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Digital Foundry & Geek Media

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. DF Direct is a part of the Geek Media Podcast Network, an IGN Entertainment Brand. Visit Geek.com for more information.

Digital Foundry Direct Weekly

In a new, gigantor-scale edition of DF Direct Weekly, John and Rich celebrate PlayStation's 30th Anniversary, Alex joins to discuss Indiana Jones on PC with its 'actually quite reasonable' specs, while Oliver and Tom discuss potential Steam Machines, Lenovo Legion Go S, the latest Intel GPU announcements, Warhammer 40K Darktide on PS5 and Pro and... much, much more!

﻿0:00:00 Introduction
0:01:14 News 1: Sony celebrates PlayStation’s 30th anniversary
0:24:09 News 2: Valve branding guidelines suggest third party SteamOS hardware
0:37:05 News 3: Black Ops 6 on PS5 Pro tested + developer info!
0:48:48 News 4: Intel reveals B580, B570 GPUs
0:58:28 News 5: Lenovo Legion Go S leaks
1:09:44 News 6: Warhammer 40,000: Darktide PS5 Pro tested
1:25:29 News 7: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle reaction!
1:46:23 Supporter Q1: Is the industry finally moving to mandatory hardware RT? 
1:54:50 Supporter Q2: Can Microsoft minimize hassles if they move towards Windows for their console releases? 
2:03:05 Supporter Q3: For midrange GPUs, is it better to use temporal upscaling to 1440p or 4K? 
2:10:23 Supporter Q4: Will Switch 2 games output to 720p or 900p in portable mode for performance reasons? 
2:17:18 Supporter Q5: Will upcoming portable consoles be supported like the Series S?

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DF Direct Weekly #192: PlayStation 30th, New Steam Machines? Indy PC Reaction, Intel Returns!

Alert status is elevated to GEOFFCON 1 as we react to the major reveals - and other games that caught our attention - at The Game Awards 2024. What can we learn from The Witcher 4's cinematic trailer and the RTX 5090 that powered it? Is Intergalactic from Naughty Dog really rendering in real-time at 4K 60 with ray tracing? How good does Mafia: The Old Country look and just how wonderful was Split Fiction? Does Elden Ring Nightreign exhibit any evidence of technical progression whatsoever? All this and more in the new Direct, plus Oliver's analysis of the new PS5 Pro updates for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and Star Wars Outlaws.

0:00:00 Introduction
0:01:25 News 1: The Game Awards 2024 - The Witcher 4
0:15:07 Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet 
0:30:04 Split Fiction
0:37:33 Elden Ring Nightreign 
0:42:57 Mafia: The Old Country 
0:47:53 John’s picks: Ninja Gaiden, Virtua Fighter, Project Century, Turok. Onimusha, Okami, new GenDesign game 
1:01:20 Oliver’s picks: FF7R PC, TLOU Pt 2 PC, Screamer, Sonic Racing 
1:13:50 News 2: Avatar and Star Wars Outlaws PS5 Pro fixes tested! 
1:26:31 News 3: LG discontinues Blu-Ray players
1:40:30 Supporter Q1: Will Doom: The Dark Ages have the same RT features as Indiana Jones? And should id Tech be licensed to other developers? 
1:47:27 Supporter Q2: Why isn’t there a Cyberpunk 2077 PS5 Pro patch? 
1:52:05 Supporter Q3: Should we be concerned about the Arc B580’s die size? 
1:59:03 Supporter Q4: What would a hypothetical Arc B770 look like? 
2:06:58 Supporter Q5: If Geoff was to give an award for game engine utilization, who would win?
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DF Direct Weekly #193: The Witcher 4, Intergalactic, Elden Ring Nightreign, Mafia Old Country!

PlayStation lead system architect Mark Cerny has just 'quote-unquote' dropped a big new deep dive into the technology of the PlayStation 5 Pro. Oliver Mackenzie had the chance to see the presentation several weeks ago and we have an interview on our YouTube channel - but the Digital Foundry team have much to talk about based on the presentation - and here they are to do just that.

00:00 Introduction
01:53 GPU overview: RDNA 2.x, 16.7 TF
06:32 Ray tracing improvements
15:01 Machine learning and PSSR
26:27 The future: Amethyst, ML exploration, and next-gen
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DF Direct Special: Mark Cerny's PlayStation 5 Pro Deep Dive - Tomorrow's Tech Today?

With an official announcement for Nintendo Switch 2 due in the next month or so, it's perhaps no surprise to see the leaks coming in thick and fast - but how believable are they? Meanwhile, Oliver gets to grips with the latest patch for Alan Wake 2 on PS5 Pro - is there genuine improvement? Rich tries to piece together the latest RTX 50-series rumours into something coherently plausible, while John examines the latest Switch IP-abusing shovelware: the mighty Monkey Kong in New-York.

