In the latest episode, John, Rich and Alex share observations, thoughts and hopes for The Witcher 3's forthcoming re-release and there's discussion on Epic's improvements to Unreal Engine 5, plus thoughts on RTX 4080/4070 Ti pricing. Meanwhile, what on earth is happening with Pokémon Violet and Scarlet polish and performance?
00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:48 News 01: Witcher 3 next-gen patch incoming 00:12:48 News 02: Unreal Engine 5.1 delivers big improvements 00:27:29 News 03: RTX 4080 released! 00:44:35 News 04: Gamers Nexus solves 4090 power connector mystery 00:50:35 News 05: DLSS 3 gets frame-limiter to overcome vsync issue 01:00:42 News 06: Pokémon Violet and Scarlet suffer serious tech issues 01:07:33 DF Supporter Q1: Why don’t we ever get anisotropic filtering above 16x? 01:10:03 DF Supporter Q2: Why does the PS5 reserve 1.5 cores for the OS, leaving only 6.5 for games? 01:16:51 DF Supporter Q3: Is Elden Ring a good candidate for game of the year, given its performance problems? 01:18:34 DF Supporter Q4: Are game developers relying too much on DLSS? 01:24:21 DF Supporter Q5: When will Audi be released from Rich’s basement and appear in videos again?
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DF Direct Weekly #87: Witcher 3 ’Next-Gen’ Reveal, Pokémon Violet/Scarlet Performance Problems

Digital Foundry is a leading authority on gaming technology and performance, and in this regular podcast, the team sits down to discuss the latest news and take questions from the audience.

Tech News

Technology

Video Games

Games & Hobbies

News

Games

Leisure

With the DF team meeting up with IGN this week, this Direct comes to you straight from IGN's UK studio. Rich, John and Alex talk Sony State of Play, from the sublime Astro Bot to the distinctly unimpressive Concord. Meanwhile, the team discuss Sony's intention to sell PS5s from its PC ports and the big news that COD Black Ops 6 will be day one on Game(s) Pass rounds off the week's big stories.

0:00:00 Introduction
0:01:04 News 01: May 2024 State of Play: Astro Bot
0:11:00 Concord
0:19:51 Marvel Rivals, God of War Ragnarök PC, Dynasty Warriors: Origins
0:38:15 Silent Hill 2
0:51:35 Skydance’s Behemoth, Alien: Rogue Incursion
1:00:18 Monster Hunter Wilds, Path of Exile 2
1:10:22 Infinity Nikki, Ballad of Antara, Where Winds Meet, Until Dawn 
1:19:23 News 02: Are PlayStation PC ports meant to sell PS5s?
1:36:03 News 03: Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will debut on Game Pass
1:47:30 Supporter Q1: What games will Sony advertise alongside the PS5 Pro? 
1:55:26 Supporter Q2: Will Nvidia launch another hardware-reliant software feature with 5000 series GPUs?
2:02:35 Supporter Q3: If Hellblade 2 had arrived last year, where would it have ranked on your Graphics of the Year video?
2:07:00 Supporter Q4: What are the best settings for using the Quest 3 wirelessly with a PC?
2:12:20 Supporter Q5: What’s the best way to deal with VRR flicker on OLEDs?
2:15:32 Supporter Q6: How does DLSS affect CPU usage?
2:21:40 Supporter Q7: Could a PS4 handheld enhance the look of older games?
2:24:44 Supporter Q8: What are you ordering for dinner in London?
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DF Direct Weekly #165: State of Play Reaction, Sony PC Strategy, COD Black Ops 6 on Game Pass

FSR3 frame generation comes to consoles and Rich and John have tested it! That's the lead story in a new Direct that covers the controversy surrounding Hellblade 2, the upcoming launch of Snapdragon X Elite laptops and much, much more. Tom Morgan also joins the panel this week to discuss the arrival of TopSpin 2K25, the latest in the Paper Mario Switch story and his astonishing attempts to get Ark: Survival Ascended to run at 60fps on PlayStation 5.

0:00:00 Introduction
0:01:15 News 01: Immortals of Aveum FSR3 frame-gen tested!
0:18:16 News 02: Hellblade 2 review reaction
0:45:34 News 03: IGN buys Gamer Network... but what about DF?
0:57:44 News 04: TopSpin 2K25 impressions
1:08:14 News 05: Snapdragon X Elite processors launch
1:21:37 News 06: New Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door details
1:30:23 News 07: Ark: Survival Ascended features console menu on consoles
1:41:12 Supporter Q1: Should ‘artistic’ effects always be optional in games?
1:47:21 Supporter Q2: Should a frame-rate cap option be added to Ghost of Tsushima?
1:52:55 Supporter Q3: Future compatibility enhancements are very helpful - so should they be a standard feature in console games?
2:01:32 Supporter Q4: Is VRR becoming a crutch for console games?
2:09:00 Supporter Q5: Are full UE5 titles finally becoming common?
2:12:35 Supporter Q6: Which game should get an RTX Remix treatment?
2:17:15 Supporter Q7: By 2030, will 8K gaming be ‘a thing’?
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DF Direct Weekly #164: FSR3 Console Frame-Gen Tested! Hellblade 2 Reaction, IGN Buys Gamer Network

Another massive episode kicks off with the team sharing initial hands-on impressions of Ghost of Tsushima's impressive PC ports, while big changes are PlayStation are discussed - along with the revelation that half of Sony's monthly active users are still on PS4. Grand Theft Auto 6 is pushed back to later in 2025, and there's the enticing possibility that the original Red Dead Redemption will FINALLY come to PC. Finally, John and Oliver have bought new TVs - and it's looking like a full-on OLED vs LCD shoot-out.

0:00:00 Introduction
0:00:56 News 01: Ghost of Tsushima PC impressions!
0:16:05 News 02: Assassin’s Creed Shadows announced
0:25:33 News 03: PlayStation news roundup!
0:49:10 News 04: GTA 6 to arrive in fall 2025
0:55:22 News 05: Red Dead Redemption possibly coming to PC
1:02:30 News 06: PO’ed remaster released
1:12:13 News 07: John and Oliver’s new TVs!
1:28:42 Supporter Q1: Will the changes to Xbox strategy reduce console competition?
1:36:49 Supporter Q2: Does an Xbox-PC hybrid really make sense?
1:43:49 Supporter Q3: Could Nvidia’s rumoured ARM handheld SoC wipe the floor with Nintendo and Valve?
1:48:50 Supporter Q4: Are there gaming applications for OpenAI’s recently revealed AI tech?
1:52:40 Supporter Q5: What are your most highly anticipated games for the rest of the year in terms of tech?
1:56:21 Supporter Q6: How do you prefer to set up your PC displays when gaming?
1:58:54 Supporter Q7: What are your thoughts on producing repeated videos on games that are delivered in a subpar state?
2:04:25 Supporter Q8: What’s the latest gaming and tech news you’ve enjoyed?
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DF Direct Weekly #163: Ghost of Tsushima PC Tested, Big Changes At Sony, GTA 6 'Delay', Red Dead PC!

There's anger, bafflement and frustration this week as John, Rich and Alex discuss Microsoft's decision to close one studio that created one of the greatest immersive games ever made and another studio that's just delivered a BAFTA-winning, critically acclaimed rhythm action game... so what is going on at Xbox right now? Beyond that, the team discuss the latest Switch 2 revelations, the new Asus ROG - or R.O.G. - Ally, Hellblade 2 PC specs and Sony's massive Helldivers 2 own-goal.

0:00:00 Introduction
0:01:38 News 01: Microsoft shutters Tango Gameworks, Arkane Austin
0:44:37 News 02: Nintendo confirms Switch sequel, potential components uncovered
1:03:42 News 03: Asus announces new ROG Ally
1:16:13 News 04: Sony backtracks on Helldivers 2 PC PSN requirements
1:25:25 News 05: Ninja Theory reveal Hellblade 2 PC specs
1:36:15 News 06: Sand Land released!
1:44:17 Supporter Q1: Could the Switch 2 connect to a TV wirelessly?
1:46:52 Supporter Q2: How much longevity will video cards with 8-10 GB of VRAM have?
1:53:41 Supporter Q3: Should next gen consoles have much larger RAM allotments?
1:57:40 Supporter Q4: Do you think mouse and keyboard support will become more common on consoles?
2:00:49 Supporter Q5: How feasible is it to update an older UE5 game to UE 5.4?
2:03:50 Supporter Q6: Could Intel beat AMD in discrete GPU sales by 2029?
2:06:40 Supporter Q7: What’s your favourite immersive sim, and why is it Prey (2017)?
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DF Direct Weekly #162: Xbox Studio Shutdown Crisis, Switch 2 Confirmed, ROG Ally X Specs Reaction

The latest DF Direct Weekly sees Rich, Oliver and Alex at the mics (John returns in the next episode!) discussing  Bethesda's unique approach to Starfield's upcoming display mode upgrades, while there's concern about the health of console gaming in the wake of poor AMD gaming revenue. Rich talks PS5 Pro GPU details - including caches, clock speeds and features - while the latest Switch 2 rumours and reports are assessed for their plausibility. There's genuine excitement over AMD's new Strix Point and Strix Halo APUs, while Alex goes into depth about all the path-tracing features now unearthed in Capcom RE Engine games. 

0:00:00 Introduction
0:01:41 News 01: Bethesda announces big Starfield update
0:23:05 News 02: AMD sees massive gaming revenue decline
0:40:14 News 03: New PS5 Pro GPU details!
0:58:27 News 04: Switch 2 rumour roundup
1:07:40 News 05: RTX Remix getting DLSS 3.5 Ray Reconstruction
1:16:02 News 06: Resident Evil titles get path tracing!
1:27:14 News 07: AMD Strix APUs pack great integrated GPU performance
1:35:06 Supporter Q1: Could Nintendo games use DLSS 2 to reach 4K output on Switch 2?
1:40:23 Supporter Q2: What features would you add to Switch 2, if you could pick anything?
1:45:25 Supporter Q3: Could the potential merging of Xbox and PC development hurt Xbox?
1:50:13 Supporter Q4: Could developers run a game’s logic at high rates to improve responsiveness, while keeping frame-rate untouched? 
1:54:19 Supporter Q5: Gaming handhelds theoretically seem as fast as a Series S. Why are they slower in practice? 
1:57:40 Supporter Q6: Could Valve build a viable console platform to compete with Sony?
2:03:16 Supporter Q7: If you had to pick between #StutterStruggle and FSR 2 artifacts, which would you pick?
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DF Direct Weekly #87: Witcher 3 ’Next-Gen’ Reveal, Pokémon Violet/Scarlet Performance Problems

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