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

DF Direct Weekly returns after a seismic week in gaming, with Oliver, John and Alex discussing the crisis state of PC gaming 'in the here and now', raking over the coals of the deeply disappointing Redfall release, while we had to take a look at Man of Medan on Switch, which targets a cinematic 24fps. Meanwhile, John clues us in on the latest Analogue Pocket firmware update. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:58 News 01: PC gaming in crisis 00:24:12 News 02: Redfall reaction and follow-up 00:54:38 News 03: Man of Medan hits Switch at 24fps! 01:01:11 News 04: Analogue Pocket gets big firmware update 01:04:46 Supporter Q1: If a game developer is under the influence when implementing RTGI, could that be “baked” lighting? 01:05:37 Supporter Q2: Need for Speed (2015) still looks great today. What are some other early last-gen games that still look fantastic? 01:10:29 Supporter Q3: Could you tell the difference between DLSS 3 and regular rendering at high frame-rates? 01:14:05 Supporter Q4: Can we have an award ceremony for the worst PC ports of the year? 01:16:08 Supporter Q5: What are the possible incentives for publishers to release games in a decent state? 01:18:53 Supporter Q6: I’m worried that FF16, Starfield, and Zelda will release in a poor state. How can we make companies more aware of game issues? 01:22:47 Supporter Q7: Are Jedi Survivor’s image quality issues related to using an older version of FSR 2? 01:28:33 Supporter Q8: Do you prefer a higher resolution with less detail, or a lower resolution with more detail? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

8 Maj 20231h 32min

This week the team discuss the arrival of Star Wars Jedi Survivor, share first impressions after EA delayed sending review code, then move onto 'The Power of the Cloud' seemingly blocking Microsoft's Activision acquisition. Rich shares a conversation he had with the Xbox Sustainability Team on improving in-game efficiency, while benchmarks finally emerge on the impressive looking Asus ROG Ally handheld. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:45 News 01: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor impressions! 00:23:57 News 02: Microsoft Activision purchase hits roadblock 00:34:30 News 03: Microsoft pushes for Xbox energy sustainability 00:48:21 News 04: ASUS ROG Ally chips benchmarked 00:55:50 Supporter Q1: If RT becomes a big rendering focus, could future GPUs regress in rasterization performance? 01:00:36 Supporter Q2: Are 8GB GPUs DOOMED to muddy textures on PC? 01:07:33 Supporter Q3: How did Don feel about his first video? 01:11:15 Supporter Q4: Will you make a GTA V retro time capsule video when the title hits its 10th anniversary later this year? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2 Maj 20231h 18min

This week, Rich is joined by Alex and Oliver to discuss a range of topics, including the Unrecord footage that's gone 'viral', the launch of the first Unreal Engine 5.1 title outside of Fortnite to use Lumen and Nanite, and the arrival of the Horizon Burning Shores DLC - which looks amazing. Meanwhile, discover why Digital Foundry won't be doing another office tour and learn about Rich's 'cone of respectability'. It's all here in this 68 minute show! 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:45 News 01: Unrecord footage revealed 00:09:28 News 02: Immortals of Aveum showcases UE5 features 00:19:12 News 03: Horizon Burning Shores launches! 00:26:36 News 04: ASUS ROG Ally specs leak 00:34:48 News 05: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. shown with path tracing 00:41:35 Supporter Q1: Could Cyberpunk on PS5/Series X run the RT Overdrive mode? 00:49:01 Supporter Q2: If AMD sold APUs with much more graphics power, would they sell well? 00:55:21 Supporter Q3: Does “going gold” really matter anymore for modern games? 01:01:00 Supporter Q4: Would RTX Remix work with emulated games? 01:02:40 Supporter Q5: When will we get another Digital Foundry office tour? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

24 Apr 20231h 9min

Rich, Alex and Oliver sit down for the latest DF Direct Weekly, discussing the controversial move for Microsoft to ship Redfall at 30fps with a performance mode to follow, along with confirmation that Suicide Squad: Kill the Justive League is getting a length delay. The team muse over the implications of Cyberpunk 2077's RT Overdrive changing the face of PC graphics in future games, while the third - and last - Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom trailer is also discussed. Do we still think it's 'too big for Switch'...? 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:52 News 01: Redfall to launch at 30fps on consoles 00:16:15 News 02: Suicide Squad delayed to 2024 00:21:54 News 03: Cyberpunk 2077 RT Overdrive mode launches 00:38:13 News 04: Final Tears of the Kingdom trailer drops 00:42:29 Supporter Q1: Does the negative reaction to Redfall's 30fps cap trivialize the filmic and artistic benefits of targeting 30fps? 00:47:59 Supporter Q2: What’s up with HDMI 2.1 capture cards? Why don’t capture devices support 4K/120Hz recordings? 00:53:34 Supporter Q3: Does “code” in the games industry refer to source code or game store codes? 00:55:42 Supporter Q4: Since the Steam Deck is well established, can you cover it from time to time? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

17 Apr 20231h 2min

Rumours of a new PlayStation portable streaming device dominated the news this week, supplanting the actual reveal of the ultra-powerful Asus ROG Ally, first revealed on - believe it or not - April Fools Day. Meanwhile, John is seriously unhappy about Microsoft blocking emulation on Xbox Series consoles, while the applications of AI tools and the concept of affordable GPUs prompts further debate. And finally... Tekken 8 is on UE5 but is it actually using Nanite and Lumen? 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:41 News 01: Sony to launch streaming-only handheld? 00:16:09 News 02: Asus announces ROG Ally gaming handheld! 00:28:13 News 03: Microsoft blocks emulators on Xbox consoles 00:46:48 Supporter Q1: Can generative AI be integrated into games, like having RPG characters that never run out of dialogue? 00:53:26 Supporter Q2: Will upgrading from 16GB to 32GB of system RAM help with 8GB VRAM GPU bottlenecks? 00:59:22 Supporter Q3: Have any Unreal Engine 5-specific visual features been spotted in the Tekken 8 trailers? 01:02:57 Supporter Q4: When will affordable graphics cards consistently deliver 60 fps with ray tracing? 01:06:08 Supporter Q5: How do you feel about some of the relatively lackluster RT upgrades we’ve seen recently? Should developers even bother? 01:09:51 Supporter Q6: This Direct has one of the best banners of all time! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

9 Apr 20231h 11min

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

3 Apr 20231h 23min

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

27 Mars 20231h 29min

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

20 Mars 20231h 17min