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 #79: RTX 4080 Pricing Storm, DLSS 3, PS1 Classics 60Hz Fail, Xbox DRM Good News!

In this week's show, the team discuss the Nvidia RTX 4000 reveal, the new tech on offer and the backlash over RTX 4080 pricing. The new RT Overdrive rendition of Cyberpunk is discussed along with the rich potential of RTX Remix. Elsewhere, PS1 Classics' first European 60Hz release proves to be fundamentally flawed, John has issues with the new Star Ocean demo - but it looks like there's good news about improvements to Xbox's restrictive DRM. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:43 News 01: Nvidia announc...

Sep 26, 20221 hr 28 minEp. 81

DF Direct Weekly #78: PSVR2 Hands-On Report, State Of Play/Nintendo Direct Reaction

Digital Foundry is joined by Eurogamer's Ian Higton to discuss PlayStation VR 2 in extreme detail, followed up by John, Alex and Rich discussing the week's gaming and technology news - with a strong focus on the Tokyo Games Show and its surrounding Sony State of Play and Nintendo Direct mini-events. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:41 News 01: PSVR 2 hands-on impressions! 00:48:22 News 02: Sony’s latest State of Play 01:10:05 News 03: New Nintendo Direct showcases 2023 games 01:25:46 News 04: Suikode...

Sep 19, 20222 hr 1 minEp. 80

DF Direct Weekly #77: New CFI-1200 PS5, Sony vs Microsoft COD War, Halo Infinite Split-Screen

The team discuss the arrival of a brand new PlayStation 5 revision, the arrival of 1440p support for the console - and the ongoing war over COD between Sony and Microsoft. Meanwhile, Halo Infinite's campaign co-op split-screen cancellation provokes frustration... and who is 'Jim Mattrick'...? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 12, 20221 hr 22 minEp. 79

DF Direct Special: Inside Intel Arc - What’s Happening With Graphics, XeSS and Ray Tracing?

It's been a rocky road to market for Intel with its Arc range of graphics cards... and just over a year since Intel talked to us about it. In this extended interview, Alex and Rich talk to Intel Fellow Tom Petersen about the state of play with Intel Arc, what's going on with DX11, DX12, Vulcan and Resizeable BAR, plus there's new information on XeSS upscaling (which we're currently testing) and what Intel says is best-in-class ray tracing performance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit mega...

Sep 05, 202255 minEp. 78

DF Direct Special: Did The Last Of Us Part 1 Really Need A Remake?

We've looked at how the Last of Us Part 1 compares with prior TLOU versions, we've detailed all of the various performance modes, what they do and how they work. Now, we get down to brass tacks. Is this a game that actually required a remake? Is it worth the money? John Linneman and Oliver Mackenzie share notes and come to the conclusion that yes, it is. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 03, 202246 minEp. 77

DF Direct Weekly #76 ’It’s Not Great’ Edition - PS5 Price Rises, Switch Denuvo - Gamescom 2022

What should have been a celebration of gaming with the arrival of Gamescom 2022 is marred by a bunch of bad news - including price rises for PlayStation 5 in multiple territories that are not the United States of America and the mooted arrival of Denuvo DRM for... Nintendo Switch? As John and Rich seem to continually remind us the episode... it's not great. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:37 News 01: Sony bumps PS5 prices! 00:16:17 News 02: Denuvo DRM launches on Switch 00:27:26 News 03: “Super Mari...

Aug 29, 20221 hr 21 minEp. 76

DF Direct Weekly #75: PSN heading to PC? GPU Prices Plunging, Voxel Doom, Sonic Mania Decompilation

DF Weekly reaches its three-quarter-century this week, with John, Rich and Will discussing evidence of Sony creating its own PSN launcher for its PC titles, a fascinating inteview with Astro's Playroom developer Team Asobi, more GPU price madness and Intel video card discussion - plus, a remarkable new voxelised version of Doom! 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:41 News 01: PlayStation PC game launcher to come? 00:11:10 News 02: Team Asobi interview hints at new game 00:19:03 News 03: Sonic Mania deco...

Aug 23, 20221 hr 20 minEp. 75

DF Direct Weekly #74: Spider-Man Remastered PC Behind The Scenes, Metal Gear Solid 1 VR Mod

It's been a challenging week for Digital Foundry as the review process for Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered was set back twice owing to patch updates. So what actually went on, why was some of the embargoed review content out of date on embargo day, how was the game improved and where do we stand right now on day one - the day this Direct was filmed? 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:57 News 01: Spider-Man Remastered released on PC! 00:27:05 News 02: Boneworks gets Metal Gear Solid mod 00:35:30 News 03:...

