Digital Foundry Direct Weekly DF Direct Weekly #249: Ryzen 9850X3D Review, Handheld PS4, Kingdom Come Deliverance Console Upgrade!
15 snips
Feb 2, 2026 A deep-dive into AMD’s new 9850X3D CPU and how modest clock changes affect gaming performance. Practical talk on building affordable PCs in 2026 and the trade-offs for portable high-end rigs. A nostalgic look at Duke Nukem 3D and the Banjo-Kazooie decompilation. A modder’s portable PS4 sparks discussion about future handhelds, plus a leak hinting at a current-gen upgrade for Kingdom Come: Deliverance.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Banjo‑Kazooie Runs At Ultra‑High FPS
- John Linneman played the Banjo‑Kazooie decompilation at ultra‑wide 2560×1080 with heavy downsampling and hit ~330 FPS for a silky feel.
- He also ran the port smoothly on a Steam Deck OLED at ~90 FPS, showing broad hardware support.
Recompilations Fix Old Precision Limits
- Decompilation ports often need code changes to avoid animation precision issues when running at high frame rates.
- Alex Battaglia highlighted Banjo's CPU skinning used 16‑bit integers that require upgrades for smooth high‑FPS playback.
Homebrew Portable PS4 Reveals Feasibility
- A modder built a portable PS4 with a 7‑inch OLED, SSD, active cooling and claimed 90–180+ minute battery life depending on the game.
- Rich Leadbetter compared PCB sizes with an Xbox Series S board and noted the handheld feels hefty at ~1.446 kg.