Digital Foundry Direct Weekly - podcast cover

Digital Foundry Direct Weekly

Digital Foundry & Geek Media
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. DF Direct is a part of the Geek Media Podcast Network, an IGN Entertainment Brand. Visit Geek.com for more information.

Episodes

DF Direct Weekly #59: PlayStation 5 VRR, Steam Deck 40-60Hz Upgrade, 900W Next-Gen GPUs?

It's been a barren few weeks for gaming and technology news, but it looks like things are finally picking up! John, Rich and Alex share initial findings on PlayStation 5 VRR, discuss Valve's new 40-60Hz display support for Steam Deck... and what to make of the PlayStation "Preservation Group"? 00:00:00 Introductions 00:01:02 News 01: PlayStation 5 VRR support released 00:23:03 News 02: Steam Deck VRS, 40-60Hz updates 00:32:26 News 03: PlayStation "preservation group" revealed 00:35:33 News 04: T...

May 02, 20221 hr 17 minSeason 1Ep. 59

DF Direct Weekly #58: Has Next-Gen Actually Happened Yet? Is Zelda: BOTW 2 ’Too Big’ For Switch?

As the dearth of news continues, the silly season breaks out with DF caught in a 'too big for Switch' crossfire. Even so, there's still some cool stuff to discuss - Playdate is in our hands, Steam Deck's getting 40Hz display support and Sonic Origins looks cool. But we've got bigger fish to fry: fundamentally, has next-gen actually happened yet - or are we still mired in a seemingly never-ending cross-gen transition period? 00:00:00 Introductions 00:01:04 News 01: Has "Next-Gen" happened yet? 00...

Apr 25, 20221 hr 15 minEp. 58

DF Direct Weekly #57: Kingdom Hearts UE5, Witcher 3 ’Next-Gen’ Delayed, Criterion Need for Speed

With the glut of triple-A releases over, the games industry continues to lull into a state of near-hibernation - not great when you're looking to produce a weekly chat show on the latest gaming and technology news. But we have a bunch of reports/rumours to respond to! The Witcher 3's next-gen upgrade has been delayed and news is starting to emerge of Criterion's new Need for Speed. And we did get an actual announcement: Kingdom Hearts 4 on UE5... so what does the team make of all this? 00:00:00 ...

Apr 18, 20221 hr 31 minSeason 1Ep. 57

DF Direct Weekly #56: Minecraft Xbox Ray Tracing Leak, Unreal Engine 5 Release, Max Payne Remake!

Let's say you're a bunch of tech journalists producing a weekly show based on gaming and technology news... and there's not really any worthwhile gaming or technology news to speak of? In an ideal world, we'd give ourselves the week off but #content must never sleep. And to be fair, we think we've managed to deliver a decent show nonetheless. Enjoy! 00:00:00 Introductions 00:01:23 News 01: Minecraft RT leaks onto Xbox Series, promptly removed. 00:05:27 DF Supporter Q: Why do you think MICROSOFT ...

Apr 11, 20221 hr 23 minSeason 1Ep. 56

DF Direct Weekly #55: PlayStation Plus vs Game Pass, Breath of the Wild 2, RTX 3090 Ti, Intel Arc

A week of hot news - Sony scrambles to take on Game Pass (or Games Pass, as Alex would more correctly call it as it has more than one game), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 is delayed but showcased with footage that looks significantly beyond Switch's capabilities - and Intel launches its first Arc GPU products. RTX 3090 Ti also debuts. And... could it be? Is Knack finally returning? And if not, why not? 00:00:00 Introductions 00:00:40 News 01: PlayStation reveals new subscription serv...

Apr 04, 20221 hr 31 minSeason 1Ep. 55

DF Direct Weekly #54: The Witcher 4 on UE5, PS5 Getting VRR, FSR 2.0/XeSS Reaction

This is the news! John, Rich and Alex take to the mics to discuss the end of CDPR's REDengine, image reconstruction via FSR 2.0 and XeSS, plus the long awaited confirmation of VRR (variable refresh rate) support coming to PlayStation 5. In short, there's a lot of 'hullaballoo' to sift through this week. 00:00:00 Introductions 00:00:36 News 01: CD Project RED announces UE5 powered Witcher game 00:18:26 News 02: VRR is coming to PS5 00:28:19 News 03: AMD's FSR 2.0 presentation at GDC 00:33:34 DF S...

Mar 28, 20221 hr 25 minEp. 54

DF Direct Weekly #53: GTA5, Elden Ring 1.3 Perf Increase, FSR 2.0 Reaction

A packed show this week! Alex shares his impressions on Grand Theft Auto 5's arrival on the new wave of consoles, the Elden Ring performance saga continues with the arrival of patch 1.03, AMD reveals the impressive-looking FSR 2.0, while AMD also aims to take on Intel at the more budget-orientated end of the market. 00:00:00 Introductions 00:01:09 GTA Fünf releases on PS5 00:09:48 Elden Ring 1.03 console performance boost? 00:21:36 FSR 2.0 00:31:39 AMD New CPUs taking on Alder Lake 00:37:48 GT7 ...

Mar 21, 20221 hr 20 minEp. 53

DF Direct Weekly #52: State of Play Reaction, Horizon PS5 Patch Analysis, Dying Light 1 60FPS!

In a packed show, it's Rich, John and Alex at their respective microphones, sharing their thoughts on the Japan-focused State of Play, what tweaks to image quality Guerrilla Games has delivered for Horizon Forbidden West, plus a quick look at Dying Light 1's 60fps patch. Meanwhile, Alex is raging about stutter in PC games... but we're not going to let him talk about it. Not just yet. 00:00:00 Introductions 00:01:05 State of Play reactions 00:14:04 Horizon Forbidden West 1.07 patch 00:20:26 Dying...

Mar 14, 20221 hr 21 minSeason 1Ep. 52

DF Direct Weekly #51: Elden Ring, Switch Pro Spec Leak, Steam Deck Reaction

A gigantic week of news, covering Elden Ring, the Switch Pro leak and reaction to Steam Deck... and yes, we take more user questions than ever before in covering these massive stories. 00:00:00 Introductions 00:01:27 Steam Deck coverage and thoughts 00:10:38 Steam Deck Q1: Do you think the Deck passes the “significant other couch test”? 00:12:28 Steam Deck Q2: What happens if you put in a aftermarket NVMe or install Windows without proper drivers 00:15:42 Steam Deck Q3: Is there a danger of deve...

Mar 07, 20221 hr 25 minSeason 1Ep. 51

DF Direct Weekly #50: Elden Ring Performance Problems, Street Fighter 6 Announced, Sol Cresta Issues

It's been one of the busiest weeks thus far in 2022 for the team, but nothing stops this train! Audi Sorlie, John Linneman and Alex Battaglia are here to serve up early impressions on Elden Ring, give some Steam Deck predictions, discuss various visual issues with Sol Cresta and of course, dish out the pain with the announcement of Street Fighter 6. All this and more for this week's DF Direct Weekly! 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:13 Elden Ring impressions 00:18:44 Steam Deck review imminent 00:20:...

Feb 28, 20221 hr 13 minSeason 1Ep. 50

DF Direct Weekly #49: Cyberpunk 2077 Next-Gen Patch, Horizon Forbidden West Reaction

The somewhat unlikely scenario of DF Direct Weekly making its way to a 49th instalment has somehow come to pass! Tom, Alex, Will and Audi are all consigned to Rich's basement this week, meaning that it's just John and Rich to tackle the big news of the week - Cyberpunk 2077's 1.5 update with next-gen features landing, Dying Light 2 receiving VRR unlocked frame-rate support on Xbox Series X and - yes - there's reaction to the reaction of Horizon Forbidden West's release. 00:00:00 Introductions 00...

Feb 21, 20221 hr 24 minSeason 1Ep. 49

DF Direct Weekly #48: Steam Deck Review Reaction, Nintendo Direct, Call of Duty Staying on PS5

In the week where a favoured few posted their Steam Deck hardware reviews, and where Nintendo posted a new Direct, it's down to John, Rich and Alex to sift through the revelations and present their views and opinions... of which there are many. 00:00:00 Introductions 00:00:41 Steam Deck review reaction 00:01:09 DF Bonus Q1: Did you receive a Steam Deck and what are your initial anecdotal impressions? 00:11:09 DF Bonus Q2: Do you think display cost is the (only) reason for the Steam Deck not havi...

Feb 15, 20221 hr 28 minSeason 1Ep. 48

DF Direct Weekly #47: Sony Acquires Bungie, Switch Fastest-Selling Console, Bloodborne PSX

The Digital Foundry team amass to discuss Sony's acquisition of Bungie, Destiny remaining multi-platform, DLSS arriving for Flight Simulator along with the phenomenal success of the Nintendo Switch. And what's the score with Dying Light 2's resolution reaction? 00:00:00 Introductions 00:00:33 Sony buys Bungie 00:15:22 DLSS coming to Flight Simulator 00:19:56 Switch is the fastest selling console of all-time 00:27:25 Bloodborne "PSX Demake" releases 00:31:50 Team17 pledges support for NFT, cancel...

Feb 07, 20221 hr 12 minSeason 1Ep. 47

DF Direct Weekly #46: Call of Duty’s Future on PS5, Crysis 4 Reaction, Uncharted Collection

What's going on with Call of Duty on PS5 following the Microsoft acquisition of Activision? What actually happened when Alex Battaglia discovered that Crysis 4 is in development? Just how good does the Resident Evil 4 HD mod look? The answers to these questions and many more are to be found in DF Direct Weekly #46 with Rich Leadbetter, Alex Battaglia and John Linneman on mic duties. 00:00:00 Introductions 00:00:31 Activision/Microsoft continued 00:08:12 Crysis 4 announcement 00:12:57 DF Bonus Su...

Jan 31, 20221 hr 17 minSeason 1Ep. 46

DF Direct Weekly #45: Microsoft/Activision, RX 6500XT, Kingdom Hearts on Switch, FF7 Classic 60FPS!

Audi, Alex and John take on this dramatic week of news as we further reflect on the ongoing Microsoft/Activision rumblings, the dreadful AMD RX6500 XT launch, Cloud only gaming on the switch, Diablo II DRM and even a bit of Netflix and chill. All this and more in DF Direct Weekly! 00:00:00 Introductions 00:00:56 Microsoft/Activision 00:16:11 Horizon Forbidden West Story trailer (no spoilers) 00:20:27 Diablo II Remastered DRM troubles 00:26:22 AMD RX6500 XT 00:35:30 Kingdom Hearts on Switch, coul...

Jan 24, 20221 hr 36 minSeason 1Ep. 45

DF Direct Special: Microsoft Buys Activision/Blizzard - Initial Reaction! Speculation! More!

Huge news shaking the core of the games industry today as Microsoft seemingly out of nowhere announced their acquisition of Activision/Blizzard/King, hot on the heels of them already adding Bethesda to their Xbox family. Audi Sorlie, Alex Battaglia and John Linneman enter the war room to discuss what this could potentially mean for Microsoft and the video game industry itself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 18, 202242 minEp. 45

DF Direct Weekly #44: God of War PC, Sony Producing More PS4s, FF7 Remake PC Patch Isn’t Great

Rich, Alex and Will take to the mics for DF Direct Weekly #44, talking about extended lifespans for last-gen consoles, a lacklustre patch for Final Fantasy 7 Remake on PC, more woes from the PC hardware market and an interesting solution for getting Fortnite back on iOS devices... 00:00:00 Introductions 00:00:38 Is Sony Dealing With PlayStation 5 Shortages by Making More PS4s? 00:04:59 Square Patches Final Fantasy 7 Remake PC 00:13:21 GeForce 3080 12GB is causing problems 00:21:16 Fortnite back ...

Jan 17, 20221 hr 19 minSeason 1Ep. 44

DF Direct Weekly #43: The Best of CES 2022, The NFT Poison Chalice

DF Direct Weekly is back for 2022, with John Linneman, Alex Battaglia and Rich Leadbetter emerging from the holiday break to regale you with almost eighty-seven minutes of the latest tech and gaming news. 00:00:00 Introductions 00:00:34 CES 2022: OLED & QDLED News 00:11:25 CES 2022: AMD & Nvidia Conferences 00:23:48 CES 2022: BMW iX colour changing car & Sony Vision 00:28:08 CES 2022: Intel Conference 00:32:11 Square Enix announces intent to go into NFT and blockchain 00:40:59 Xbox Dev Mode gets...

Jan 11, 20221 hr 27 minSeason 1Ep. 43

DF Direct Special: PlayStation 5/ Xbox Series X/S Year One Retrospective

Rich Leadbetter, John Linneman and Alex Battaglia sit down at the end of 2021 to discuss the first full year of the new console generation. Have PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S lived up to expectations? What to make of the platform comparisons one year in? Does Series S deliver? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 02, 20221 hr 31 minEp. 2

Digital Foundry’s Best Game Graphics of 2021: PC, Xbox, PlayStation - Another Amazing Year!

Join Alex Battaglia and John Linneman for an extended discussion on the best game graphics of 2021. There've been some amazing visuals this year - remarkable achievements from the first year of the 'next-gen' consoles, and all delivered in the Covid era, no less. Please note: Flight Simulator would definitely have made the list, but remember that it was first released in 2020 - and we talked about it in depth in the Best Game Graphics of 2020! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm...

Dec 24, 202159 minEp. 1

DF Direct Weekly #42: Horizon Forbidden West PS4, New PS5 Side Plates, Xbox Documentary Reaction

Join Alex Battaglia, John Linneman and Tom Morgan for Digital Foundry's last DF Direct of the year! The team share their views on first media assets of Horizon Zero Dawn on the base PS4, there's reaction to the brilliant new Xbox documentary, Nightdive Studios shows off their System Shock remake, plus of course, there's more DF content discussion and Supporter questions! 00:00:00 Introductions 00:01:14 Horizon Forbidden West PS4 version revealed 00:06:24 Colour plates for PS5 00:09:44 Xbox Docum...

Dec 20, 20211 hr 34 minSeason 1Ep. 42

DF Direct Weekly #41: PlayStation ‘Game Pass‘, The Game Awards Reaction, Horizon PC Gets DLSS!

In the immediate aftermath of The Game Awards, it's John Linneman, Alex Battaglia and Rich Leadbetter at the mics to talk about the new trailers, the continual evolution of Horizon Zero Dawn on PC plus... what's going on with Sony's plans to compete against Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass? 00:00:00 Introductions 00:00:33 The Game Awards reaction 00:21:18 Horizon Zero Dawn gets DLSS 00:32:22 PlayStation rumoured to make new subscription service 00:44:23 Bulk Slash English translation releases 00:46:08...

Dec 14, 20211 hr 33 minSeason 1Ep. 41

DF Direct Weekly #40: GTA Definitive Edition Patched, RTX 3080 Ti Mobile? Halo Infinite Plans

This week, it's Rich Leadbetter, Alex Battaglia and Will Judd at the mics, talking Halo Infinite coverage plans, GTA Definitive Edition patches, RTX 3080 Ti and Ryzen 6000 mobile laptop tech - and what's up with the RTX 2060 12GB? It should be noted that subsequent to recording, Nvidia did indeed confirm that it is real. Plus: DF content talk and more supporter questions to answer! 00:00:00 Introductions 00:00:56 Halo Infinite coverage incoming 00:03:47 GTA Definitive Edition gets patched 00:13:...

Dec 05, 20211 hr 36 minSeason 1Ep. 40

DF Direct Weekly #39: Cerny on PS5, Xbox Anniversary Museum, Hitman 3 RT, No More FPS Boost?

This week, it's Rich Leadbetter, Audi Sorlie and John Linneman at the mics as they discuss Mark Cerny's latest PS5 video, Hitman 3 in 2022 with RT reflections... and an apparent end to Microsoft's excellent FPS Boost program? 00:00:00 Introductions 00:01:22 Cerny & Sony visits Wired 00:13:03 Hitman 3 gets DXR reflections in 2022 00:19:50 Xbox 20th Anniversary Museum 00:32:20 No More FPS Boost? 00:40:19 Square Enix's "big" remake is supposedly Chrono Cross 00:49:31 Crazy Frog returns 00:50:37 DF ...

Dec 01, 20211 hr 46 minSeason 1Ep. 39

DF Direct Weekly #38: Xbox 20th Anniversary, Xbox 360 FPS Boost, Hellblade PC RT/DLSS

With John hunkering down to complete the latest DF Retro episode, it's Rich, Alex and Tom at the mics for this week's DF Direct Weekly - and this week, there's a strong Xbox focus in the news. #Xbox20 discussion, new FPS Boost, Nvidia gets into spatial upscaling and launches a new visual comparison tool, Age of Empires 4 is patched to great effect - and is the Hellblade RT patch for PC any good? 00:00:00 Introductions 00:00:38 Xbox 20th Anniversary, Backwards compatibility update + more 00:15:50...

Nov 22, 20211 hr 27 minSeason 1Ep. 38

DF Direct Weekly #37: Digital Foundry Hacked! PS5 Hacked Twice! Steam Deck Delayed!

Not the sort of week we'd care to repeat really, but here we are. Full discussion of our takeover by Russian crypt-currency scammers, PS5 getting hacked not once but twice, the Steam Deck delay, the latest Halo Infinite reveal and... could it be? Will the Windows Store actually get properly fixed? Chapters: 00:00:00 Introductions 00:00:36 We were hacked! 00:08:40 PS5 was also hacked! 00:18:48 Halo Infinite IGN first look impressions 00:26:21 Steam Deck delayed until Feb 2022 00:31:38 Windows Sto...

Nov 16, 20211 hr 29 minSeason 1Ep. 37

DF Direct Weekly #36: Battlefield 2042 RTX, Playstation 5 CMOS, Bloodborne PSX

While Forza Horizon 5 fills most of the week here at Digital Foundry, there was still a bit of news and happenings to discuss. This week, Audi Sorlie, Alex Battaglia and John Linneman convene to talk about the Battlefield 2042 RTX trailer marking a second week in a row that Alex has some choice words on trailer showcases, Sony listened to the community and provides fixes for the CMOS issue, Netflix enters the gaming space in unexpected ways and a classic adventure game sees its source code made ...

Nov 08, 20211 hr 31 minSeason 1Ep. 36

DF Direct Weekly #35: Halo Infinite, GTA Definitive Edition, State of Play Reaction

Halo Infinite's campaign re-reveal, Far Cry 6's email shaming program and the Sony PC and State of Play reveals are discussed along with in-depth chat on the new 12th Gen Intel Core architecture. And what's up with N64 emulation on Switch? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 01, 20211 hr 25 minEp. 35

DF Direct Weekly #34: God of War PC, Witcher 3/Cyberpunk Next-Gen Patches, Apple M1 Pro/M1 Max!

The weekly DF Direct returns once again! This time, John, Alex and Rich tackle the recent MacBook Pro reveals and what it means for Apple and gaming, there's discussion on CD Projekt RED's next-gen patches for Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3, while Half-Life 2 gets upgraded for Steam Deck. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 25, 20211 hr 22 minSeason 1Ep. 34
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