Aug 15, 20221 hr 13 minEp. 74

DF Direct Weekly #73: Kratos Hits Xbox, Series S Memory Boost, RTX 4090 Massively Fast?

PlayStation icon Kratos arrives on ALL Xbox consoles in one of the most unlikeliest stories we've ever seen, while Xbox Series S gets more memory delivered to game-makers via a development kit update. Meanwhile, John, Rich and Alex discuss the seemingly incredible perf boosts we should expect from the next-gen Nvidia GPUs, while Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origins gets a PC AA/DLSS upgrade. All this - AND MORE - in this episode of DF Direct Weekly! 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:57 News 01:...

Aug 08, 20221 hr 21 minEp. 73

DF Direct Weekly #72: PlayStation 5 1440p Support, The Last of Us Part 1 Gameplay, PSVR2 Features

It's the DF Direct Weekly "Hot Beast" Edition as John and Rich return from holiday to join Alex Battaglia for an extended discussion on the week's news, covering the surprise reveal of 1440p display support for PlayStation 5, an official look at more of The Last of Us Part 1, the highs and lows of VR - and Alex's Core i9-12900K PC upgrade! 00:00:43 News 01: 1440p output support in new PS5 beta firmware 00:13:49 News 02: TLOU Part 1 gameplay showcase video released 00:20:31 News 03: PSVR 2 featur...

Aug 01, 20221 hr 25 minEp. 72

DF Direct Weekly #71: Spider-Man PC Port Detailed, Intel Arc GPU Reviews + Last of Us Footage Leaks

It's something of a DF Direct special this week, as regular co-host Alex Battaglia is joined by two insightful guests: Sam 'samred' Machkovech of Ars Technica and Addie 'EposVox' of... YouTube. The trio tackle the week's news - including the first details on the Spider-Man Remastered PC port, leaked footage from the upcoming The Last Of Us Part 1 remake and early reviews of Intel's Arc GPUs - and answer an unparalleled 12 DF Supporter questions. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:09 News 01: Spider-Man...

Jul 25, 20222 hr 54 minEp. 71

DF Direct Weekly #70: Bayonetta 3 Announced, Matrix Awakens Delisted, Prime Day Pickups

It's the DF Skeleton Crew! With Rich, John and Alex away, it's time for Will, Tom and Oliver to escape Rich's basement and step into the limelight for a Direct. In this episode we cover the new Skate and Bayonetta 3 announcements, react to the delisting of the Matrix Awakens and explain why Nvidia is discounting its higher tier graphics cards. Also: what secret projects would we like to work on, and what Prime Day pickups did we each make? 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:49 News 01: Is FF7: Rebirth ...

Jul 18, 20221 hr 6 minSeason 1Ep. 70

DF Direct Weekly #69: Horizon Forbidden West VRR/40Hz Tested, Red Dead/GTA4 Remasters Cancelled?

Hitting the 69th episode milestone, Rich gets to grips with Horizon Forbidden West's excellent VRR/40Hz date, while Alex and Tom join him to discuss topics as diverse as the apparent cancellation of GTA4 and Red Dead Redemption patches, more heavy-handed Take Two legal threats, and yet more issues with Capcom PC ports - this time with a furless DLSS patch. Meanwhile, is it really wise for Rich's gaming hardware to be situated next to a big radiator? And do Alex and Tom assess the rendering featu...

Jul 11, 20221 hr 23 minEp. 70

DF Direct Weekly #68: Half-Life 2 Switch Mod, New Sony Hardware, Nier Automata Switch Reveal

Not exactly a week for 'gigaton' news but plenty to discuss nonetheless. Portal and Portal 2 arrive on Switch, with Half-Life 2 mods appearing less than 24 hours later. There's joy at the news of a Switch Nier Automata port but confusion about how to actually pronounce it. Meanwhile, Sony unveils a new range of hardware - but is it aimed at PC or PS5 players? Also: FSR 2.0's open source nature brings about a new Cyberpunk 2077 mod - and we've spoken to the person who did it. Join John, Rich and ...

Jul 04, 20221 hr 14 minEp. 69

DF Direct Weekly #67: PS5 Slim, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Switch, Hope for PS+ EU/UK Classic Games?

A packed week for news! YouTuber DIY Perks reveals a fascinating PS5 'Slim' model while Sony finally unleashes PlayStation Plus in the EU and UK - and yup, the classic games are 50Hz - but the platform holder promises to address the situation. Nintendo delivers a beautiful reveal for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 on Switch, Forza Horizon 5 gets TAA - but only on PC, while John has much to say about a scrappy demo of the Klonoa remaster on Switch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adc...

Jun 28, 20221 hr 12 minEp. 68

DF Direct Weekly #66: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth PS5, Best of ’E3’ 2022, Forza Motorsport!

It's the final push for the E3 that wasn't quite an E3, with John, Rich and Alex talking through Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and their favourite big game reveals from the last couple of weeks' festivities. Meanwhile, some happy-ish news for PS+ classic game subscribers in the US, plus the awesome reveal of Jak and Daxter as the latest decompilation project. Meanwhile... could it be? Could Alex's #StutterStruggle soon be over? 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:58 News 01: Square reveals FF7 Rebirth and Cri...

Jun 20, 20221 hr 21 minSeason 1Ep. 67

DF Direct Special: Xbox Bethesda Games Showcase 2022 Reaction - Starfield, Forza Motorsport, Kojima!

Not one - but TWO - Microsoft/Xbox/Bethesda shows aired this week, so we decided to watch both of them before passing comment. John, Rich, Oliver and Alex share their thoughts on the games on offer from the technical brilliance of Forza Motorsport to the next-gen BGS title, Starfield. Plus: what to make of the Kojima announcement? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 16, 20222 hr 36 minEp. 66

DF Direct Weekly #65: The Last of Us Part 1, Modern Warfare 2 - Summer Game Fest Reaction

Geoff Keighley rolls into town, meaning only one thing - Summer Game Fest, aka Geoffcon aka Keigh3 is finally upon us. The Last of Us Part 1, Modern Warfare 2 and The Callisto Protocol headline the proceedings alongside a whole host of other great-looking games. Meanwhile, 343 Studios announces Halo co-op preview flighting in July and Apple reveals the M2 chip, smart upscaling and a new focus on gaming. Finally, what is T-LOO and will it forever dominate our destinies? 00:00:00 Introductions 00:...

Jun 12, 20221 hr 4 minSeason 1Ep. 65

DF Direct Weekly #64: State of Play Reaction, Horizon Forbidden West Updated, Sonic Frontiers

DF Direct Weekly reaches its 'landmark' 64th episode, automatically making it as good as the Nintendo 64, Commodore 64 and Mega 64 (?). John, Rich and Alex team up to discuss the Sony PS5 State of Play, including Resident Evil 4 Remake, Spider-Man's PC port and PlayStation VR2. Meanwhile, there's confusion and disappointment surrounding Sonic Frontiers' gameplay reveal, and anticipation for God of War PC's FSR 2.0 update and Horizon Forbidden West's new patch. 00:00:00 Introductions 00:59:00 New...

Jun 06, 20222 hr 31 minSeason 1Ep. 64

DF Direct Weekly #63: New Consoles in 2024? Xbox Streaming Stick, PS+ Classics Disappoint

Much to discuss this week as the silly season brings us unconfirmed rumours of new consoles, plus a wealth of new information from Sony on its PC strategy and its future plans for PS4. Meanwhile, Windows Central reveals news on Microsoft's xCloud streaming stick, but can the technology actually become viable for all? Also - the PlayStation Plus classics emulators. They're not great and John's not happy about it. Finally, Alex has been spending 'quality time' with Steam Deck but what does that ac...

May 30, 20221 hr 13 minSeason 1Ep. 63

DF Direct Weekly #62: Last of Us Remake PS5, Hitman 3 RT Recommended Specs, Starfield Delayed!

Is The Last of Us really being remade for PlayStation 5 and if it is, is it really coming out in 2022? Or has the news void drove journos to desperation? Rich, John and Alex discuss this, the controversial PlayStation Plus games line-up - and of course, the big Starfield/Redfall delay. Also: Hitman 3's ray tracing seems to require an RTX 3070 and DLSS for 1440p - just how heavy is this game? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 23, 20222 hr 30 minSeason 1Ep. 62

DF Direct Weekly #60: Halo S2 Fixes, Square Enix IP Sale, Tink4K and John’s BFI Tips

This week, Oliver makes his DF Direct debut alongside familiar faces John and Alex. They discuss the news that Square Enix has sold its Western IPs and studios, including Tomb Raider and Deus Ex, Halo Infinite's Season 2 fixes and the early development of the TINK4K. Plus: does the Steam Deck suffer from high input lag? And most importantly, what's Oliver's superhero-style origin story? 00:00:00 Introductions 00:01:20 News 01: Square Enix sells off Western studios + IPs 00:10:10 News 02: Halo In...

May 09, 20222 hr 31 minSeason 1Ep. 60

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, 20222 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, 20222 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