0:00:00 Introduction
0:01:09 News 1: Switch 2 leaks describe dock, magnetic connection
0:17:40 News 2: New Alan Wake 2 PS5 Pro patch tested!
0:28:14 News 3: Indiana Jones lighting improved on Xbox
0:35:32 News 4: New Legion Go uses SteamOS
0:49:50 News 5: RTX 50 series leaks continue
1:01:35 News 6: DF Supporter Game of the Year awards!
1:18:01 News 7: “Monkey Kong” hits Nintendo eShop
1:25:36 Supporter Q1: After the Mark Cerny interview, how do you think Sony will approach PS6?
1:33:47 Supporter Q2: How will Project Amethyst affect Microsoft’s relationship with AMD?
1:39:00 Supporter Q3: How will today’s high-end PC hardware compare to next gen consoles?
1:45:01 Supporter Q4: Why was PS3/360 game performance often so poor?
1:55:02 Supporter Q5: What do you make of FF7 Rebirth’s PC lighting upgrades?
1:58:54 Supporter Q6: What’s the best looking last gen game?
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DF Direct Weekly #194: Switch 2 Leak Overload, Alan Wake 2 Pro Patched, Indiana Jones Xbox Improved!

As another year comes to a close, Digital Foundry unleashes its traditional holiday video, celebrating the best game graphics of the year. Outside of some highly honourable mentions, ten games are lauded for their phenomenal visuals. John, Alex and Oliver share their thoughts in a massive 108-minute long celebration!

0:00:00 Introduction
0:01:58 Honourable mentions: STALKER 2, Persona 3 Reload, Metaphor ReFantazio, Nightdive Studios, Tiny Glade, FF7 Rebirth, Power Rangers
0:20:46 Dragon’s Dogma 2
0:26:35 Riven
0:30:32 Dragon Age: The Veilguard
0:37:24 Silent Hill 2
0:48:50 Astro Bot
0:54:32 Penny’s Big Breakaway
0:58:05 Black Myth: Wukong
1:08:49 Top 3 Discussion
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DF Direct Special: Digital Foundry's Best Game Graphics of 2024 - PC/PS5/Xbox - Another Phenomenal Year!

DF Direct returns in the year of our lord, 2025! Rich and Oliver mull over the leaked imagery of the Nintendo Switch 2 motherboard. Is the SoC on a sub-standard Samsung process? Does it really matter? Can we expect PS4 Pro levels of performance? (Spoilers: no). Meanwhile, a higher quality version of GTA 6 Trailer 1 reveals new details, and Game Science has issues with console optimisations on Xbox Series S - so is this why Black Myth: Wukong isn't on Microsoft's consoles? Finally, Rich wonders why the staff keep referring to the year of our lord - and Oliver's getting rather excited about the latest breakthroughs in AI technology.

0:00:00 Introduction
0:00:50 News 1: Switch 2 motherboard leaks - with possible 8nm SoC! 
0:27:47 News 2: Nintendo patent hints at Switch 2 upscaling
0:43:45 News 3: High quality GTA 6 trailer reveals new details 
0:55:35 News 4: Wukong developer says Series S holding back Xbox port 
1:07:41 News 5: AI update: new GPTs, game tech 
1:19:38 Supporter Q1: Does it make sense to pair an AMD CPU with an Intel GPU for a budget build? 
1:26:02 Supporter Q2: Will Sony ship games like Marvel’s Spider-Man on Switch 2? 
1:31:23 Supporter Q3: Are you saving some performance-challenged Switch games for Switch 2? 
1:35:26 Supporter Q4: Is this the most exciting Q1 in gaming history?
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DF Direct Weekly #195: Switch 2 Motherboard Leak, Nintendo Upscaling Patent, HQ GTA6 Trailer!

Yes, it's true - not only do Oliver and Alex have full torsos and legs but they have now actually met in person at CES 2025! The duo discuss their reactions to the Nvidia keynote and the RTX demos that excited them the most before moving on sharing further impressions on their AMD, Intel, Asus and Razer visits. Also, the pair's critical eyes land upon the latest generation of displays showcased at the show.

0:00:00 Introduction 
0:01:47 Nvidia CES demos - RTX Mega Geometry
0:14:25 RTX Neural Materials 
0:21:24 RTX Neural Faces and RTX Hair
0:31:37 ReStir Path Tracing + Mega Geometry 
0:36:49 Black State with DLSS 4 
0:42:47 Alan Wake 2 with DLSS 4 
0:46:01 Reflex 2 in The Finals 
0:53:22 AMD at CES: AI denoiser demo, Lenovo Legion Go handhelds
1:03:51 Razer at CES: Laptop Cooling Pad, new Razer Blade 
1:11:30 Asus and Intel at CES 
1:17:29 CES displays: Mini-LED, Micro-LED, OLED + monitor sins! 
1:30:07 Supporter Q1: Will Switch 2 support DLSS 4? 
1:32:22 Supporter Q2: Did you see the Switch 2 mockups at CES? 
1:33:56 Supporter Q3: Could you test DLSS against an ultra high-res “ground truth” image? 
1:37:52 Supporter Q4: Why would a developer use Nvidia-developed rendering techniques over their UE5 equivalents? 
1:40:38 Supporter Q5: Will multi frame gen solve game stutters? 
1:42:05 Supporter Q6: Will multi frame gen make VRR obsolete? 
1:44:27 Supporter Q7: Is Sony regretting sticking with AMD for their console business?
1:49:49 Supporter Q8: What do you think of the FF7 Rebirth PC specs? 
1:52:37 Supporter Q9: What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen on the show floor at CES?
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DF Direct Weekly #196 - CES 2025 Special! - Nvidia, AMD, Intel Highlights - DLSS 4 + More!

The embargo has lifted on the Editor's Day material Nvidia shared with the press during CES 2025. In this DF Direct Special, Oliver and Alex share their thoughts on the architectural improvements to the RTX 50-series cards, the laptops, the new AI features, DLSS 4, price and projected performance. 

0:00:00 Introduction
0:01:08 Blackwell architecture: Blackwell SM design
0:03:39 Updated Tensor Core and RT Core 
0:09:37 AI Management Processor and Max Q power management 
0:15:13 Display Engine and video encode/decode 
0:18:32 Hardware specs: RTX 5080 and 5090 
0:29:16 RTX 5070 and 5070 Ti 
0:34:23 RTX 50 Series laptops 
0:40:14 RTX Software: Neural Shaders
0:44:24 SER 2.0 
0:47:06 RTX Mega Geometry 
0:50:15 RTX Hair 
0:53:13 Neural Radiance Cache 
0:55:58 RTX Skin 
0:58:01 DLSS 4: Super Resolution, Ray Reconstruction, Frame Generation
1:06:18 Generative AI demos
1:10:03 Wrap up discussion: RTX 50 series price and performance 
1:17:36 Nvidia’s software package and features
1:22:38 How should we review graphics hardware?
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DF Direct Special: Inside Nvidia RTX 50-Series: Tech Deep Dive, AI, Features, Specs + More

Nintendo Switch 2 has finally been revealed in a somewhat detail-light two minute presentation, showcasing renders of the new hardware, some details on backwards compatibility and a teaser for what may well be Mario Kart 9. John, Rich and Oliver sit down after the reveal and discuss the reveal - along with some intriguing leaks about the clock speeds of the main processor.

0:00:00 Introduction
0:01:12 Switch 2 hardware 
0:16:42 New Mario Kart analysis 
0:28:32 Only partial backwards compatibility? 
0:36:44 Rumoured Switch 2 clockspeeds
0:47:52 Supporter Q1: Can Switch 2 use transformer model DLSS?
0:50:32 Supporter Q2: Can DLSS salvage Switch 2’s output on 4K screens? 
0:52:19 Supporter Q3: Will Nintendo release performance patches for Switch 1 games on Switch 2? 
0:58:21 Final Switch 2 thoughts and impressions
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DF Direct Weekly #197 - Nintendo Switch 2 Reaction - New Hardware, Mario Kart 9, Back Compat + More!

As we close in on the 200th edition of DF Direct Weekly - where we currently have no special plans whatsoever - Alex, Oliver and Rich discuss Microsoft's brilliant Xbox Developer_underscore_Direct, and get highly excited about Doom: The Dark Ages, before moving on to discuss the reaction to the RTX 5090 reviews, the problems of GPU reviewing, Sony's baffling live services strategy - and the mysterious delay of AMD's RDNA 4 cards.

﻿0:00:00 Introduction
0:00:56 News 1: Developer Direct 2025 - Doom: The Dark Ages
0:17:36 Ninja Gaiden 4
0:22:54 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
0:27:55 South of Midnight
0:32:38 News 2: RTX 5090 review reaction
1:14:39 News 3: Radeon 9070 cards arriving in March
1:27:53 News 4: Sony cancels Bluepoint and Bend Studios live service games 
1:36:27 Supporter Q1: Could the Switch 2 pack unanticipated custom hardware?
1:42:18 Supporter Q2: Will GTA 6 cost $100 US?
1:48:11 Supporter Q3: Should the PS5 Pro be supported with new games for longer than the PS5?
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DF Direct Weekly #198: Doom The Dark Ages Reaction, Xbox Developer_Direct, RTX 5090 Reaction!

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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