Digital Foundry Direct Weekly

John Linneman, Alex Battaglia and Audi Sorlie take point on what may well be the longest and most packed DF Direct to date with all of the latest tech news, behind-the-scene project info and of course, questions from backers of the DF Supporter Program are answered!00:00:00 Introduction00:01:20 Intel XeSS00:07:24 New Black Myth Wukong trailer00:14:03 Pokemon Legends: Arceus reveal00:21:57 Tales of Arise demo XSX vs PS5 impressions00:30:53 DuckStation on Series S: 4K overclocked PlayStation 1 on Xbox00:39:36 Ubisoft crossover season, Resident Evil x Rainbow Six x Watch Dogs x Assassin Creed00:45:40 Shining Force: Heroes of Light and Darkness teaser trailer reveal00:54:51 DF Content: Crysis coverage and feedback01:15:04 DF Content: DF Retro updates01:19:28 DF Supporter Q1: Who's the best gamer amongst the DF team?01:23:28 DF Supporter Q2: The old testament01:28:55 DF Supporter Q3: I was just wondering if Alex will be doing a video on exactly what sort of PC you need to play Microsoft Flight Simulator on console equivalent settings?01:32:01 DF Supporter Q4: Any chance of a video building a spec for spec PC and pitting against the PS5/XSX in a performance video in various games?01:36:17 DF Supporter Q5: Does setting the resolution on a PS3 to 480p and connecting to a CRT improve performance on PS3 games?01:39:32 DF Supporter Q6: When do you think we could see a PS5 Slim or smaller Xbox Series X? 01:42:35 DF Supporter Q7: PlayStation equivalent to FPS Boost?01:46:29 Endgame Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join Rich Leadbetter, John Linneman and Alex Battaglia for the latest DF tech chat - the team tried putting an Xbox SSD in a PS5 to disastrously disappointing results, before moving on to cover Abandoned, its disastrous trailer reveal and the conspiracy theories surrounding it, before moving onto the problematic Radeon RX 6600 XT. There's more GPU talk as Intel's move into the graphics market gets our attention and much, much more.00:00:00 Introductions00:01:15 Does the Xbox Series SSD work in PS5?00:05:14 The Abandoned situation - marketing fail, conspiracy theories, trailer content00:15:03 Radeon RX 6600 XT Misfire - And What Happened to Cheap 1080p Gaming GPUs?00:34:08 Xenoblade Chronicles 3 accidentally revealed?00:37:42 Anton Kaplanyan joins Intel00:45:56 A500 Mini announced00:51:18 Control on Series X fixed?00:54:40 Black Frame Insertion update01:04:41 Future guest hosts for DF Direct Weekly?01:06:36 DF Supporter Q1: Would you guys do a deep dive on eGPUs over Thunderbolt?01:10:50 DF Supporter Q2: what should be the benefit of adaptive sync enabled vs disabled for a situation where the game is rendering at ~100 FPS on a 144 hz monitor?01:14:16 DF Supporter Q3: Are there any current or emerging technologies in the PC space that you see as providing a superior experience that simply isn't possible on today's consoles?01:18:34 DF Supporter Q4: Whether a game using upscaling/reconstruction techniques should be considered or called 4K even though its not being rendered natively at 4K?01:25:19 DF Supporter Q5: What are you guys’ thoughts on so called AI upscaling for things like full motion video content?01:30:37 DF Supporter Q6: Would Digital Foundry be interested in doing a deep dive into render latency reduction?01:35:27 DF Supporter Q7: Does Rich miss being in the office with other team members in any way?01:43:20 Ending Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Somehow we managed to convince a guest to join us on DF Direct Weekly! Sam Machkovech from Ars Technica shows us around the Playdate handheld and joins in discussing the news of the week, bringing with him a 'special' bonus Q+A for Rich...00:00:00 Introductions00:01:55 Playdate hands-on crankin'00:20:53 Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster impressions00:34:59 The State of VR00:51:26 3DFX... what?00:57:01 Zool ReDimensioned announced01:00:44 Sam's impressions on Flight Simulator01:07:09 DF Retro: Super Star Wars feedback01:10:31 SAM GETS RICH: Sam's Rootin Tootin Big America Cowboy Lightning Round of Questions01:17:29 Supporter Q1: If a game uses normal rasterization and isn't using something like DLSS, are Nvidia's tensor cores basically sitting idle?01:20:09 Supporter Q2: With all the other remakes of retro consoles on the market, do you see an option for DF to look into more alternative hardware going forward?01:22:29 Supporter Q3: I've seen a tweet about how Zelda Wii U Tech Demo looks "better" than actual zelda games, can you explain the differences on a video between BoTW and this demo?01:28:31 Supporter Q4: What one game in your opinion changed the gaming landscape the most?01:31:01 Supporter Q5: Is it possible/probable that we could see tech like DLSS used to improve the experience of streamed video?01:32:58 Supporter Q6: do you expect Nintendo to make any OS changes to prevent OLED burn-in or image retention?01:39:38 End Game Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

