Digital Foundry Direct Weekly

DF returns to QSSR coverage with a closer look at Ghost of Yōtei, with John weighing in with his opinions on Marvel's Wolverine too. Rich reveals that Sony isn't the first to port an AI upscaler to a non-AI based GPU, showing FSR 4 running on the RDNA 1 Radeon RX 5700 XT. Meanwhile, John's very happy with the PC version of Gears of War: E-Day. And after sharing some stories on anniversary DF content, the Star Wars Galactic Racer review embargo hits in real-time - and John's got a lot to say about it...

0:00:00 Introduction

0:01:13 News 1: QSSR tested in Ghost of Yōtei

0:25:19 News 2: FSR 4 port on RDNA 1 RX 5700 XT

0:35:36 News 3: Gears of War: E-Day PC impressions

0:53:27 Retrospective: Switch OLED

1:00:13 Retrospective: Mantis Burn Racing 4K60 on PS4 Pro

1:06:46 Star Wars: Galactic Racer review reaction

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A surprise to be sure - and a welcome one. Out of the blue, Sony has released QSSR - Quick Spectral Super Resolution - a refactoring of PS5 Pro's PSSR for the standard PlayStation 5. In this video, Rich and Oliver share their initial thoughts on the technology. We've got image quality comparisons from Marvel's Wolverine, we've got early performance testing from a PS5 dev kit, comparisons with PSSR and much more.

00:00 Introduction

01:29 What is QSSR?

05:28 QSSR vs IGTI

11:13 QSSR vs. PSSR

16:51 QSSR performance

26:04 Will QSSR be in GTA 6?

28:35 Concluding thoughts

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The progress in PS5 emulation for PC is becoming extremely rapid - so just how viable is it and should Sony be worried? Meanwhile, Rich, Oliver and Will discuss a range of topics: can PS5 Pro run PSSR and FSR frame gen together? Will PCs eventually replace consoles? Can a Project Helix console replace both a gaming PC and an Xbox console? And... would the Project Helix concept have changed if Xbox had won the console generation?

00:00 Introduction

00:41 PlayStation 5 Emulation on PC gathers pace

13:55 Q1: Why can't PS5 Pro run PSSR and FSR 3.1 frame gen together?

21:27 Q2: Will PC eventually replace console gaming?

27:25 Q3: Will Halo move onto the Call of Duty engine?

34:02 Q4: Will Project Helix replace both PC and console?

39:09 Q5: Would Project Helix be different if Xbox Series won the console generation?

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An extremely busy week at the Foundry but the Direct cannot be stopped - the team discuss the latest news as the "Xbox Reset" enters Phase Two and Halo is shipped off to Activision. Meanwhile, Rich, Oliver and Tom join forces to run the rule over Silent Hill Townfall, becauise the show moves on to discuss the implications of the next-gen consoles' respective GPU TFLOPs numbers. And finally, ending the show on a high note, Rich revisits 007 First Light path tracing, finding a night and day improvement in performance over the original release.

00:00 Introduction

01:12 News 1: Halo Studios decimated as Halo moves to Activision

17:26 News 2: Silent Hill: Townfall tested on PS5, PS5 Pro, and PC!

36:54 News 3: Rumour says PS6 at 40 teraflops, Xbox Helix at 56 teraflops

48:28 News 4: 007 First Light gets path tracing performance boost

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Stellar Blade on Switch 2 enforces the use of frame generation to target 60fps - and Capcom is offering the same feature with a toggle in the upcoming Dragon's Dogma 2 port. So how does it work and what have we learned from testing it in Stellar Blade? Beyond that, Tom, Rich and Oliver discuss whether next-gen hardware should be delayed, why Nintendo is avoiding DLSS in its own Switch 2 titles and whether Valve should release an ARM-based handheld. And finally, what's the point of chromatic aberration?

00:00 Introduction

00:44 Supporter Q1: Is frame gen a good fit for Switch 2 games like Stellar Blade?

17:18 Supporter Q2: Could a next-gen hardware delay be a good thing?

25:03 Supporter Q3: Does Digital Foundry need to produce a “frame health” reference?

32:28 Supporter Q4: Is Nintendo avoiding DLSS so they can switch to AMD for Switch 3?

37:44 Supporter Q5: Should the next gen Steam Deck be ARM-based?

43:15 Supporter Q6: What’s the point of chromatic aberration?

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In a bit of a slow week for news, the team goes hands-on with a bunch of cool games to present their findings - principal amongst them being 007 First Light's visually stunning, but incredibly taxing path tracing upgrade. Redemption Road's 12-minute Kingmakers gameplay deep dive impresses the panel before Tom delivers his thoughts on Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave on Switch 2, with Oliver testing Diablo 4 also on the Nintendo hybrid. Meanwhile, reliable leaker Kepler_L2 says that we're only looking at one new GPU launch in 2027 - and it looks like the desktop version of the same GPU slated to appear in Microsoft's Project Helix...

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00:00 Introduction

01:17 News 1: 007 First Light gets PC path tracing patch

18:28 News 2: Kingmakers resurfaces in extended trailer

26:44 News 3: Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave impressions!

39:34 News 4: Diablo 4 tested on Switch 2

47:49 News 5: Rumour: new Nvidia, AMD GPUs won’t be released until 2028

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With Steam Frame just missing the embargo for the last DF Direct, John, Rich and Oliver share impressions of Valve's latest hardware plus there's some ARM standalone testing of Half-Life Alyx, Cyberpunk 2077 and Streets of Rage 4. Beyond that, it's Supporter Q+A time: why doesn't From Software fix 30fps frame-pacing issues? If DLSS 5 isn't really DLSS, how should DLSS evolve? Finally... with the legendary Kallax having been modded into Skyrim by Ikea, what other Scandinavian furniture should be added to the game?!

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00:00 Introduction

01:07 Hands-On With Steam Frame, Half-Life Alyx Standalone + More

27:06 Supporter Q1: Is a language barrier to blame for Elden Ring frame-pacing issues?

35:15 Supporter Q2: What new tech should Nvidia explore in a new DLSS?

44:52 Supporter Q3: What Ikea furniture should be included in Elder Scrolls 6?

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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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