Digital Foundry Direct Weekly

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 Introduction00:00:55 News 01: Horizon: Forbidden West patch brings VRR, 40Hz support00:11:25 News 02: GTA IV and RDR remasters cancelled?00:20:15 News 03: Take-Two issues VR mod takedowns00:32:36 News 04: DLSS patch removes fur in MH: Rise00:44:48 News 05: Biomutant PS5, Series S/X update incoming!00:47:49 DF Content Discussion: FSR 2.0 deep dive00:54:23 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

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 Introduction00:00:47 News 01: Half-Life 2 modded onto Portal for Switch00:09:10 News 02: Nier: Automata Switch port revealed00:13:55 News 03: Cyberpunk 2077 modded with FSR 2.000:21:20 News 04: Sony launches PC headsets, monitors00:36:39 News 05: Valve doubling Steam Deck production00:43:42 News 06: New Star Ocean: The Divine Force trailer00:46:55 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

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

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 Introduction00:00:58 News 01: Square reveals FF7 Rebirth and Crisis Core remake00:13:56 News 02: "E3" Aftermath and thoughts00:32:16 News 03: PS1 Classics are proper NTSC in the US00:34:55 News 04: Jak and Daxter reverse engineered00:41:28 News 05: Unreal Engine Forum Q&A00:55:45 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

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

Geoff Keighley rolls into town, meaning only one thing - Summer Game Fest, aka Geoffcon aka Keigh3 is finally upon us. The Last of Us Part 1, Modern Warfare 2 and The Callisto Protocol headline the proceedings alongside a whole host of other great-looking games. Meanwhile, 343 Studios announces Halo co-op preview flighting in July and Apple reveals the M2 chip, smart upscaling and a new focus on gaming. Finally, what is T-LOO and will it forever dominate our destinies? 00:00:00 Introductions00:01:04 News 01: Summer Game Fest00:42:33 News 02: Plucky Squire looks fabulous00:47:08 News 03: Halo Infinite Co-Op in public beta00:50:05 DF Supporter Q1: What are your thoughts on Apple's MetalFX Upscaling?00:50:25 DF Supporter Q2: What are your thoughts on Apple's MetalFX and the new M2 SoC?00:54:31 DF Supporter Q3: Can you see Sony making their own PC client for Playstation games?00:56:04 DF Supporter Q4: How much in contact are the MS and Sony console divisions?00:57:33 DF Supporter Q5: How do you maintain your launch day PS3?01:00:36 DF Supporter Q6: Is there any chance we can get more DF Retro E3 presentation watch-alongs? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

DF Direct Weekly reaches its 'landmark' 64th episode, automatically making it as good as the Nintendo 64, Commodore 64 and Mega 64 (?). John, Rich and Alex team up to discuss the Sony PS5 State of Play, including Resident Evil 4 Remake, Spider-Man's PC port and PlayStation VR2. Meanwhile, there's confusion and disappointment surrounding Sonic Frontiers' gameplay reveal, and anticipation for God of War PC's FSR 2.0 update and Horizon Forbidden West's new patch. 00:00:00 Introductions00:59:00 News 01: State of Play June 202200:41:38 News 02: Sonic Frontiers gameplay underwhelms00:48:25 News 03: PS+ Japan gets NTSC classics00:52:08 News 04: God of War and Horizon PC gets updates00:55:31 DF Content Discussion: DF Retro PS3 1080p video update01:01:53 DF Supporter Q01: Any thoughts on breathless tech site stories saying RTX cards are "back to MSRP"?01:07:41 DF Supporter Q02: What do you guys think AMD needs to pull out of the hat to surpass or at least be on the same level playing field as Nvidia on the PC market?01:20:31 DF Supporter Q03: How about a comprehensive tech terms and techniques explanation video?01:22:46 DF Supporter Q04: Why do most US, Canadian and Euro Genesis / Mega Drive games just sound so much worse musically than their Japanese counterparts?01:26:32 DF Supporter Q05: With all the games that you guys have reviewed all these years, which post-processing effect is the one that makes a great impact in a game, or which is your favorite? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Much to discuss this week as the silly season brings us unconfirmed rumours of new consoles, plus a wealth of new information from Sony on its PC strategy and its future plans for PS4. Meanwhile, Windows Central reveals news on Microsoft's xCloud streaming stick, but can the technology actually become viable for all? Also - the PlayStation Plus classics emulators. They're not great and John's not happy about it. Finally, Alex has been spending 'quality time' with Steam Deck but what does that actually mean? 00:00:00 Introductions00:00:46 News 01: TCL anticipates new consoles by 202400:13:07 News 02: Sony doubling down on PC00:21:55 News 03: PS4 Cross-Gen here to stay for a while.00:25:42 News 04: Next Xbox is a cloud streaming stick?00:29:34 Supporter Q: What's your take on whether the big obstacle for making game streaming more attractive being the problem with Internet infrastructures, or something the streaming software can solve by itself?00:35:42 News 05: PS Classics on PS+ isn't great00:36:39 Supporter Q: PS Classics questions00:50:42 Supporter Q01: If FSR 2.0 is providing comparable quality to DLSS, don't you think Nvidia is wasting precious silicon area that could be used on more shaders on tensor cores?00:53:16 Supporter Q02: Any thoughts on DLSS, FSR, or XeSS being used to upscale streaming services like Netflix?00:59:52 Supporter Q03: Do publishers update the versions of their games on physical discs for later print runs?01:02:48 Supporter Q04: Can you see yourselves potentially using Steam OS on your non-work PCs once it's seen a proper release of version 3?01:07:34 Supporter Q05: Do you think we could see cross-gen games that ditch the base last-gen consoles but work on the enhanced consoles?01:09:11 Supporter Q06: Will Knack 3’s inevitable announcement (or release) coincide with a PS5 firmware update to enable its promised 8K output? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is The Last of Us really being remade for PlayStation 5 and if it is, is it really coming out in 2022? Or has the news void drove journos to desperation? Rich, John and Alex discuss this, the controversial PlayStation Plus games line-up - and of course, the big Starfield/Redfall delay. Also: Hitman 3's ray tracing seems to require an RTX 3070 and DLSS for 1440p - just how heavy is this game? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nintendo's worried about the next-gen transition, Xbox Online DRM causes a major outage, Gotham Knights gets an unconvincing gameplay reveal and the legendary Duke Nukem Forever build from 2001 has leaked! Let's just say that there's plenty to discuss for John, Rich and Tom! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices