A massive week for news. PlayStation ends decades of partnership with Hideo Kojima as Physint is cancelled by Sony - but picked up by Microsoft, meaning it's coming to Xbox. The team take a look at the surprise-but-a-welcome-one reveal of VRR coming to Switch 2 docked mode, while there's commentary and analysis on the Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake and a brand new Nintendo Direct. John and Oliver compare notes on Marvel's Wolverine, Rich takes us back to the PS4 Pro reveal on its tenth anniversary while John tells us about the co-op fun he's been having with Big Walk.

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0:00:00 Introduction

0:01:28 News 1: Kojima’s Physint dropped by Sony, picked up by Microsoft

0:24:57 News 2: VRR finally available in Switch 2 docked mode

0:34:17 News 3: Ocarina of Time remake shown at Nintendo Direct

0:46:15 News 4: Nintendo Direct highlights: Kirby, Metroid, Monster Hunter, Resident Evil, Stellar Blade, Persona

1:02:00 Content discussion: have reviewers been too harsh on Wolverine?

1:13:45 Retrospective: PS4 Pro announcement

1:26:32 John recommends Big Walk!

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The DF Direct Q+A Show returns and suffice it to say, there's a huge amount of interest around DLSS 5. Will AMD and indeed Intel deliver equivalent tech? What are the limits of DLSS 5 and how will they be overcome? Meanwhile, is Pearl Abyss developer of the year? And is The Witcher 3 Remastered evidence that CD Projekt RED will return to the RED Engine?

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00:00 Introduction

01:02 Supporter Q1: Should AMD create their own DLSS 5 equivalent? And what basic limits does the DLSS 5 architecture have?

19:32 Supporter Q2: How do Pearl Abyss develop Crimson Desert at such a breakneck pace?

23:57 Supporter Q3: Why does Onimusha: Way of the Sword skip some of RE Engine’s more advanced features?

28:16 Supporter Q4: Could CD Projekt Red be planning to use REDengine in the future?

32:27 Supporter Q5: Could Sony license PlayStation to third parties?

39:14 Supporter Q6: Why didn’t my Digital Foundry pint glass arrive with anything in it?

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The Digital Foundry panel convene to talk about Sony's disappointing State of Play, John shares his thoughts on the Grand Theft Auto 6 Extended Look and there are more hints about Xbox's next-gen strategy as Asha Sharma discusses a family of devices - amongst other things - in an interview with the BBC.

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0:00:00 Introduction

0:01:43 News 1: Sony releases disappointing State of Play

0:25:49 Supporter Q1: What does John think of the GTA 6 Extended Look?

0:41:59 Supporter Q2: Is Microsoft pivoting to a more mainstream “family” of next-gen Xboxes?

0:57:18 Supporter Q3: Will Microsoft regret their disc-to-digital program?

1:04:49 Supporter Q4: Will the PSP 3 actually be able to play PS5 games?

1:09:43 Supporter Q5: Should Nintendo implement a global frame-rate cap option for Switch 2?

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Six months after its reveal, DLSS 5 has launched with NBA 2K27 and its utilisation is a world apart from the first clips, not to mention the vast array of modded footage we've seen since its leak last week. Rich, John and Oliver compare notes on the difference it makes, the huge performance cost, what is achievable with mods and more.

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0:00:00 Introduction

0:02:27 What is DLSS 5?

0:15:36 DLSS 5 visuals in NBA 2K27

0:25:07 DLSS 5 performance in NBA 2K27

0:42:17 Mods: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

0:50:03 Mods: Forza Horizon 6, Monster Hunter Rise, Starfield

1:00:14 Concluding thoughts

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While Grand Theft Auto 6's gameplay reveal somewhat overshadowed proceedings, it was indeed Gamescom 2026 this week and with Rich's legs giving out, it was down to John to represent us at the show. So, after dispensing with some gaming and technology news, John delivers his own "best of" tour of Gamescom, discussing the titles he loved.

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0:00:00 Introduction

0:02:01 News 1: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered revealed

0:12:52 News 2: Xbox disc to digital program officially announced

0:23:18 Gamescom demos: Fable

0:30:46 Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve

0:38:01 Capcom: Mega Man: Dual Override, Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen

0:46:51 Sega: Alien Isolation 2, Stranger than Heaven

0:54:48 Konami: Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, Silent Hill: Townfall

1:10:20 State of Decay 3

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26 minutes of actual GTA 6 gameplay "dropped" - and on balance, it's one of the most extraordinary visual accomplishments ever seen in real-time game graphics. It's not perfect - nothing can be - but in this DF Direct Special, Oliver and Rich share their thoughts and reactions to the presentation.

0:00:00 Introduction

0:01:24 Overall impressions

0:10:09 Performance: 30 FPS only

0:25:22 Lighting: shadowmaps, RT reflections, RTGI

0:37:31 Simulation and the open world

0:45:49 Image quality

0:50:57 Supporter Q1: How will next-gen consoles and PCs improve on the PS5 visuals?

0:56:55 Supporter Q2: Will PS5 Pro fix GTA 6’s image quality issues?

1:01:45 Supporter Q3: Will GTA 6 become a new highly contested PC benchmark?

1:04:56 Supporter Q4: How did the Netflix-only trailer launch go?

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At the time of recording, it was the lull before the storm that is Gamescom 2026 - but we've still got a bunch of fascinating questions to wade through. Have we got it all wrong with PlayStation 6? Is it actually the hotly rumoured handheld with Sony pivoting in a Nintendo-like direction? If games hit photorealism, where does that leave Digital Foundry? And are plasma TVs the new CRT?

00:00 Introduction

01:21 Sponsored by MSI QD-OLED

02:42 Supporter Q1: Could the next-gen PSP and PS6 be the same thing?

14:26 Supporter Q2: Should PC games rename their graphics settings to constrain performance expectations?

22:27 Supporter Q3: If games become photorealistic, what will Digital Foundry do?

31:20 Supporter Q4: Are plasma TVs the new CRTs?

42:58 Supporter Q5: Will DF leave secret messages about upcoming hardware in DF Directs?

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We're not going to be commenting on leaks from a stolen GTA 6 build that's years old and promoting a memecoin but we WILL be talking about Sony's comments on not knowing PS6's pricing and release date and assessing the Black Myth Zhong Kui gameplay reveal. Rich is intrigued by Alan Wake's big PC upgrade for AMD users, while John muses over the reported end of live service elements in Horizon Hunters Gathering. Finally, five years ago, Alex made a range of predictions about Switch 2 and DLSS... so how accurate did they turn out to be?

0:00:00 Introduction

0:02:49 News 1: Sony undecided on PS6 release date

0:20:18 News 2: Remedy adds FSR 4.1 support in Alan Wake 2

0:27:23 News 3: Black Myth: Zhong Kui demoed

0:34:57 News 4: Horizon: Hunters Gathering drops live service elements

0:45:38 News 5: Doom ported to 12 year old camera

0:51:59 Retrospective: Alex’s Switch 2 DLSS predictions

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Bethesda is promising a new patch for Oblivion Remastered based on the Switch 2 version's optimisations - but is there any evidence to suggest that the Switch 2 improvements will make any real differences for the other versions? Meanwhile, Oliver clarifies his comments on which PC specs reflect next-gen consoles, whether Project Helix will make much of a difference for Microsoft and whether Epic should make their own console (!). Finally, how come Switch 2 hasn't really much in the way of cross-gen first party exclusives?

00:00 Introduction

01:19 Supporter Q1: Can Switch 2 Optimisations Fix Oblivion Remastered on other systems?

16:47 Supporter Q2: How should we think about GPU VRAM and next gen consoles?

25:13 Supporter Q3: How was Nintendo able to transition from Switch 1 to Switch 2 so quickly?

32:24 Supporter Q4: If Microsoft stops shipping Xboxes, what will be lost?

40:57 Supporter Q5: Is Valve not being stringent enough with their Steam Deck Verified program?

45:49 Supporter Q6: Should Epic make their own Epic Games Machine with Unreal Engine optimizations?

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The team react to Pearl Abyss' statement that Crimson Desert is - somehow - coming to Switch 2, but the first order of business is to share impressions (and performance testing) for the Gears of War E-Day MP beta on PC... and while extremely impressive, we do have some concerns. Rich tests a remarkable system for playing Switch 2 games on the go in TV move with a virtual 174-inch OLED display, John's excited by a new wave of announced VR titles, there's curiousity around Xbox/Game Pass app games coming to Linux and there's some eyebrow-raising data on Resident Evil Requiem physical disc sales.

0:00:00 Introduction

0:02:36 News 1: Gears of War: E-Day tested on PC!

0:24:28 News 2: Switch 2 port of Crimson Desert confirmed

0:36:11 News 3: Viture Beast, Pro 2 XR glasses tested

0:50:11 News 4: Resident Evil Requiem figures show high physical sales

1:00:37 News 5: Project Xodus brings Xbox PC games to Linux, Mac

1:09:23 News 6: VR Games Showcase demos upcoming VR titles

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