Digital Foundry Direct Weekly

Another big, big episode of DF Direct Weekly as the team share their positive views on Sony's State of Play January 2024 presentation. Meanwhile, John and Rich have been playing Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and have much to say about it. The team also tackle the mounting evidence that Switch 2 will ship with an eight-inch LCD. The lack of OLED is a bit disappointing, but more to the point, the sheer size of the screen may have significant ramifications for the design of the overall product. And finally, a happy outcome is revealed for one of John's game preservation worries.0:00:00 Introduction0:01:00 News 01: State of Play reaction: Death Stranding 20:17:45 News 01: Stellar Blade, Dragon’s Dogma 20:28:50 News 01: Sonic X Shadow Generations, Judas0:38:21 News 01: Metro Awakening, Until Dawn0:50:23 News 01: Silent Hill: The Short Message, Silent Hill 21:01:48 News 02: Suicide Squad impressions!1:19:14 News 03: New Switch rumoured to have 8 inch LCD1:31:02 News 04: GT Sport patched with offline save support1:37:49 Supporter Q1: How can Epic’s TSR beat DLSS 2?1:42:00 Supporter Q2: Why does per-pixel motion blur look good, while display sample-and-hold blur looks bad?1:45:50 Supporter Q3: Will frame generation make VRR obsolete?1:49:07 Supporter Q4: What speed of hardware adoption should we expect from gamers?1:54:27 Supporter Q5: Rich, when did you become interested in PC hardware and technology? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hitting its 'maximum break' 147th edition, the DF team reconvene to discuss the charms and the jank of Palworld, Capcom's puzzling DRM strategy and the wonders of Tekken 8. Meanwhile, Alex has been testing AMD's AFMF frame generation technology, John's dug deep into input lag analysis - and Rich is distressed to discover that his Radeon 7 graphics card doesn't work any more.0:00:00 Introduction0:00:54 News 01: What’s up with Palworld?0:25:45 News 02: Capcom adds Enigma DRM to older games0:35:31 News 03: AMD releases Fluid Motion Frames tech0:52:30 News 04: Horizon Forbidden West PC features detailed1:05:22 News 05: Tekken 8: a superb fighter1:15:53 News 06: Input lag deep dive1:32:52 Supporter Q1: What would you recommend spec wise for an upper-midrange PC?1:37:08 Supporter Q2: Should id Software commercialize their id Tech engine?1:40:12 Supporter Q3: Is the time of 1080p monitors over?1:43:55 Supporter Q14 Could Nintendo, Microsoft, or Sony develop their own Proton-like translation layers to run games from other platforms?1:46:55 Supporter Q5: With John’s new Direct background, isn’t he worried about burn-in? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this podcast, the hosts discuss the impressive Indiana Jones game revealed in Xbox's Developer_Direct. They also explore Xbox's strategy of moving away from physical media and the challenges of game preservation. Furthermore, they share their thoughts on the Last of Us Part Two game and the potential future of Naughty Dog games. Additionally, they analyze the performance of the Ryzen 5 and Radeon 7 graphics cards and delve into the challenges of implementing 60 FPS patches for consoles. Lastly, they discuss the trend towards Unreal Engine and the impact of the Steam Deck on Linux.

John, Rich and Alex return for another Weekly, discussing the potential implications of Xbox going multi-platform on selected titles, what we should - and shouldn't - expect from Horizon Forbidden West on PC and John's surprise gaming purchase. Meanwhile, the team explains why Nvidia's G-Sync Pulsar technology is such a big deal - and the announcement of VRR support for GeForce Now seems set to make the best cloud streaming solution even better still.0:00:58 News 01: Microsoft to go multiplatform on selected games?0:22:41 News 02: Horizon Forbidden West gets PC trailer0:40:38 News 03: Nvidia CES announcements0:55:34 News 04: John’s surprise1:10:35 Supporter Q1: Why is double-buffer vsync good in some circumstances and bad in others?1:17:39 Supporter Q2: What are the specs of your editing rigs?1:24:45 Supporter Q3: Do you think any TV manufacturers will start integrating nearest neighbour scaling?1:32:47 Supporter Q4: Why is dynamic resolution not often used in PC games?1:37:35 Supporter Q5: Are GPU makers’ resolution recommendations too conservative?1:43:13 Supporter Q6: What videos are you excited to make this year? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Digital Foundry team re-assemble to kick off 2024 with a look at the excitement surrounding CES, the possibilities of PS5 Pro and Switch 2 this year, the reveal of the MSI Claw, plus all the new surrounding the RTX 40-Series 'Super' Refresh. Meanwhile, John shares his experiences with the potentially disruptive Unreal Engine VR injector, Alex talks about optimised settings and there's already an unhealthy focus on Crysis 4 - even though the chances of actually seeing it in 2024 are vanishingly tiny.0:00:00 Introduction0:01:24 News 01: 2024 Expectations : Upcoming displays0:18:12 2024 Expectations: Games and gaming hardware0:51:24 News 02: RTX 40 Super series to be announced1:12:09 News 03: MSI Claw gaming handheld leaked1:21:04 News 04: Unreal Engine VR injector released!1:27:19 Supporter Q1: Has Alex changed his approach to optimized settings as games have gotten more demanding?1:32:59 Supporter Q2: Could ray traced lighting become a key part of gameplay in current-gen titles?1:38:26 Supporter Q3: What’s your biggest graphical pet peeve besides stuttering?1:44:06 Supporter Q4: What are your hopes for Crysis 4?1:50:47 Supporter Q5: Could CD Projekt Red open source their Red Engine tech?1:52:48 Supporter Q6: If you could have an incredible version of Crysis 4, or get a 10/10 Turok remake, which would you choose? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the last edition of DF Direct Weekly for the year that is 2023, and it kicks off with discussion surrounding Insomniac data hack. What sets this 'leak' apart from others that makes media think twice about publishing stories on it? How does it compare in scale to other leaks? It's a tricky one for sure. Meanwhile, rumours are starting to emerge that Xbox may be considering a 2026 release for its next-gen console, but how viable is that in the context of the information that emerged from the FTC leak? Finally, John reveals the results of his GT7 vs Forza Motorsport in-video quiz, while the DF Supporter Program's community awards are unveiled!0:00:00 Introduction0:00:50 News 01: Insomniac hacked0:19:27 News 02: Valhalla DLC launches for God of War Ragnarök0:27:51 News 03: PS5 outsells Xbox Series 3 to 1, next Xbox rumoured for 2026 launch0:49:10 News 04: John’s Forza Motorsport vs. GT7 poll results!0:54:09 News 05: DF Community Awards 2023!1:06:25 Supporter Q1: Will 2024 be the year RT becomes pervasive?1:09:00 Supporter Q2: How does Resident Evil 4 on Apple Silicon run?1:11:50 Supporter Q3: When using an IPS panel, how can you reduce IPS glow?1:21:18 Supporter Q4: Would John consider doing a DF Retro on fur or grass rendering in games?1:23:40 Supporter Q5: When path tracing becomes more common in games, what will be left to critique visually?1:28:43 Supporter Q6: What was your favourite Digital Foundry moment of the year? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As is DF tradition, we round off the year with a look at the team's personal picks for the best game graphics of 2023. Covering off the very best in both PC and console rendering, Alex Battaglia, John Linneman and Oliver Mackenzie share their thoughts on the most impressive visuals of the year, leading to an open debate on which title did it best: Alan Wake 2, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora or Cyberpunk 2077's RT Overdrive?0:00:00 Overview0:01:55 Honourable Mentions0:16:14 Star Wars Jedi: Survivor0:21:28 Final Fantasy 160:27:10 Robocop: Rogue City0:32:56 Resident Evil 40:40:33 Hi-Fi Rush0:45:45 Super Mario Bros. Wonder0:49:45 Marvel’s Spider-Man 