DF Direct returns, with John, Rich and Alex sharing their thoughts on Flight Simulator, The Ascent, NEW Mortal Shell DLC, the Radeon RX 6600XT and a fantastic new addition to the MiSTer ecosystem! NOTE: The RX 6600XT has an MSRP of $379, not the stated $349.00:00:00 Introductions00:00:55 Flight Simulator on Xbox Series, our impressions00:18:24 The Ascent review and feedback00:27:06 MORTAL SHELL DLC00:29:13 AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT Revealed00:36:21 MiSTer console casing00:41:12 DLSS SDK release00:44:58 Oculus Touch ring cracking00:50:29 DF Retro Super Star Wars + Reveal of next month episode00:55:46 DF Retro Play: N64 Futuristic Racers00:59:13 Supporter Q1: Are there any “holy grails” from offline CG rendering that you’re still waiting to be implemented in games?01:01:44 Supporter Q2: Do you think physichs and AI will ever start to be at the forefront again?01:08:12 Supporter Q3: Will the RT performance of the consoles be left in the dust once AMD/Nvidia really hit their stride with hardware RT?01:13:41 Supporter Q4: As soon as this cross-gen period is over, do you think we will be back to being stuck in 1080p/30fps hell?01:17:15 Supporter Q5: What are some of the more recent games out today that you most look forward to playing on high end hard hardware 5 to 10 years from now?01:19:45 Supporter Q6: Given the increasing number of streaming- based switch games, are you planning any performance and/or latency analyses?01:21:32 Supporter Q6 Part Deux: Any plans for more FSR vs DLSS analyses now when we got games that support both?01:26:37 Supporter Q7: I’ve had a chance to try DLSS and FSR in some of the games. Is there any way to properly compare the compute perf or quantify graphical quality delivered?01:30:25 BREAKING NEWS: Sony Beta Firmware to allow Internal SSD Expansion01:36:51 And now, the conclusion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The clue is in the name - DF Direct arrives every week and this week is no exception. GDC 2021 is in full effect, so Rich, Alex and John discuss a couple of the more interesting and relevant presentations before powering on in sharing more about recent DF projects and tackling a big bunch of supporter Q+A. Join the DF Supporter Program to contribute to the show and get it early, every Saturday!00:00:00 Introduction00:00:45 GDC 2021: UE5 Demo From The Coalition - Intel CPU/GPU Presentations00:19:23 MODdb Receives Takedown Notice From Take Two00:25:23 Final Words on The Resident Evil Village PC DRM Debacle00:28:02 DF Content Discussion: Ratchet 40fps - Addressing The Confusion00:36:19 DF Content Discussion: Unreal Engine for Video Production00:45:11 Supporter Q1: Will it be possible to gauge the performance of the Steam Deck now?00:46:43 Supporter Q2: Do you think the Steam Deck will be able to handle the games from the Total War series?00:47:33 Supporter Q3: Is it likely that a performant ML-based upscaling solution similar to DLSS could be implemented on Xbox Series?00:50:31 Supporter Q4: Curious what your opinion is on the rampant devotion to leaked info?00:59:40 Supporter Q5: Could you elaborate on how you are using BFI on your LG OLED?01:06:14 Supporter Q6: What measures did you take to help prevent burn in on your OLED monitor?01:10:59 Supporter Q7: Much has been said about cross-gen development holding back the potential of the new consoles. Now, can the same be said about the PC, in the sense that targeting a wider range of platforms could hinder console games design?01:17:25 Supporter Q8: Do any of you play with inverted vertical controls?01:20:01 Ending Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The specs have been updated, a few hundreds frames have been tested - and we've taken a look at the state of integrated graphics performance on AMD APUs in the PC space. Rich Leadbetter, John Linneman and Alex Battaglia sit down to share all of their thoughts on the Steam Deck in a 75 minute DF Direct Special.00:00:00 Introductions + Steam Deck First Impressions00:07:34 Form Factor + Control Discussion00:12:14 Why Steam Deck Needs Game-Specific Performance Profiles00:14:22 Specs Update - 88GB/s Memory Bandwidth Confirmed00:18:32 Off-Screen Performance Testing00:22:49 Ryzen 9 4900HS 35W Integrated GPU Testing - Doom Eternal, Control, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order00:31:00 "Talk About The Screen!!" + Other Steam Deck Iterations From Other Companies00:37:09 Will Docked Performance Be Better than Mobile?00:38:47 The Proton Compatibility Layer00:43:43 M.2 2230 SSD Confirmed - Is It Upgradeable?00:45:27 SteamOS Suspend/Resume Technology Confirmed00:47:12 Can GamePass And Other Launchers And Streaming Services Run From Linux On Steam Deck? Will We Get Windows Drivers?00:52:45 Is Valve Really Trying To Compete With Nintendo?01:01:19 Supporter Question: Can 8 RDNA 2 CUs run ray tracing games at 720p/800p?01:03:25 Will Steam Deck Get Bespoke Support From Developers?01:05:08 Supporter Question: What Games Will Be Especially Heavy On Battery Life?01:07:32 Supporter Question: Can Steam Deck Run Crysis 3 at 720p60 Without All Settings At Low? Will You Be Testing Crysis With Steam Deck?01:09:34 Final Thoughts + Do We Really Need A Switch Pro Right Now? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

