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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

It's that time of the year! The Digital Foundry team discuss the big reveals and the games that caught their eye at The Game Awards, with the traditional complaints about the volume of CG trailers. Beyond that, Rich shares his impressions on the first PS3 emulator for PlayStation 5, Alex gets to grips with the wobbly performance of FSR Redstone frame generation and Oliver shares some eyebrow-raising results from Skyrim on Switch 2. And as usual, questions are answered. Questions like: "Is Star Wars Outlaws more ‘bespoke’ on Switch 2 than Assassin’s Creed Shadows?"

0:00:00 Introduction
0:01:12 News 1: The Game Awards: Control Resonant 
0:08:42 Tomb Raider: Catalyst and Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis 
0:16:56 Total War: Warhammer 40,000 
0:23:59 Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic, Exodus, Divinity 
0:34:23 Ontos, Star Wars: Galactic Racer, No Law, Pragmata, AUDIOMECH, TankRat 
0:49:34 News 2: Devs ship PS3 emulator in PS5 game 
0:59:09 News 3 Skyrim disappoints on Switch 2
1:07:21 News 4: AMD FSR Redstone launches 
1:26:38 Supporter Q1: Will The Witchers 4, 5, and 6 be constrained by cross-gen limits?
1:35:14 Supporter Q2: Will Unified Memory Architecture appear on PCs? 
1:39:21 Supporter Q3: Could Microsoft port their backwards compatibility solution to PS5? 
1:44:31 Supporter Q4: Is there a way to install a streamlined Windows 11 cleansed of Microsoft services? 
1:56:38 Supporter Q5: Is Star Wars Outlaws more ‘bespoke’ on Switch 2 than Assassin’s Creed Shadows?

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DF Direct Weekly #244: The Game Awards Reaction, First PS3 Emu on PS5, FSR Redstone First Look!

Nintendo didn't release Metroid Prime 4 Switch 1 review code to journalists, so how does it stack up against Switch 2? Rich does some digging. Meanwhile, the team lament the end of the iconic Crucial RAM, but there's better news about the return of some kind of 32-bit PhysX support for RTX 50-series GPUs. Oliver talks Sonic Racing Crossworlds on Switch 2, John's impressed by TimeSplitters Rewind - and just how bad have things got for HDR support in video games?

0:00:00 Introduction 
0:00:55 News 1: Metroid Prime 4 tested on Switch 1! 
0:29:22 News 2: Micron kills Crucial RAM 
0:39:29 News 3: Nvidia partially brings back 32 bit PhysX for 50 series 
0:45:34 News 4: Sonic Racing Crossworlds tested on Switch 2
0:51:00 News 5: CD Projekt plans fast release pace for Witchers 4-6 
0:59:21 News 6: Veteran HDR dev bemoans state of HDR in games 
1:14:23 News 7: TimeSplitters Rewind impresses 
1:22:17 Supporter Q1: Will price hikes cause a gaming Dark Age? How are next gen consoles affected? 
1:32:44 Supporter Q2: How could Cyberpunk 2077 be improved visually? 
1:35:59 Supporter Q3: What games are “Too Big for Steam Machine?”
1:39:46 Supporter Q4: Should Nintendo have tried to match Series S with Switch 2? 
1:44:33 Supporter Q5: Do you have any fond PSP gaming memories?

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DF Direct Weekly #243: Metroid Prime Switch 1 vs 2, The Witcher 4-6, Crucial RAM Dead, 32-bit PhysX!

In this week's Direct, Rich gets to grips with Ghost of Yōtei's unlocked frame-rate and balanced mode upgrades, discovering some excellent results. The team discuss the seemingly soon arrival of a PC port for Death Stranding 2, while mulling over Ubisoft's details on its upcoming Assassin's Creed Shadows Switch 2 port. John's highly excited by eXoWin9X and there's a celebratory round of applause for Panic Button - entrusted by Nintendo to upgrade some its most important games for Switch 2.

0:00:00 Introduction 
0:02:32 News 1: Ghost of Yōtei gets unlocked VRR modes
0:19:58 News 2: Death Stranding 2 PC incoming? 
0:27:06 News 3: eXoWin9x gets vintage PC games running on modern Windows
0:36:48 News 4: Assassin’s Creed Shadows Switch 2 version detailed 
0:49:24 News 5: Panic Button handled key Switch 2 updates 
0:55:25 Supporter Q1: Is Kirby Air Riders the game Mario Kart World should have been? 
1:01:26 Supporter Q2: What’s the most unexpected feature announced for a product? 
1:10:25 Supporter Q3: Will Steam Machine cement a performance target for game developers? 
1:14:29 Supporter Q4: Will surging RAM prices doom the Steam Machine? What about PS6? 
1:21:21 Supporter Q5: Does Nvidia need to concentrate more on Linux driver development? 
1:26:39 Supporter Q6: Can Alex share a recent PC gaming experience that made him happy?

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DF Direct Weekly #242: Ghost of Yōtei Big Upgrades, AC Shadows Switch 2, Death Stranding 2 PC Coming

A meaty new episode of DF Direct Weekly kicks off with a Valve double-header - reaction to news that Steam Machine may be heading for PC pricing, plus news of Linux FSR 4 support via Proton... including old GPUs. Meanwhile, Angry Alex is back and he's measured just how bad Windows performance in AC Shadows is impacted by a rogue update. Red Dead Redemption 1 returns once again, Oliver has opinions on Horizon Steel Frontiers and let's just say that we really think you should check out Sektori.

0:00:00 Introduction0:01:07 News 1: Steam Machine price: above $500?0:18:36 News 2: FSR 4 gets Proton support0:33:00 News 3: Windows update kills gaming performance0:50:10 News 4: Price hikes incoming: should you buy a GPU right now?1:05:21 News 5: Red Dead Redemption gets new round of ports1:11:06 News 6: Horizon Steel Frontiers announced1:17:52 News 7: Twin-stick shooter Sektori impresses1:23:00 Supporter Q1: On the system’s 20th anniversary, what are your favourite Xbox 360 games?1:32:20 Supporter Q2: Why is everyone so excited for Steam Machine?1:38:19 Supporter Q3: Is there a new sub-PS5 hardware tier developing?1:43:44 Supporter Q4: Will developers add new Steam Machine graphical presets?1:50:47 Supporter Q5: Is Switch 2 DLSS superior to FSR 3?1:55:49 Supporter Q6: Should Sony fret over Steam Machine competition?

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DF Direct Weekly #241: Steam Machine Price Concerns, Win 11 Update Kills Perf, Proton FSR 4, RDR1!

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!

In this week's Direct, Rich, John and Alex discuss the strongly rumoured plans for NO Switch 2 launch reviews, along with apparent news that the next-gen Xbox will use ARM-based Snapdragon processors. Rich tests out our in-development VRR capture/analysis tools with Days Gone Remastered, measures the ongoing PS5 VRR stutter effect while Alex shares his excitement for Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Shadows disclosures. Finally, John's excited about the new Backbone Pro controller - which is much more than just a mobile controller peripheral.

0:00:00 Introduction 
0:00:57 News 1: Nintendo reportedly not sending early Switch 2 review units
0:11:52 News 2: Should we criticize “forced ray tracing”? 
0:32:03 News 3: Next-gen Xbox to use Snapdragon ARM chips? 
0:43:03 News 4: Assassin’s Creed Shadows devs spill ray tracing revelations
0:59:11 News 5: Days Gone patch brings balanced modes, VRR support 
1:13:27 News 6: John tests the Backbone Pro 
1:23:23 Supporter Q1: Are we reaching the end of the home console era? 
1:29:46 Supporter Q2: Should Halo run on id Tech? 
1:38:38 Supporter Q3: Could Doom: The Dark Ages get a PS4 version? A Switch 2 version? 
1:41:55 Supporter Q4: What happened to the review of Spider-Man 2 on PC? 
1:48:33 Supporter Q5: What are your favourite memories of the Sega Saturn?

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DF Direct Weekly #214: No Switch 2 Launch Reviews? Next-Gen Xbox Using ARM + The "Forced RT" Debate!

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