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Digital Foundry

When it comes to video games and the hardware and tech we play them on, the team at Digital Foundry are unparalleled experts. Each week, DF Direct breaks down the latest breakthroughs in video game visuals, sound, and performance happening on PlayStation, Xbox, the most powerful PC setups, and more. If you’re a geek for graphics, GPUs, or just video games in general, DF Direct will help you get the most out of your gaming setup.

Digital Foundry Direct Weekly

Valve's reveal of the Steam Machine has proven phenomenally popular to the point where our coverage is by far and away the biggest DF video of the year. But there's more information emerging post-embargo we had to share, plus plenty of discussion points to wade through. How much will it cost? Does this really cause problems for Microsoft? What is the actual make-up of the Zen 4 CPU? And is a spec that's comparable with PlayStation 5 really the best that could be done over five years into this generation? Rich, Oliver and Alex convene once again to talk about the Valve initiative.

0:00:00 Introduction 
0:01:41 Steam Machine pricing 
0:13:42 Potential impacts to Microsoft 
0:25:18 CPU: likely Hawk Point 2 
0:30:54 Hardware concerns and deficits 
0:45:11 Should Valve have used Strix Halo? 
0:51:41 8GB of VRAM and SteamOS efficiencies 
1:03:04 Steam Frame and Valve’s push into ARM 
1:14:25 Supporter Q1: Will Steam Machine have pre-loading of shader cache? 
1:19:17 Supporter Q2: How can Valve solve the anti-cheat problem? 
1:22:25 Supporter Q3: Will Valve drop Half-Life 3 for the launch of Steam Machine? 
1:28:21 Supporter Q4: What is a proper punishment for Alex after his denigration of PS3?

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DF Direct Weekly #240: Steam Machine - Pricing, Specs, VRAM, ARM Ambitions + More

While the new Steam Machine PC/console hybrid has taken centrestage, it's not the only major hardware launch revealed by Valve today. Steam Frame is a state-of-the-art VR headset that not only streams games from your PC but can actually run them on the headset itself, with an x86 to ARM translation layer working in addition to Proton. Oliver's been hands-on and shares his impressions with John in this DF Direct Special.

00:00 Overview04:17 Internal specifications06:55 Displays and optics15:19 Foveated rendering and foveated streaming18:06 Modularity, controls, and audio24:52 Standalone gaming functionality32:30 Game streaming37:25 Analysis and conclusion

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DF Direct Special: Valve's Steam Frame VR Headset - Hands-On + Impressions, Specs + Tech Breakdown

It's the hardware we've been waiting for. Built on SteamOS, Valve's brand-new Steam Machine runs the same games that Steam Deck does, with 6x the graphics horsepower - all built into a super-cute, premium, cube-like design. Oliver visited Valve HQ to go hands-on with both the new PC/console hybrid and the new Steam Controller, reporting back with impressions, specs and insights from the engineers behind the project. 

0:00:00 Introduction0:01:11 Steam Machine overview0:04:38 Specs and architecture0:22:38 Other specs and capabilities0:30:24 Steam Controller0:36:26 Analysis and conclusion

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DF Direct Special: Hands-On With Steam Machine: Valve's Beautiful PC/Console - Specs, Impressions And More

Aside from the monumental release of our brand new website, it was looking like a quiet week until the gigaton news that Grand Theft Auto 6 was delayed again quote-unquote dropped. The team discuss the implications in this week's Direct, before moving onto PS Portal cloud streaming impressions and the AMD marketing debacle that is the RDNA 1/2 driver situation. Silent Hill 2 is all but certain to arrive on Xbox, but what about Switch 2? Plus: kudos to Nintendo as it looks almost certain now that Switch 2 is the biggest console launch of all-time... within a three-month launch window at least!

0:00:00 Introduction
0:01:53 Our new website - digitalfoundry.net!
0:09:13 News 1: GTA 6 launch delayed to November 2026 
0:21:20 News 2: PS Portal now officially supports PS5 Cloud Streaming 
0:39:17 News 3: AMD’s RDNA 1 and 2 driver debacle 
0:55:30 News 4: Switch 2 is the fastest selling console of all time (so far) 
1:04:09 News 5: Silent Hill 2 reportedly headed to Xbox 
1:10:41 Supporter Q1: What do you consider “retro”? 
1:18:23 Supporter Q2: What is the most exciting console gen technologically? 
1:23:09 Supporter Q3: Should Microsoft worry about Valve’s future devices? 
1:33:46 Supporter Q4: Will Rockstar reconsider a simultaneous GTA 6 PC launch? 
1:41:21 Supporter Q5: Will the upcoming PS handheld play PS6 games natively, or only via streaming?

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DF Direct Weekly #239: GTA 6 Delayed, Silent Hill 2 Xbox, Switch 2 Biggest Console Launch Ever?

At the time of uploading this video, it has been one year to the day since PlayStation 5 Pro was available to buy. In a DF Direct Special, John, Oliver and Tom compare notes on a massive range of Pro-enhanced titles, putting them into buckets: successful, good but not great and straight-out bad. And with that out of the way, it's time to talk about the overall effectiveness of the system in delivering an enhanced experience - plus thoughts and hopes for PS5 Pro: Year Two.

0:00:00 Overview 0:01:19 Game Boost and PS4 Enhance Image Quality 0:05:41 Successful games: FF7 Rebirth, Control, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Black Myth Wukong, TLOU, The Callisto Protocol, Gran Turismo 7, Ghost of Yotei, Horizon Forbidden West 0:25:11 Death Stranding 2, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Space Marine 2, Hellblade 2, Resident Evil, Monster Hunter Wilds, Stellar Blade, Forza Horizon 5, Battlefield 6 0:35:11 Unsuccessful and middling games: MGS Delta, Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill F, Dragon’s Dogma 2, Alan Wake 2, Jedi: Survivor, The Outer Worlds 2, Helldivers 2, Doom: The Dark Ages, Astro Bot, Black Ops 6 0:58:03 Final thoughts

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PlayStation 5 Pro: Year One - Was It Worth It? The Best/Worst Games, PSSR + More - DF Direct Special

A new patch has "dropped" for Metal Gear Solid Delta and there are big performance and feature improvements in some areas, but is the game actually fixed? Meanwhile, Oliver gets to grips with Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 and comes away disappointed, while John is highly impressed with Lumines Arise. The team try to work their way through a puzzling interview from Microsoft's Satya Nadella, while a promising game that first started development in 2012 now actually has a launch trailer - but what is Routine? And 13 years on, why should you be interested?

0:00:00 Introduction 
0:01:49 News 1: Metal Gear Solid Delta patch shows performance bump 
0:23:19 News 2: Bloodlines 2 tested on PS5 
0:33:16 News 3: Assassin’s Creed Shadows trailer drops for Switch 2
0:41:34 News 4: Lumines Arise impresses in preview 
0:47:34 News 5: Microsoft CEO: gaming’s competition is short-form video 
1:04:53 News 6: Routine re-emerges in release date trailer
1:09:23 Supporter Q1: Could you add Linux coverage to your PC game reviews? 
1:16:06 Supporter Q2: Why did Xbox lose this console generation? 
1:26:49 Supporter Q3: Is the new Power Saver mode actually intended for the cloud? 
1:33:57 Supporter Q4: Is Apple finally serious about gaming?

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DF Direct Weekly #238: MGS Delta Fixed? Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2, AC Shadows Switch 2!

A gigantic new episode of DF Direct Weekly sees the team's reaction to the big Halo Campaign Evolved reveal - and some unfortunate Unreal Engine 5 issues already coming into view. Meanwhile, what does Microsoft actually mean by its "very premium, very high-end" next-gen comments and is the Xbox Ally X interface really the best way forward? Meanwhile, John and some familiar faces reveal our next big project - the DF Retro Super Show - our brand new video podcast. Beyond that, Rich talks PlayStation power saver with Death Stranding 1 and 2, while alarming stats are revealed about the decline of games journalism.

0:00:00 Introduction 
0:01:12 News 1: Halo Campaign Evolved revealed! 
0:23:03 News 2: Sarah Bond: next Xbox "very premium, very high-end"
0:55:55 News 3: Announcing the DF Retro Super Show!
1:01:46 News 4: Nvidia drops Bonsai tech demo 
1:13:05 News 5: Death Stranding 1 + 2 tested in Power Saver mode 
1:27:11 News 6: Game journalists rapidly departing industry 
1:42:37 Supporter Q1: Is Microsoft making a mistake by muddling the definition of an Xbox? 
1:50:50 Supporter Q2: Is Microsoft’s new 30% gaming margin target driving its recent woes? 
1:57:17 Supporter Q3: Does pursuing the state of the art make sense in a cost-constrained, multi-platform era? 
2:01:25 Supporter Q4: Is Sony’s new portable PlayStation doomed to the same fate as the Vita? 
2:05:58 Supporter Q5: How can AAA game studios survive in an era of increasing console prices?
2:12:09 Supporter Q6: Did you ever hear the tragedy of Alex Battaglia the Wise?

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DF Direct Weekly #237: Halo Campaign Evolved Reaction, "Premium" Next-Gen Xbox, New DF Retro Show!

ROG Xbox Ally X is "in the house" and Rich describes his first couple of days in the review process. Alex answers the big question as to whether new PC games stutter more than older ones, while Oliver gets to grips with Black Myth Wukong's latest patch on PlayStation, complete with Lumen-free performance mode. Finally, next-gen Xbox and PlayStation spec leaks are gathering pace - so what do we make of them?

0:00:00 Introduction 
0:00:54 News 1: ROG Xbox Ally X first impressions and benchmarks!
0:31:28 News 2: Black Myth: Wukong patch brings Xbox updates to PS5
0:42:23 News 3: Did old PC games stutter less? 
0:57:52 News 4: Latest Xbox Magnus rumours suggest large, expensive die
1:10:38 News 5: New PS5 Pro features subtle revisions
1:16:35 Supporter Q1: What does Alex think of Mark Cerny’s recent Project Amethyst announcements? 
1:26:47 Supporter Q2: What does Microsoft’s collaboration with AMD look like? 
1:33:59 Supporter Q3: Should Nintendo release a docked-only version of Switch 2? 
1:36:43 Supporter Q4: Any thoughts on the recent Gamers Nexus animation error exposé?

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DF Direct Weekly #236: Xbox Ally X Review-In-Progress, Next-Gen Spec Leak Comparisons, New PS5 Pro!

In this week's DF Direct, Microsoft deny rumours that its next-gen console has been cancelled - but to what extent are its statements credible in the wake of the infamous "four games" messaging? The existence of ports of Red Dead Redemption 2 for PS5, Xbox and Switch 2 are confirmed by the most reliable leaker in the business, while John shares his impressions of Yooka-Replaylee. And to what extent did Nintendo underclock the SoC for Switch 2?

0:00:00 Introduction 
0:00:58 News 1: Microsoft: future Xbox console hardware re-confirmed
0:17:10 News 2: Yooka-Replaylee lands on current gen systems
0:27:51 News 3: Red Dead Redemption 2 remaster heavily rumoured 
0:35:18 News 4: Ominous omens surround next Halo 
0:47:16 Supporter Q1: If the next-gen Xbox is cancelled, what will have been lost? 
0:52:47 Supporter Q2: Will competing consoles continue to launch at a similar cadence in the future? 
0:59:27 Supporter Q3: Will developers focus on more advanced physics or mechanics to differentiate their games during cross-gen? 
1:06:38 Supporter Q4: How will PS5 Pro fare in cross-gen software? 
1:10:09 Supporter Q5: Should we consider Microsoft’s commercially unsuccessful consoles to be failures? 
1:22:18 Supporter Q6: Is the Switch 1 or Switch 2 underclocked more heavily?

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DF Direct Weekly #235: Microsoft Re-Confirms Next-Gen Xbox, Red Dead 2 Remaster Heavily Rumoured

Could this be the foundational GPU technology for the PlayStation 6? Mark Cerny's latest Project Amethyst update describes the building blocks of future graphics technology, with a strong focus on ray tracing and machine learning capabilities, along with bandwidth-enhancing features designed to reduce the need on massive memory controllers. John, Rich and Oliver discuss the tech and share more information from Mark Cerny via an email Q&A conducted in the wake of the video's publication.

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DF Direct Special: Sony/AMD Project Amethyst Update - Next-Gen Tech Revealed + Mark Cerny Q&A

Huge news shaking the core of the games industry today as Microsoft seemingly out of nowhere announced their acquisition of Activision/Blizzard/King, hot on the heels of them already adding Bethesda to their Xbox family. Audi Sorlie, Alex Battaglia and John Linneman enter the war room to discuss what this could potentially mean for Microsoft and the video game industry itself.
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DF Direct Special: Microsoft Buys Activision/Blizzard - Initial Reaction! Speculation! More!

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