpful for general office use? 01:39:19 DF Supporter Q10: Is desktop Linux bound to be a UX headache for new users forever, or is there a way to fix it? 01:44:31 DF Supporter Q11: Sam, do you still use your Playdate? 01:46:11 DF Supporter Q12: What’s a game you liked when you were younger but don’t look back on as fondly? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the DF Skeleton Crew! With Rich, John and Alex away, it's time for Will, Tom and Oliver to escape Rich's basement and step into the limelight for a Direct. In this episode we cover the new Skate and Bayonetta 3 announcements, react to the delisting of the Matrix Awakens and explain why Nvidia is discounting its higher tier graphics cards. Also: what secret projects would we like to work on, and what Prime Day pickups did we each make? 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:49 News 01: Is FF7: Rebirth too much for Xbox? 00:08:21 News 02: RDR 2 current-gen ports reportedly cancelled 00:13:08 News 03: New Skate game announced, old build leaked 00:16:53 News 04: Bayonetta 3 trailer and release date announcement 00:24:37 News 05: First footage of redone Ark: Survival Evolved Switch port 00:30:13 News 06: The Matrix Awakens demo delisted! 00:34:27 News 07: High-end RTX 30 series GPUs get price drops 00:39:42 DF Supporter Q1: Console showdown: PS1, N64, or Saturn? 00:47:28 DF Supporter Q2: Any projects to look out for, or special interests you’d like to explore on the channel? 00:50:23 DF Supporter Q3: How do you split your work between DF and Eurogamer? 00:53:13 DF Supporter Q4: With Prime Day concluded, what pickups did you make from the sales? 00:56:24 DF Supporter Q5: What gaming-related things are banned in your household? 00:59:44 DF Supporter Q6: If Alex came from 2026 and told you a future Steam Deck had more powerful RT hardware than a PS5 or XSX, would you believe him? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hitting the 69th episode milestone, Rich gets to grips with Horizon Forbidden West's excellent VRR/40Hz date, while Alex and Tom join him to discuss topics as diverse as the apparent cancellation of GTA4 and Red Dead Redemption patches, more heavy-handed Take Two legal threats, and yet more issues with Capcom PC ports - this time with a furless DLSS patch. Meanwhile, is it really wise for Rich's gaming hardware to be situated next to a big radiator? And do Alex and Tom assess the rendering features of reality itself? 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:55 News 01: Horizon: Forbidden West patch brings VRR, 40Hz support 00:11:25 News 02: GTA IV and RDR remasters cancelled? 00:20:15 News 03: Take-Two issues VR mod takedowns 00:32:36 News 04: DLSS patch removes fur in MH: Rise 00:44:48 News 05: Biomutant PS5, Series S/X update incoming! 00:47:49 DF Content Discussion: FSR 2.0 deep dive 00:54:23 DF Supporter Q1: Why are we still seeing reduced-rate animations on distant characters? 01:01:07 DF Supporter Q2: Do you ever ponder the rendering features of reality itself? 01:04:59 DF Supporter Q3: Can developers use unrealistic RT implementations to create surreal environments in games? 01:08:45 DF Supporter Q4: Can bad frame-pacing occur with 60fps games set to 120Hz output? 01:12:26 DF Supporter Q5: Console showdown: Sega Genesis or Super Nintendo? 01:16:45 DF Supporter Q6: What does Rich aim to achieve by overclocking a PS3? 01:17:45 DF Supporter Q7: Does Rich have a custom radiator cooling setup for his Switch? 01:19:11 DF Supporter Q8: If Rich is taking a vacation, that must mean Microsoft will be announcing new studio acquisitions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Not exactly a week for 'gigaton' news but plenty to discuss nonetheless. Portal and Portal 2 arrive on Switch, with Half-Life 2 mods appearing less than 24 hours later. There's joy at the news of a Switch Nier Automata port but confusion about how to actually pronounce it. Meanwhile, Sony unveils a new range of hardware - but is it aimed at PC or PS5 players? Also: FSR 2.0's open source nature brings about a new Cyberpunk 2077 mod - and we've spoken to the person who did it. Join John, Rich and Will for this one - but Alex Battaglia's Force Ghost is never too far away... 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:47 News 01: Half-Life 2 modded onto Portal for Switch 00:09:10 News 02: Nier: Automata Switch port revealed 00:13:55 News 03: Cyberpunk 2077 modded with FSR 2.0 00:21:20 News 04: Sony launches PC headsets, monitors 00:36:39 News 05: Valve doubling Steam Deck production 00:43:42 News 06: New Star Ocean: The Divine Force trailer 00:46:55 DF Supporter Q1: If Alex came from a time warp and said the Switch 2 had better RT hardware than PS5/XSX, would you believe him? 00:52:30 DF Supporter Q2: Nintendo has been stockpiling materials - possibly a sign of a new Switch? 00:56:05 DF Supporter Q3: Which gaming industry figure would you most like to interview? 01:01:30 DF Supporter Q4: Which retro CRTs are a good pick - that aren’t crazily expensive? 01:05:12 DF Supporter Q5: Could spatial upsampling like FSR 1.0 be integrated into displays? 01:08:47 DF Supporter Q6: Now that Alex is away, can we agree that Crysis isn’t a particularly good game? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A packed week for news! YouTuber DIY Perks reveals a fascinating PS5 'Slim' model while Sony finally unleashes PlayStation Plus in the EU and UK - and yup, the classic games are 50Hz - but the platform holder promises to address the situation. Nintendo delivers a beautiful reveal for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 on Switch, Forza Horizon 5 gets TAA - but only on PC, while John has much to say about a scrappy demo of the Klonoa remaster on Switch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the final push for the E3 that wasn't quite an E3, with John, Rich and Alex talking through Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and their favourite big game reveals from the last couple of weeks' festivities. Meanwhile, some happy-ish news for PS+ classic game subscribers in the US, plus the awesome reveal of Jak and Daxter as the latest decompilation project. Meanwhile... could it be? Could Alex's #StutterStruggle soon be over? 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:58 News 01: Square reveals FF7 Rebirth and Crisis Core remake 00:13:56 News 02: "E3" Aftermath and thoughts 00:32:16 News 03: PS1 Classics are proper NTSC in the US 00:34:55 News 04: Jak and Daxter reverse engineered 00:41:28 News 05: Unreal Engine Forum Q&A 00:55:45 DF Supporter Q1: How long do you think Forza Motorsport has been in development? 01:04:43 DF Supporter Q2: What could be the unique selling point of Switch 2? 01:08:13 DF Supporter Q3: Do you think 4k gaming is relevant? Is it worth the effort? 01:12:37 DF Supporter Q4: Are you guys aware of the RGB-Pi? 01:13:36 DF Supporter Q5: Would you rather play a single-player game at 60 fps with DLSS quality or 90-120 with DLSS performance. 01:15:19 DF Supporter Q6: What type of milk do you all like in your tea? 01:16:48 DF Supporter Q7: What country would you guys like to visit soon, that you may not have had the chance to visit in the last 4 years? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Not one - but TWO - Microsoft/Xbox/Bethesda shows aired this week, so we decided to watch both of them before passing comment. John, Rich, Oliver and Alex share their thoughts on the games on offer from the technical brilliance of Forza Motorsport to the next-gen BGS title, Starfield. Plus: what to make of the Kojima announcement? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices