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

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

1 Aug 20221h 24min

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

25 Juli 20221h 54min

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

18 Juli 20221h 6min

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

11 Juli 20221h 22min

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

4 Juli 20221h 14min

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

28 Juni 20221h 11min

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

20 Juni 20221h 20min

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

16 Juni 20221h 35min