DF Direct Weekly #214: No Switch 2 Launch Reviews? Next-Gen Xbox Using ARM + The "Forced RT" Debate!

It's the impressions/reactions video you've been waiting for - and it took time because we wanted to investigate what was shown more deeply. John Linneman and Alex Battaglia share their notes on the Starfield Direct, discuss why the game is 30fps on consoles, what 4K on Series X actually means (and the implications for Series S) before moving onto the rendering tech on display and what they think about the actual game. 00:00 Overview 00:53 Why is Starfield 30fps on consoles? 12:31 Visual impressions and real-time global illumination 17:15 Reflections and motion blur 23:31 Screen-space shadows and terrain rendering 28:06 Volumetric lighting, fog, and bokeh depth of field 32:40 Character rendering 36:01 Gameplay impressions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

15 Kesä 202346min

A company revitalised based on the latest Ubisoft Forward, we saw a big bunch of excellent games and a couple in particular that look set to deliver proper 'next-gen' rendering - Star Wars Outlaws and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. Beyond those 'bangers', the likes of AC Mirage and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown also caught the eye of John Linneman and Alex Battaglia. Plus: a quick look at the Capcom showcase, including new footage of Pragmata... 00:00 Overview 01:05 Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora 15:23 Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown 20:22 Skull and Bones 23:00 The Crew Motorfest 28:08 Assassin’s Creed Mirage 33:50 Star Wars Outlaws 48:02 Pragmata Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

14 Kesä 202353min

In a special episode of DF Direct, John Linneman, Oliver Mackenzie and Alex Battaglia share their reactions and impressions to the excellent Xbox Showcase 2023, going through the event game by game with analysis and insights. Has Microsoft delivered the best event of the summer season so far? 00:00:00 Overview 00:02:32 Fable, South of Midnight 00:11:32 Star Wars Outlaws, 33 Immortals 00:17:30 Payday 3, Persona 3 Reload 00:25:35 Avowed, Sea of Thieves 00:31:31 Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 00:42:12 Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess 00:47:27 Forza Motorsport, The Elder Scrolls Online, Overwatch 2 00:56:35 Jusant, Still Wakes the Deep 01:01:09 Dungeons of Hinterberg, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty 01:08:13 Cities: Skylines 2, Metaphor ReFantazio 01:12:24 Towerborne, Clockwork Revolution 01:18:04 Series S 1TB 01:20:58 Starfield first impressions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

13 Kesä 20231h 29min

Geoffcon aka Keigh3 aka Summer Games Fest is back, kicking off with a mammoth show crammed with new games of varying quality, Nicolas Cage and a big bunch of obvious ads. In this DF Direct special, John, Rich and Alex mull over the various reveals and wurld prm'ears, debate the inclusion of the letter 'i' in 'mobile', dive deeply into Spider-Man's symbiote lore, get excited about the new Sonic game and ponder the big question - how many of the games in the show were running on Unreal Engine? 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:08 News 01: Summer Games Fest 2023 reaction! Prince of Persia, Mortal Kombat 1 00:10:48 Path of Exile 2, Exoprimal, Dead by Daylight, Witchfire, Crossfire: Sierra Squad, Remnant 2 00:18:22 Sonic Superstars, Lies of P, Sand Land 00:27:27 Throne and Liberty, Party Animals, Crash Team Rumble, 00:31:51 Alan Wake 2, Space Marine 2, Yes Your Grace, Toxic Commando 00:42:42 Baldur’s Gate 3, Palworld, Black Desert Online, LOTR: Return to Moria 00:51:44 Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden 00:55:51 Like a Dragon Gaiden, Under the Water, Fae Farm 01:04:18 King Arthur, Stellaris Nexus, Star Trek Infinite, Lysfanga 01:09:47 Immortals of Aveum, Fortnite, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth 01:24:19 Supporter Q1: Will DLSS 3 evolve in the same way DLSS 2 did? 01:28:14 Supporter Q2: What’s up with DF getting Diablo 4 code late? 01:29:22 Supporter Q3: Is there an ideal frame-rate target for games? 01:32:41 Supporter Q4: Do recent PC gaming woes stem from the relative strength of console hardware this generation? 01:41:09 Supporter Q5: What old console or graphics technology would you like to see get a few years of active development? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

11 Kesä 20231h 46min

The news of a PC port from Nixxes for Rachet and Clank raises the question: can PC handle the extreme storage demands of the Insomniac PS5 showcase? Alex weighs in with his thoughts on how the port will work. Meanwhile, Nvidia demos AI-driven conversations with NPCs, Redfall's development woes make the news again, while John's concerned about Nintendo's views towards emulation. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:08 News 01: Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart coming to PC! 00:19:38 News 02: Nvidia demos AI-generated NPC conversations 00:37:54 News 03: Dolphin emulator blocked from Steam release 00:44:41 News 04: Redfall’s development issues detailed 00:54:56 News 05: HDMI 2.1 capture cards announced - but there’s a catch! 01:02:27 Supporter Q1: What are your predictions for next week’s Xbox showcase? 01:07:52 Supporter Q2: Does XMP make a big difference on DDR5 RAM? 01:10:36 Supporter Q3: Are plasma TVs viable for high-quality retro gaming? 01:14:54 Supporter Q4: Why doesn’t the Switch support HDR? Could it be included in a “Switch 2”? 01:16:32 Supporter Q5: Are we in a downwards spiral of declining developer output and GPU stagnation? 01:22:34 Supporter Q6: If a game runs at a locked 30fps or 60fps, is there any benefit to setting your console to 120Hz output? 01:25:55 Supporter Q7: Has Jensen’s prophecy been fulfilled already? Is Gran Turismo 7 ever going to hit PCs? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

6 Kesä 20231h 32min

With the first of the summer games events done and dusted, it's down to Rich, Oliver and John to shift through the games of the Sony showcase, bemoan trailergeddon, regale Marvel's Spider-Man 2 with praise then to discuss the merits of the Project Q streaming handheld. Meanwhile, the lack of a physical release for Alan Wake 2 upsets John - and Rich makes him talk about Marathon. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:15 News 01: Sony showcase recap! 00:40:02 News 02: Alan Wake 2 impresses, but why is it digital-only? 00:52:06 News 03: “Project Q” streaming handheld revealed 01:05:45 Supporter Q1: Nvidia’s server GPUs seem in heavy demand, so might the company shift resources away from gaming? 01:14:09 Supporter Q2: What’s the best way to measure and communicate the concept of frame-time stability? 01:23:44 Supporter Q3: Isn’t the 4060 Ti a lot more impressive when you bring DLSS 3 into the picture? 01:27:10 Supporter Q4: Could John make a video on running modern games on consumer grade CRT displays? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

29 Touko 20231h 33min

This week on the show, Alex gets to grips with the latest patch for Jedi Survivor, testing to see whether the game's profound tech issues have been resolved. Meanwhile, the team discusses Nvidia's RTX 4060 and RTX 4060 Ti announcements, while John has much to say about the poor state of day one console launches. Meanwhile, the buzz surrounding mid-gen console refreshes continues - but do we actually need them? 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:52 News 01: Jedi Survivor PC performance update! 00:17:04 News 02: RTX 4060 and 4060 Ti GPUs announced 00:48:20 News 03: Contemporary gaming in difficult territory? 01:00:48 Supporter Q1: Is there really a need for enhanced consoles when we have so few proper current-gen games? 01:07:17 Supporter Q2: Do you think games like The Callisto Protocol or Jedi Survivor would benefit from a 40fps mode? 01:12:32 Supporter Q3: Any thoughts on the UE5-powered Layers of Fear demo on PC? 01:16:51 Supporter Q4: Has Rich got any new thoughts on how to approach CPU video reviews? 01:25:32 Supporter Q5: Has the workflow for capturing and producing HDR gaming videos improved over the past few years? 01:32:25 Supporter Q6: John’s room tour. When? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

25 Touko 20231h 35min

One of the biggest - if not the biggest - games of 2023 launched this week. Nintendo's Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has recently a massively positive reaction. John discusses his review and shares more thoughts on the game, while digging more deeply into the eternal question - is it too big for Switch? Meanwhile, Rich drops in from time off to share his impressions with the Asus ROG Ally and A Plague Tale: Requiem gets a 60fps patch... but what does it actually do? 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:04 News 01: Tears of the Kingdom launches! 00:26:05 News 02: Sharp producing next-gen Switch LCD? 00:34:49 News 03: ASUS ROG Ally reviews drop + our impressions 00:50:20 News 04: A Plague Tale: Requiem gets 60fps patch 00:56:36 News 05: John gets a new CRT! 01:02:53 Supporter Q1: With low sales and poor software support, where does the PS VR2 go from here? 01:07:36 Supporter Q2: Could DF revisit some of the recent troubled PC ports and see how they run now after patches? 01:11:23 Supporter Q3: Why does DLSS 3 produce a smoother experience in games with high CPU load? 01:15:47 Supporter Q4: Developers like to blame specific PC configurations for user issues. Could DF emphasize that PC performance issues are often common to all configurations? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

15 Touko 20231h 25min