20:55:50 Cyberpunk 2077 RT Overdrive1:02:57 Alan Wake 21:12:29 Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora1:22:43 Top Three Debate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You'd think that the news would be drying up as we approach Chriastmas, but here we are again with another two hour DF Direct Weekly. John, Rich and Alex mull over the cancellation of The Last Of Us Online, while the team rake the coals of E3's demise. Meanwhile, John discusses the short-lived PC port of Link's Awakening, while Alex unearths what looks very much like Intel's innovative approach to frame generation. We've got good news about improvements to the Xbox Series version of Teardown, while the team discuss the reaction to the epic Gran Turismo 7 vs Forza Motorsport head-to-head.0:00:00 Introduction0:01:25 News 01: The Last of Us multiplayer project cancelled0:21:21 News 02: E3 officially dead0:36:08 News 03: Link’s Awakening ported to PC0:43:22 News 04: Intel working on frame extrapolation 0:50:14 News 05: Teardown improved on consoles0:53:56 DF Content Discussion: Forza Motorsport vs. Gran Turismo 7 1:24:16 Supporter Q1: Are there any older games with certain advanced effects that surpass modern games?1:29:18 Supporter Q2: Should bad performance be a consideration when reviewing games?1:35:41 Supporter Q3: Does running an RTX 4090 at PCIe Gen 4 x8 or x16 make a difference?1:38:50 Supporter Q4: Why can’t Windows handhelds run SteamOS? 1:41:14 Supporter Q5: AMD has released the source code for FSR 3. Will this make console implementations of FSR 3 more common?1:47:28 Supporter Q6: Should “Unobtanium” style extreme settings options be standard across all PC games?1:51:55 Supporter Q7: Why do console games often use a mix of temporal reconstruction and bilinear scaling to reach a 4K output?1:55:14 Supporter Q8: What gaming-related gift would you like to get for Christmas if money was no object? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the wake of the release of the Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer, we produced our initial reaction video, but it turns out that the community has a big bunch of questions about the game they'd like us to tackle - so Rich, Oliver and Alex came together to continue the discussion. Enjoy!00:00 Introduction01:20 How will GTA 6 run on Series S?05:57 Can GTA 6 run at 60fps on current-gen consoles?08:30 Supporter Q1: How far off is the GTA 6 PC port? Is a Switch 2 port possible?14:43 Supporter Q2: How do studios like Rockstar keep their games current graphically over long development cycles?18:53 Supporter Q3: Were the RT features on GTA 5 on current-gen a test for RT in GTA 6?20:29 Supporter Q4: Given that the GTA 6 leaks showed the game running on 10 series Nvidia GPUs, will those GPUs be able to run the final game?23:16 Supporter Q5: What improvements should we expect in the PC version of GTA 6?27:11 Supporter Q6: Do you think the GTA 6 trailer was captured on PS5 Pro development hardware?30:36 Supporter Q7: Could the PS5 Pro run GTA 6 at 60fps? What other enhancements could we expect? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's TGAs week and Alex, Rich and Oliver convene for this week's DF Direct to discuss the highlights of the Wurlde Prm'ears - and to wonder what on earth OD actually is! Hellblade 2 is looking phenomenally good, while No Rest for the Wicked also catches the team's eye. Meanwhile, the group compare notes on Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, with Alex continuing to rave about the PC version while Rich and Oliver offer a warm welcome to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series versions... and even Series S pulls off a good showing of this technologically advanced games.0:00:00 Introduction0:00:48 News 01: The Game Awards - Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 20:08:51 OD0:17:48 No Rest for the Wicked, Monster Hunter Wilds0:26:58 Marvel’s Blade, Light No Fire0:39:13 Black Myth: Wukong, Persona 3 Reload, Metaphor Refantazio, Skull and Bones0:51:58 News 02: Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora released!1:01:58 Supporter Q1: How do you pixel count games with upsampling?1:09:06 Supporter Q2: Do modern games avoid physics-based gameplay because of processing constraints or game design?1:12:19 Supporter Q3: Does the addition of path tracing to Call of Duty’s lobbies suggest a wider implementation later on?1:16:07 Supporter Q4: Should the console makers release jailbreak patches for older consoles?1:19:38 Supporter Q5: Should GPU manufacturers introduce features from Special K into their drivers?1:24:25 Supporter Q6: Can you pixel count The Game Awards? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices