One of the biggest - if not the biggest - games of 2023 launched this week. Nintendo's Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has recently a massively positive reaction. John discusses his review and shares more thoughts on the game, while digging more deeply into the eternal question - is it too big for Switch? Meanwhile, Rich drops in from time off to share his impressions with the Asus ROG Ally and A Plague Tale: Requiem gets a 60fps patch... but what does it actually do? 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:04 News 01: Tears of the Kingdom launches! 00:26:05 News 02: Sharp producing next-gen Switch LCD? 00:34:49 News 03: ASUS ROG Ally reviews drop + our impressions 00:50:20 News 04: A Plague Tale: Requiem gets 60fps patch 00:56:36 News 05: John gets a new CRT! 01:02:53 Supporter Q1: With low sales and poor software support, where does the PS VR2 go from here? 01:07:36 Supporter Q2: Could DF revisit some of the recent troubled PC ports and see how they run now after patches? 01:11:23 Supporter Q3: Why does DLSS 3 produce a smoother experience in games with high CPU load? 01:15:47 Supporter Q4: Developers like to blame specific PC configurations for user issues. Could DF emphasize that PC performance issues are often common to all configurations? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Digital Foundry Direct Weekly

DF Direct Weekly #111: Zelda TOTK Reaction, Asus ROG Ally Hands-On, Plague Tale 60fps Patch!

DF Direct Weekly returns after a seismic week in gaming, with Oliver, John and Alex discussing the crisis state of PC gaming 'in the here and now', raking over the coals of the deeply disappointing Redfall release, while we had to take a look at Man of Medan on Switch, which targets a cinematic 24fps. Meanwhile, John clues us in on the latest Analogue Pocket firmware update. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:58 News 01: PC gaming in crisis 00:24:12 News 02: Redfall reaction and follow-up 00:54:38 News 03: Man of Medan hits Switch at 24fps! 01:01:11 News 04: Analogue Pocket gets big firmware update 01:04:46 Supporter Q1: If a game developer is under the influence when implementing RTGI, could that be “baked” lighting? 01:05:37 Supporter Q2: Need for Speed (2015) still looks great today. What are some other early last-gen games that still look fantastic? 01:10:29 Supporter Q3: Could you tell the difference between DLSS 3 and regular rendering at high frame-rates? 01:14:05 Supporter Q4: Can we have an award ceremony for the worst PC ports of the year? 01:16:08 Supporter Q5: What are the possible incentives for publishers to release games in a decent state? 01:18:53 Supporter Q6: I’m worried that FF16, Starfield, and Zelda will release in a poor state. How can we make companies more aware of game issues? 01:22:47 Supporter Q7: Are Jedi Survivor’s image quality issues related to using an older version of FSR 2? 01:28:33 Supporter Q8: Do you prefer a higher resolution with less detail, or a lower resolution with more detail? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

DF Direct Weekly #110: PC Gaming in Crisis, Redfall Post Mortem, Man of Medan Switch at 24fps

This week the team discuss the arrival of Star Wars Jedi Survivor, share first impressions after EA delayed sending review code, then move onto 'The Power of the Cloud' seemingly blocking Microsoft's Activision acquisition. Rich shares a conversation he had with the Xbox Sustainability Team on improving in-game efficiency, while benchmarks finally emerge on the impressive looking Asus ROG Ally handheld. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:45 News 01: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor impressions! 00:23:57 News 02: Microsoft Activision purchase hits roadblock 00:34:30 News 03: Microsoft pushes for Xbox energy sustainability 00:48:21 News 04: ASUS ROG Ally chips benchmarked 00:55:50 Supporter Q1: If RT becomes a big rendering focus, could future GPUs regress in rasterization performance? 01:00:36 Supporter Q2: Are 8GB GPUs DOOMED to muddy textures on PC? 01:07:33 Supporter Q3: How did Don feel about his first video? 01:11:15 Supporter Q4: Will you make a GTA V retro time capsule video when the title hits its 10th anniversary later this year? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

DF Direct Weekly #109: Star Wars Jedi Survivor Drama, MS/Acti Merger Blocked, ROG Ally Benched

This week, Rich is joined by Alex and Oliver to discuss a range of topics, including the Unrecord footage that's gone 'viral', the launch of the first Unreal Engine 5.1 title outside of Fortnite to use Lumen and Nanite, and the arrival of the Horizon Burning Shores DLC - which looks amazing. Meanwhile, discover why Digital Foundry won't be doing another office tour and learn about Rich's 'cone of respectability'. It's all here in this 68 minute show! 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:45 News 01: Unrecord footage revealed 00:09:28 News 02: Immortals of Aveum showcases UE5 features 00:19:12 News 03: Horizon Burning Shores launches! 00:26:36 News 04: ASUS ROG Ally specs leak 00:34:48 News 05: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. shown with path tracing 00:41:35 Supporter Q1: Could Cyberpunk on PS5/Series X run the RT Overdrive mode? 00:49:01 Supporter Q2: If AMD sold APUs with much more graphics power, would they sell well? 00:55:21 Supporter Q3: Does “going gold” really matter anymore for modern games? 01:01:00 Supporter Q4: Would RTX Remix work with emulated games? 01:02:40 Supporter Q5: When will we get another Digital Foundry office tour? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

DF Direct Weekly #108: Unrecord's 'Realism' Explained, Horizon Burning Shores Hands-On

Rich, Alex and Oliver sit down for the latest DF Direct Weekly, discussing the controversial move for Microsoft to ship Redfall at 30fps with a performance mode to follow, along with confirmation that Suicide Squad: Kill the Justive League is getting a length delay. The team muse over the implications of Cyberpunk 2077's RT Overdrive changing the face of PC graphics in future games, while the third - and last - Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom trailer is also discussed. Do we still think it's 'too big for Switch'...? 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:52 News 01: Redfall to launch at 30fps on consoles 00:16:15 News 02: Suicide Squad delayed to 2024 00:21:54 News 03: Cyberpunk 2077 RT Overdrive mode launches 00:38:13 News 04: Final Tears of the Kingdom trailer drops 00:42:29 Supporter Q1: Does the negative reaction to Redfall's 30fps cap trivialize the filmic and artistic benefits of targeting 30fps? 00:47:59 Supporter Q2: What’s up with HDMI 2.1 capture cards? Why don’t capture devices support 4K/120Hz recordings? 00:53:34 Supporter Q3: Does “code” in the games industry refer to source code or game store codes? 00:55:42 Supporter Q4: Since the Steam Deck is well established, can you cover it from time to time? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

DF Direct Weekly #107: Redfall Launches At 30fps, CP2077 RT Overdrive: The Future of Games?

Rumours of a new PlayStation portable streaming device dominated the news this week, supplanting the actual reveal of the ultra-powerful Asus ROG Ally, first revealed on - believe it or not - April Fools Day. Meanwhile, John is seriously unhappy about Microsoft blocking emulation on Xbox Series consoles, while the applications of AI tools and the concept of affordable GPUs prompts further debate. And finally... Tekken 8 is on UE5 but is it actually using Nanite and Lumen? 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:41 News 01: Sony to launch streaming-only handheld? 00:16:09 News 02: Asus announces ROG Ally gaming handheld! 00:28:13 News 03: Microsoft blocks emulators on Xbox consoles 00:46:48 Supporter Q1: Can generative AI be integrated into games, like having RPG characters that never run out of dialogue? 00:53:26 Supporter Q2: Will upgrading from 16GB to 32GB of system RAM help with 8GB VRAM GPU bottlenecks? 00:59:22 Supporter Q3: Have any Unreal Engine 5-specific visual features been spotted in the Tekken 8 trailers? 01:02:57 Supporter Q4: When will affordable graphics cards consistently deliver 60 fps with ray tracing? 01:06:08 Supporter Q5: How do you feel about some of the relatively lackluster RT upgrades we’ve seen recently? Should developers even bother? 01:09:51 Supporter Q6: This Direct has one of the best banners of all time! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

DF Direct Weekly #106: New PlayStation Handheld? Xbox Blocks Emulation

We're not angry, we're just disappointed. And a touch baffled. Stupefied even. And actually, yeah, maybe a bit angry too. Just how did The Last of Us Part 1 launch on PC in the state it did? John, Rich and Alex discuss their impressions on the game, what went wrong with the port - and whether Sony should have launched it in this state at all. Meanwhile, it's a sad, sad day as E3 2023 is cancelled and the entire future of the Electronic Entertainment Expo looks bleak. ﻿00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:59 News 01: TLOU Part 1 suffers performance problems on PC 00:39:37 News 02: Tears of the Kingdom gameplay showcase drops! 00:48:32 News 03: E3 2023 cancelled 01:00:16 News 04: Irem M92 emulation core created for MiSTER 01:06:12 Supporter Q1: Why is software Lumen cheaper than hardware Lumen, and could hardware Lumen be cheaper at the same precision? 01:08:31 Supporter Q2: Should Sony and Microsoft implement a 30fps cap option like the Steam Deck? Would there be technical hurdles? 01:12:28 Supporter Q3: How does DF prepare for various projects? Do you make explicit plans, or is it more free-form? 01:18:40 Supporter Q4: Could fully path-traced games bring back multi-GPU for gaming? 01:22:04 Supporter Q5: Thanks for the informative work! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

DF Direct Weekly #105: The Last of Us Part 1 PC Post Mortem, E3 2023 Cancellation Reaction

It's GDC week, with Alex, Rich and John discussing the big news from the latest events, including some exciting new Unreal Engine 5 developments, plus Nvidia's latest innovations in real-time path-traced gaming. Meanwhile, the team isn't that impressed by Elden Ring's RT upgrade, while EA's decision to delete a bunch of excellent Battlefield games doesn't go down particularly well either. ﻿00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:58 News 01: Epic makes UE5 announcements at GDC! 00:35:20 News 02: Elden Ring RT patch drops… and disappoints 00:40:27 News 03: EA to delist several Battlefield games 00:46:38 News 04: Arkane looking into removing Redfall always-online requirement 00:49:14 News 05: Nightdive Studios bought by Atari 00:52:48 News 06: Outer Worlds performance update! 01:04:23 Supporter Q1: Is it reasonable for developers to deliver less ambitious PC versions, given the smaller market share the PC occupies? 01:10:53 Supporter Q2: Could a Switch 2 use Samsung’s 5nm process? Is an Ampere forward port or Lovelace back port a possibility? 01:13:10 Supporter Q3: Will increased server GPU demand due to AI keep consumer GPU prices high? 01:14:56 Supporter Q4: Could the rumoured PS5 Pro include new dedicated machine learning hardware, or is it too soon? 01:19:30 Supporter Q5: Do you have any recommendations for good lesser-known PS VR2 games? 01:25:13 Supporter Q6: As you celebrate DF Direct’s 2-year anniversary, what have you learned about yourselves through the process? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

DF Direct Weekly #104: Elden Ring RT, Big Unreal Engine Upgrades, RTX Path Tracing Evolves

John, Alex and Will take to the mics this week to discuss the possibilities of some exciting iterations on gaming favourites. Do the recent reports of a PS5 Pro make sense? What about an OLED Steam Deck? And if Counter-Strike is so great, why isn't there a Counter-Strike 2? 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:24 News 01: Resident Evil 4 impressions! 00:13:53 News 02: PS5 Pro - is it coming? 00:25:01 News 03: Valve says Steam Deck OLED refresh unlikely 00:32:02 News 04: New Counter-Strike imminent? 00:44:30 News 05: Hands-on with Viture XR AR glasses! 00:47:53 Supporter Q1: Could Xbox Series consoles get small internal improvements, even without an enhanced model? 00:51:20 Supporter Q2: Is the Xbox Series DirectML support just PR? Or is it actually going to be transformative for games? 00:55:21 Supporter Q3: How do you purchase and research older equipment, like CRTs? 00:59:23 Supporter Q4: Could current-gen enhanced consoles run UE5 games at 60fps with hardware RT? 01:03:31 Supporter Q5: Weird Al is “All About the Pentiums”, so what arguments would you say to get him to switch to Zen 4? 01:05:17 Supporter Q6: Alex, what do you think the Next Big Thing is for PC graphics? 01:06:49 Supporter Q7: What do you think about forced DLSS 3 in games, like the PC version of Sackboy: A Big Adventure? 01:09:48 Supporter Q8: Do you still use simple pixel edge counting for determining the resolution of games? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

DF Direct Weekly #103: Steam Deck OLED, PS5 Pro, Counter-Strike 2?

A big week of news to discuss, with Oliver, Rich and Alex talking about Starfield's latest announcement and 'delay', plus the story that Suicide Squad will be pushed back in order to address the negative reaction to its State of Play gameplay reveal. Meanwhile, the COD war between Microsoft and Sony continues - and Halo Infinite on PC receives RT support. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:52 News 01: Starfield gets a release date, Suicide Squad delayed 00:11:18 News 02: The Last of Us Part 1 PC features detailed! 00:22:46 News 03: Sony-Microsoft feud escalates with dueling Call of Duty claims 00:36:50 News 04: Halo Infinite PC gets ray tracing! 00:44:14 Supporter Q1: Are in-house game engines becoming no longer feasible? 00:52:10 Supporter Q2: Would DF be interested in producing PC build videos? 00:57:41 Supporter Q3: With Moore’s Law slowing down, will PCs or consoles need to switch to ARM for performance gains? 01:03:33 Supporter Q4: Would Alex consider making a new “do you really need ultra settings” video, given the advent of new PC technologies like DLSS? 01:05:49 Supporter Q5: Where has Alex’s Crysis Shrine gone? Has it been destroyed by Alex’s rage over #StutterStruggle? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

DF Direct Weekly #102: Starfield/Suicide Squad 'Delays', The Last Of Us Part 1 PC Spec Analysis

Baldur's Gate 3 isn't exclusive to any particular console, but right now, the Xbox versions are facing a unique problem that could impact the future of Series S. Meanwhile, John, Rich and Tom discuss the latest FF16 footage, the fate of Luminous Productions, Nvidia's new video AI upscaler and the impressive Humanity demo on PS5. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:45 News 01: Baldur’s Gate 3 hits Series S snag 00:16:27 News 02: Nvidia AI video upscaling tested! 00:24:06 News 03: Humanity demo impresses 00:30:12 News 04: Final Fantasy 16 gameplay footage showcased! 00:41:10 News 05: Luminous Productions merged into Square Enix 00:46:56 Supporter Q1: Do the new Pokémon and Chrono Cross patches fix those games? 00:50:39 Supporter Q2: Is there a database of Alex’s optimised settings for PC? 00:51:46 Supporter Q3: With more games launching in troubled form, do you think consumers will start holding off day one purchases? 00:58:00 Supporter Q4: Is this the best time to remake demanding 7th gen titles, now that console hardware has caught up to their ambitions? 01:03:25 Supporter Q5: Will this console generation last longer than 7 years? 01:08:43 Supporter Q6: If you could banish one gaming-related object or concept, what would it be? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

DF Direct Weekly #101: Baldur's Gate 3 Xbox Difficulties, Final Fantasy 16 Reaction, Nvidia Video AI

In a massive 100th Special Edition, DF Direct Weekly delivers the biggest show to date, with all current serving members of Digital Foundry at the mics. John, Alex, Rich and Audi take point on the main news stories of the week, joined by Tom, Will and Oliver for a gigantic supporter Q+A 'AMA' special. Thanks for watching and listening to the show over the last couple of years! 00:00:00 Introduction 00:03:00 News 01: State of Play impressions! 00:32:15 News 02: Microsoft makes Nintendo, Nvidia game deals 00:41:07 News 03: Half-Life gets ray tracing upgrade 00:45:15 Supporter Q1: If Audi is being held in Rich’s basement, wouldn’t he still be living overseas? 00:47:02 Supporter Q2: Could we see a performance difference between different Switch models in Tears of the Kingdom? 00:48:48 Supporter Q3: Series X has been performing worse than PS5 in some major recent titles - what’s the explanation? 00:54:51 Supporter Q4: Would you rather wait to do coverage on a game until major technical faults have been addressed, or run the risk of needing to redo big parts of the coverage as updates come in? 01:04:33 Supporter Q5: Alex, if you could pick a studio to develop a new Turok, who would you choose? 01:07:32 Supporter Q6: Tom, what do you think of the Suspira remake? And what dream film director plus game combination would you put together if you could? 01:10:23 Supporter Q7: John, what cars would you own if money was no object? And what’s your favourite factory car colour? 01:12:39 Supporter Q8: Will, what type of coffee roast do you prefer? Which country has the best coffee? 01:14:25 Supporter Q9: Oliver, what is your favourite part of the content creation process? 01:15:37 Supporter Q10: Rich, would you like to expand DF significantly or keep it as a smaller group? 01:17:37 Supporter Q11: What do you enjoy the most about each other’s videos? 01:25:11 Supporter Q12: John, how’s the racing wheel going? And does anyone else on the team enjoy some large sim gear? 01:30:05 Supporter Q13: Is Alex the only person who still uses the correct vertical orientation on controllers? 01:31:26 Supporter Q14: What are your favourite DF game benchmarks? 01:39:01 Supporter Q15: Tom, has anyone pointed out that you look like the lead singer from the band Nothing More? 01:39:52 Supporter Q16: Tom, can you give us a thorough walkthrough of your haircare routine? 01:42:27 Supporter Q17: Which hardware release have you been most excited for? 01:49:30 Supporter Q18: Have recent struggles with PC games made any of you play more on consoles? 01:56:13 Supporter Q19: I’ve watched nearly 6 days of DF Direct! Are there any fun DF stats you can share? 02:00:44 Supporter Q20: John, how did you meet the guys from My Life in Gaming? 02:02:48 Supporter Q21: Oliver, what did you think of the time the BBC quoted you on Mario Kart 8? 02:03:56 Supporter Q22: Alex, are you a German native? If not, how did your German language skills get so good? 02:06:22 Supporter Q23: What have you learned about DF supporters that has surprised you? 02:09:13 Supporter Q24: Rich, what do you look for when hiring for DF? 02:11:05 Supporter Q25: No question, but thanks for making amazing videos! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

DF Direct Weekly #100: State of Play Disappoints, Can Switch Run Call of Duty?

We join John, Rich and Alex in the immediate wake of the PSVR2 review period, further discussing the hardware, talking games and answering supporter questions. Rich and Alex investigate a tip-off that DLSS is accessible on select Nvidia non-RTX GPUs in Cyberpunk 2077, while John and Rich discuss issues with games they looked at outside of work hours - Wild Hearts on PC and the new Tales of Symphonia remaster. Spoilers: there's disappointment. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:11 News 01: PSVR2 Post Mortem 00:28:38 News 02: Cyberpunk exposes DLSS support on Nvidia Turing GTX cards - but is it the real deal? 00:36:01 News 03: Wild Hearts suffers PC performance woes 00:46:32 News 04: Tales of Symphonia remastered disappoints 00:51:10 News 05: Nuon DVD player console gets new lease on life with controller adapters 00:55:52 DF Supporter Q1: Can DF still capture direct-feed footage off an undocked Switch? 00:59:51 DF Supporter Q2: Why do PC games do a poor job of optimizing settings for your specific hardware? 01:06:53 DF Supporter Q3: Could frame generation technology be used to offload game animation onto the GPU? 01:08:36 DF Supporter Q4: Could DLSS 3 double the frame-rates of emulated retro games? 01:10:54 DF Supporter Q5: Would FSR 1 style upscaling work for backwards compatible titles on consoles? 01:12:51 DF Supporter Q6: The RTX 2000 series had a bit of a slow start with few RT titles, so should the RTX 3000 series have been the first to support RT instead? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

DF Direct Weekly #99: PSVR2 Post Mortem, DLSS On Non-RTX GPUs? Wild Hearts PC Perf Debacle

A big week for news as the first phase of Sony's PlayStation VR2 embargo decloaks, meaning we can take the hardware out of its box and offer first impressions on the headset and controllers! Meanwhile. the latest Nintendo Direct turns out to be a bit of a banger - Pikmin 4 takes centrestage, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom gets a new trailer and the brilliant Metroid Prime Remastered gets a surprise 'shadow drop'. Also: why are PC VRAM requirements becoming so bloated? 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:07 News 01: PS VR2 hands-on impressions! 00:14:25 News 02: Nintendo Direct reactions: Pikmin, Zelda, Metroid Prime 00:41:46 News 03: Hogwarts Legacy coverage plans 00:45:57 DF Supporter Q1: Avatar 2 mixes 24fps and 48fps footage - is this a good idea? 00:50:37 DF Supporter Q2: What can we expect in terms of timing for a Switch successor? 00:55:08 DF Supporter Q3/4: CPU performance is bottlenecking modern games - can developers work around this? Plus, ninth-gen games haven’t shown the expected bump in simulation complexity, so are the additional CPU resources just going towards draw calls and RT? 01:02:58 DF Supporter Q5: Will PC VRAM requirements continue to steeply increase throughout this generation, or is this a short-term phenomenon? 01:09:25 DF Supporter Q6: Why don’t console games support 50Hz output, given that nearly all TVs support it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

DF Direct Weekly #98: PSVR2 Unboxed, Nintendo Direct Reaction, Metroid Prime Shadow Drop!

It's time for another round of Digital Foundry Direct Weekly, on this occasion featuring the technical stylings of Sam Machkovech, John Linneman and Alex Battaglia. On the docket this week: layoffs at Halo developer 343 Industries amid a rumoured switch to Unreal Engine 5, a new PS5 beta firmware and is it 'safe' to move to Windows 11 on a gaming rig? 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:53 News 01: Halo developer suffers layoffs, switching to UE5 00:17:37 News 02: Major live service games canceled 00:27:11 News 03: DLSS 3 added to Cyberpunk 2077, Dying Light 2 00:36:21 News 04: The Witcher 3 gets RT performance boosts 00:43:11 News 05: Goldeneye launches on Xbox, Switch 00:53:56 News 06: PS5 beta firmware adds 1440p VRR support 01:05:04 DF Supporter Q1: Sam, you called the RTX 4090 a bargain. What other bargains do you recommend? 01:09:04 DF Supporter Q2: Have you tested copying the shader cache from one PC to another to eliminate shader stutter? 01:10:08 DF Supporter Q3: Could Square Enix be in financial trouble after Forspoken’s poor reception? 01:13:51 DF Supporter Q4: With PS VR2 pre-orders reportedly lower than expected, could the VR2 go the way of the Vita? 01:18:58 DF Supporter Q5: Do you think that it is safe to move to Windows 11 on a gaming rig? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

DF Direct Weekly #97: New PS5 Beta Firmware, Halo Switches to Unreal Engine 5 + More!

The Digital Foundry team combines forces each and every week to talk about the latest gaming and technology news.

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Digital Foundry Direct Weekly

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