DF Direct Weekly is back with a 20th episode milestone - shot before the Steam Deck reveal. We will have a Deck-specific Direct a bit later in the week. In this video, we talk about the lamentable Resident Evil Village DRM situation, Skyward Sword HD on Switch and the 'stealth 120Hz support' in A Plague Tale: Innocence - which is actually a good old PC-style v-sync off, unlocked fps scenario. All this and much, much more.00:00:00 Introduction00:01:03 RE Village DRM situation00:18:04 A Plague Tale Innocence 120Hz unlocked frame-rate00:27:11 Zelda Skyward Sword HD impressions00:36:40 Powerslave/Exhumed returns!00:41:12 MiSTer gets CPS2 arcade support00:46:54 DF Content Discussion/Supporter Program schedule01:12:01 Supporter Q1: Does the PS5 Shortage indicate a long PS3-era console generation? 01:19:33 Supporter Q2: What are the chances of other PS4 titles getting 120fps support?01:24:11 Supporter Q3: Any plans for more switch overclocking videos?01:29:22 Supporter Q4: Do you think the die shrink switch we got a couple years ago or the new oled switch will run cooler?01:31:29 Supporter Q5: Would you be interested in digging into some of the older computer titles for DF Retro?01:36:24 Supporter Q6: Will Sega ever tap the vast and excellent Saturn library? Also please talk about the Saturn more.01:42:54 A NEW CHALLENGER HAS ARRIVED!01:43:48 Ending Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A week packed full of news, topped by the Switch OLED reveal and the Switch Pro non-reveal, Dark Souls 3 FPS Boost, Assassin's Creed Infinity - the AC live service, TIE Fighter's total conversion - there's a ton to talk about! Joining Rich Leadbetter are Audi Sorlie and John Linneman.00:00:00 Introductions00:01:00 Switch OLED Q+A00:22:21 Dark Souls 3 FPS Boost00:36:28 Assassin's Creed Infinity00:51:33 TIE Fighter Total Conversion00:59:36 SGDQ 2021 recap01:03:59 GTA6 rumors01:15:17 DF Content + Supporter Program update01:24:08 Supporter Q1: 120Hz 720p on FW90001:28:29 Supporter Q2: What game/franchise would you like to see return?01:35:39 Supporter Q3: Biggest pet peeves in graphics tech?01:40:58 Supporter Q4: Your arcade fantasy scenario?01:46:04 Ending Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Another week, another DF Direct Weekly and the triumvirate convene to discuss the most important tech and industry news items of the week, talk about their most recent projects and field a range of questions from users on the Digital Foundry Supporter Program. 73 minutes of tech chat - let's do it.00:00:00 Introductions00:00:48 Doom Eternal RT releases00:05:33 Ryzen 4700S - PS5 Processor on a PC board00:11:43 Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart 120Hz 40fps patch00:16:26 Sony acquires Nixxes and Housemarque00:27:04 Bloober Team + Konami enter STRATEGIC COOPERATION AGREEMENT00:32:19 Final Fantasy PIXEL REMASTER UI troubles00:38:58 DF Content discussion of the week00:46:50 Supporter Q1: CRT RGB question and DF Retro request00:50:29 Supporter Q2: Does the popularly held distinction between “gameplay” and “graphics” ever bother you?00:57:59 Supporter Q3: Do you think ray tracing will get left behind as too specialized a technology once we get into the later half of this generation?01:03:31 Supporter Q4: What title do you guys anticipate being the next milestone in bleeding edge video game graphics in the near future, and why?01:06:41 Supporter Q5: How is it like to film these Direct Weekly segments?01:10:39 Supporter Q6: Lichdom: Battlemage? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's DF Direct Weekly once again, where the team convenes to discuss the hot topics of the week - which this week amounts to AMD's FSR, Sonic's 30th anniversary, concerns with the Intellivision Amico plus our behind the scenes thoughts on the projects we're currently working on. Oh - and DF Supporter Q+A? Let's do it.00:00:00 Introductions00:01:15 AMD FSR Controversy and Reaction00:32:00 Sonic 30th Anniversary & Sonic Memories00:48:28 Jonathan Frakes joins PUBG00:53:41 Myst VR coming Q3 to Mac and PC00:56:47 Intellivision Amico Concerns01:10:26 Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX has Issues01:17:29 DF Content of the Week01:34:15 Supporter Q1: Did John fix his Dolby Atmos lag?01:36:55 Supporter Q2: Will Vulkan ever become the standard API?01:39:28 Supporter Q3: Could ray tracing give in-game tactical advantage?01:40:31 Supporter Q4: How is Digital Foundry viewed from inside developer studios? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices