Digital Foundry Direct Weekly

A wide range of Hellblade 2 previews emerged last week, but what have we learned about the game and is the dynamic resolution 30fps revelation in any way surprising? John, Rich and Alex share their thoughts while also sharing reactions to the latest chapter in the PS Portal hack story and Nightdive's POed remaster non-April fool. Alex shares news of his experiments with Intel's PresentMon 2.0 - and how it will change our PC games and hardware coverage - while there's intrigue and some level of excitement surrounding Intel's latest XeSS news.0:00:00 Introduction0:01:04 News 01: Hellblade 2 previews drop!0:26:53 News 02: PS Portal hack patched before release0:34:41 News 03: 90s FPS PO'ed getting Nightdive remaster0:41:07 News 04: C-Smash VRS hits Meta Quest0:52:03 News 05: Alex’s PresentMon experiments1:06:57 News 06: Campaign demands: stop killing games!1:16:19 News 07: Intel updates XeSS with revised modes1:22:04 Supporter Q1: Would it be more practical to target 1440p than 4K for performance modes?1:28:11 Supporter Q2: Dragon’s Dogma 2 has unimpressive NPC density, so why can’t it hit 60fps on consoles?1:35:17 Supporter Q3: Why do some developers implement incorrect 30fps frame-rate caps?1:43:36 Supporter Q4: Why isn’t low frame-rate compensation the default with 120Hz and VRR on PS5? 1:50:05 Supporter Q5: Could the PS5 Pro be powerful enough to run advanced path traced games?1:55:04 Supporter Q6: With Microsoft potentially opening Xbox to third parties, was the 3DO approach right all along? 2:01:21 Supporter Q7: Would it have been better to forgo the PS5 Pro and instead shorten this console generation? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This podcast delves into the potential changes in the Xbox platform, including integrating third-party stores, the prospect of an Xbox handheld, and the leaked photos of a white digital-only Series X. They also discuss game preservation, developers considering dropping Xbox support, CPU upgrades on consoles, and the use of Microsoft's cloud technology in future consoles.

Rich, John and Alex discuss the stunning Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra debut trailer, potentially big upgrades to FSR via its upcoming 3.1 upgrade, while Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's tweaked performance mode (via a new patch) is analysed. Have image quality concerns finally been addressed? Meanwhile, we attempt to draw a line under the whole PS5 Pro/GTA6 60fps situation, while John shares his experiences with Nvidia's AI-powered Covert Protocol demo. Can AI move beyond upscaling to provide new gameplay experiences?0:00:00 Introduction0:00:44 News 01: Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra stuns in debut trailer0:18:56 News 02: AMD announces FSR 3.10:30:52 News 03: Latest PS VR2 update enables PC access0:40:37 News 04: Could GTA 6 hit 60 FPS on PS5 Pro?0:57:46 News 05: Covert Protocol demo shows off AI characters1:10:17 News 06: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth gets new graphics options1:16:05 Supporter Q1: What should Microsoft and Sony do to differentiate their next-gen hardware?1:36:44 Supporter Q2: Why isn’t Microsoft making more out of their consoles’ machine learning capabilities?1:43:09 Supporter Q3: Should Sony invest in frame generation? Does PSSR suggest a lack of faith in AMD’s upscaling tech?1:49:24 Supporter Q4: Could backwards compatibility actually hold back Switch 2? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a brand new, DF Direct Special we find Alex, Rich and Oliver confirming the leaked technical specifications for Sony's upcoming PlayStation 5 Pro console, we talk you through what the various spec points mean in terms of the gameplay experience, we go deep on ray tracing and machine learning-based upscaling and we reveal some new information about the new console based on recent developer disclosures.0:00:00 Introduction0:01:43 The CPU: What's Changed? 0:16:01 GPU Performance Boosts and Architecture0:27:45 Ray Tracing: Really 2x to 4x Faster?0:36:38 PSSR Upscaling and Machine Learning Performance0:46:53 Additional Memory for Games 0:50:16 Closing Thoughts: What Do We Make of PS5 Pro So Far? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rich is still trapped in a white room with two plants, but the Direct discussions continue regardless. Oliver's been checking out Rise of the Ronin on PlayStation 5, Alex has much to say about Nvidia's DLSS-based GDC reveals, while Rich is intrigued by Intel's latest PresentMon 2.0 features. Meanwhile, the surprise release - and withdrawal - of the PS5 Stellar Blade demo raises more questions about our digital library future.0:00:00 Introduction and DF merchandise0:02:26 News 01: Rise of the Ronin preview0:11:40 News 02: Nvidia announces upcoming game enhancements0:35:55 News 03: Intel unveils PresentMon 2.00:51:08 News 04: Stellar Blade demo released, quickly pulled0:56:48 News 05: Peter Moore questions the future of consoles1:12:11 Supporter Q1: Should console platforms let you impose frame-rate caps yourself?1:19:39 Supporter Q2: What rendering tech will we see pushed after path tracing?1:27:22 Supporter Q3: Should more developers expose debug menus in their games?1:31:43 Supporter Q4: What storage tech do you work off of?1:39:38 Supporter Q5: What would Digital Foundry have looked like in the 1990s? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trapped in a plain white room with only two plants for company, an on-location Rich dials into the next DF Direct Weekly for salvation. Joining him this week as John and Alex, discussing the shutdown of the Yuzu and Citra emulators, the latest Sony PC ports from Nixxes, the Xbox partner showcase and hints of machine learning-based upscaling from AMD. Meanwhile, John's beard attracts an extraordinary level of attention.0:00:00 Introduction0:01:30 News 01: Nintendo forces Yuzu, Citra shutdown0:28:16 News 02: Horizon PC specs released, Ghost of Tsushima PC announced0:39:29 News 03: Xbox partner showcase drops!0:58:53 News 04: Dragon’s Dogma 2 has unlocked frame-rate on consoles1:09:03 News 05: Footage emerges from cancelled TimeSplitters game1:15:30 News 06: AMD teases AI upscaling… but what is it?1:26:42 Should I buy an OLED Steam Deck now, or wait for new portable Windows handhelds?1:33:56 If cost were no issue, what VR headset would be best for PC gaming?1:37:23 How does DLSS quality at 1440p compare to DLSS performance at 4K?1:42:28 Do you think Sony will release their own dedicated gaming handheld?1:48:20 How does John feel about being labeled as a television producer?1:49:00 Did John and Marc get up to any shenanigans in Germany?1:52:16 What’s the longest John has gone without shaving his beard? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Another big DF Direct Weekly sees John, Rich and Alex tackle the massive issue of lay-offs in the industry along with the welcome response from some developers in taking back control of their own destinies. Meanwhile, the team reacts to THAT Kingmakers trailer, while assessing Nintendo's legal action against the Yuzu Switch emulator. Finally, what is DirectSR?0:00:00 Introduction0:01:42 News 01: Massive gaming layoffs at Sony and EA0:28:39 News 02: Studios take back control0:39:37 John’s game buying interlude0:41:59 News 03: Kingmakers trailer impresses0:49:03 News 04: Nintendo seeking Yuzu emulator shutdown0:57:12 News 05: Pentiment PS5 doubles Xbox version FPS target1:07:38 News 06: DirectSR streamlines PC upsampling1:16:08 Supporter Q1: Is the 5700X3D a good upgrade over a 2700X on an older system?1:21:04 Supporter Q2: What kind of performance do you expect from a PS5 Pro?1:26:35 Supporter Q3: When games are fully path traced, what options do you expect to see in their graphics menus?1:30:27 Supporter Q4: How do you think the recent rounds of layoffs will impact QA?1:33:45 Supporter Q5: Could a next-gen Xbox be much more powerful than its PlayStation counterpart?1:41:03 Supporter Q6: Why don’t we see more physics-oriented features like PhysX today?1:50:48 John’s next DF Retro! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The news comes thick and fast this week as John, Alex and Rich discuss topics as diverse as the Switch 2's mooted 'delay' until Q1 2025, the fall-out of Microsoft's multi-platform strategy in the wake of the first releases, and Nvidia finally doing something about its ancient control panel with its new app. The implications of the PlayStation Portal hack are dissected and the logistics of PSVR2 support for PC are discussed in depth. Then finally, Rich reveals the results of BRAND NEW testing of the Radeon 7. PS5 vs R7... which is best? Many thanks to DF Supporter Chriz86 for helping us out on that one!0:00:00 Introduction0:01:28 News 01: Switch 2 reportedly delayed until 20250:13:08 News 02: Microsoft multi-plat games revealed0:29:55 News 03: Nvidia debuts new all-in-one PC gaming app0:47:43 News 04: PlayStation Portal hacked0:54:31 News 05: PSVR2 support coming to PC?1:05:57 News 06: Radeon 7 re-tested in 2024!1:20:19 Supporter Q1: In the age of ray tracing, why do so many games forego shiny mirrors?1:25:44 Supporter Q2: Is cross-gen game scalability really that transformative?1:32:50 Supporter Q3: Could Game Pass become a reality on PlayStation and Switch?1:38:55 Supporter Q4: Could a future Xbox lower-spec console be a handheld?1:50:25 Supporter Q5: Is the traditional console generation model breaking down? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Xbox and Sony's gaming strategies revealed, multi-platform approach discussed. Rich downgrades from 8K to 4K TV, new retro game development. Topics include Dolby Vision support, Nvidia GPUs, Final Fantasy 7 image quality, and Vulkan API status.

The week in gaming news was dominated by Xbox Multi-Platform Game debate, outrage and meltdowns - and we can't quite believe what we were seeing. John, Rich and Alex share their views before moving to other topics: we go hands-on with Helldivers 2, check out the FF7 Rebirth demo and John shares his excitement over Penny's Big Breakaway. Meanwhile, DF Supporters strike gold once again with a range of questions and discussion points.0:00:00 Introduction0:00:52 News 01: Is Microsoft embracing multiplatform gaming?0:43:52 News 02: Hands-on with Helldivers 20:54:41 News 03: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth impressions!1:05:03 News 04: Penny’s Big Breakaway preview1:11:42 Supporter Q1: What’s the minimum advisable frame-rate when using frame gen with a controller?1:17:50 Supporter Q2: Is Nvidia purposefully limiting frame gen to the RTX 4000 series to increase sales?1:27:18 Supporter Q3: Given that the Series S is the best-selling current-gen Xbox, should we consider it the baseline experience this gen?1:34:14 Supporter Q4: Has the use of FSR been good or bad for console gaming?1:43:14 Supporter Q5: Why doesn’t AMD often pioneer new graphics techniques like Nvidia?1:51:44 Supporter Q6: Can John recommend any 3D Sonic titles? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices