Log in

goodpods headphones icon

To access all our features

Open the Goodpods app
Close icon
headphones
Digital Foundry Direct Weekly

Digital Foundry Direct Weekly

Digital Foundry

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.
bookmark
Share icon

All episodes

Best episodes

Seasons

Top 10 Digital Foundry Direct Weekly Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Digital Foundry Direct Weekly episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Digital Foundry Direct Weekly for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Digital Foundry Direct Weekly episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Digital Foundry Direct Weekly - DF Direct Special: Xbox Showcase 2024 - The Best Games Show In Years?
play

06/11/24 • 103 min

Microsoft's Xbox 2024 Showcase turned out to be an excellent presentation, with banger after banger. In this new DF Direct Special, John Linneman, Alex Battaglia and Oliver Mackenzie break down the show with their reactions to each of the key games before moving on to discuss the somewhat underwhelming hardware line-up - plus comments on Phil Spencer's latest remarks on the Xbox multi-platform strategy.

0:00:00 Introduction

0:01:17 Doom: The Dark Ages

0:11:05 Perfect Dark

0:20:42 Gears of War: E-Day

0:28:53 Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater

0:40:39 Fable

0:49:43 S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl

0:59:18 Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

1:07:17 Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

1:15:54 Other games - Mixtape, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, South of Midnight, Atomfall, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, State of Decay 3, Age of Mythology: Retold

1:24:36 Updated Xbox Series consoles

1:31:35 Phil Spencer: more Xbox games are coming to other platforms

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

bookmark
plus icon
share episode

In another mammoth edition of DF Direct Weekly, Rich Leadbetter, Alex Battaglia and a returning John Linneman tackle the big topics head-on. Red Dead Redemption on PlayStation 5 gets a 60fps upgrade and Oliver provides us with a bunch of assets to look at. Meanwhile, the team discuss the initial marketing for Forza Motorsport vs the final game - and they've got some issues. Beyond that, could FSR 3 frame-gen work on current-gen consoles? Rich puts some tests together. Also: John spills the beans on his recent trip to Japan.

0:00:00 Introduction

0:01:25 News 01: 60fps Red Dead Redemption patch released on PS5

0:12:03 News 02: Forza Motorsport reaction - and what’s up with the game’s visual downgrade?

0:28:56 News 03: FSR 3: could it work on consoles?

0:43:42 News 04: Ubisoft adds Denuvo DRM to Assassin’s Creed Mirage post-release

0:51:20 News 05: Horizon Forbidden West to be first 2-disc PS5 title

1:03:03 News 06: Intel Arc A580 budget GPU leaks

1:11:34 News 07: Nightdive mulling unofficial game enhancements

1:17:30 Supporter Q1: John, how was your trip to Japan?

1:32:08 Supporter Q2: Should Sony increase the internal storage on PS5?

1:34:26 Supporter Q3: If the Switch 2 uses DLSS at low handheld-class resolutions, will this hurt image quality?

1:37:30 Supporter Q4: What do you suggest to prevent OLED burn-in while gaming?

1:43:07 Supporter Q5: Can you end the show with “This Is Digital Foundry, bidding you farewell und auf wiedersehen”?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

bookmark
plus icon
share episode

In a new, gigantor-scale edition of DF Direct Weekly, John and Rich celebrate PlayStation's 30th Anniversary, Alex joins to discuss Indiana Jones on PC with its 'actually quite reasonable' specs, while Oliver and Tom discuss potential Steam Machines, Lenovo Legion Go S, the latest Intel GPU announcements, Warhammer 40K Darktide on PS5 and Pro and... much, much more!

0:00:00 Introduction

0:01:14 News 1: Sony celebrates PlayStation’s 30th anniversary

0:24:09 News 2: Valve branding guidelines suggest third party SteamOS hardware

0:37:05 News 3: Black Ops 6 on PS5 Pro tested + developer info!

0:48:48 News 4: Intel reveals B580, B570 GPUs

0:58:28 News 5: Lenovo Legion Go S leaks

1:09:44 News 6: Warhammer 40,000: Darktide PS5 Pro tested

1:25:29 News 7: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle reaction!

1:46:23 Supporter Q1: Is the industry finally moving to mandatory hardware RT?

1:54:50 Supporter Q2: Can Microsoft minimize hassles if they move towards Windows for their console releases?

2:03:05 Supporter Q3: For midrange GPUs, is it better to use temporal upscaling to 1440p or 4K?

2:10:23 Supporter Q4: Will Switch 2 games output to 720p or 900p in portable mode for performance reasons?

2:17:18 Supporter Q5: Will upcoming portable consoles be supported like the Series S?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

bookmark
plus icon
share episode

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: Suikoden I and II remasters announced

01:28:41 News 05: Uncharted PC collection finally dated!

01:32:51 DF Content Discussion: John’s upcoming DF Retro project

01:34:51 DF Supporter Q1: Could AI techniques be used for more exotic real-time image enhancements?

01:39:44 DF Supporter Q2: Why does John still like split-screen when he could just play on two consoles in the same room?

01:42:53 DF Supporter Q3: What is one of the biggest changes you’ve made to a video before release?

01:48:28 DF Supporter Q4: What’s the best cheap alternative to OLEDs with similar picture characteristics?

01:51:17 DF Supporter Q5: Is it really worth it to target 4K at 30 FPS?

01:55:40 DF Supporter Q6: When playing a PC game at 30 FPS, why not play at 30Hz instead of 60Hz with a frame-rate cap?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

bookmark
plus icon
share episode

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: RTX 4070/4080 power consumption less than expected? 00:42:48 DF Update: DF site upgrade + Half-Life charity stream 00:46:01 DF Supporter Q1: Is Rich surprised DF Direct has run this long? 00:47:52 DF Supporter Q2: Was the Xbox BC program cancelled for licensing reasons or technical issues? 00:52:54 DF Supporter Q3: Could Microsoft introduce lower-feature OS modes to free up more performance on Series S? 00:55:37 DF Supporter Q4: How much will RT improve with efficiency improvements alone this generation? 00:59:23 DF Supporter Q5: What are your favourite methods of implementing complex graphical effects in retro games? 01:06:54 DF Supporter Q6: Would Sony ever release a new portable PlayStation system?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

bookmark
plus icon
share episode

DF Weekly Direct returns with Rich, John, Alex and Audi discussing Final Fantasy 7 Remake on PS5, the latest Switch Pro rumours, the mooted demise of legacy PlayStation Stores but more importantly... answers to the question: WHAT'S IN THE BOX?

00:00:00 Introduction

00:01:15 Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade Trailer

00:14:01 Switch Pro Rumors - AGAIN

00:24:30 PSN Stores for PS3, PSP & PS Vita closing

00:44:50 Mario 3D All Stars discontinued

00:50:40 Retro Corner

01:05:41 DF Content Discussion

01:21:24 What's In The Box, Rich?

01:38:09 Digital Foundry Supporter Q+A

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

bookmark
plus icon
share episode

Some practical tests in this week's episode of DF Direct as Rich examines the modded performance modes cropping up for the Xbox Series S version of Starfield - while his £2,000 investment in a Surface Laptop with Snapdragon X Elite translates into some truly awful gaming. Meanwhile, John's been checking out the new PlayStation 2 and PSP emulators for PS5, while Alex isn't particularly happy about Game Pass versions of PC games missing DLSS and other upscaler support.

0:00:00 Introduction

0:01:22 Starfield Series S high frame-rate mods tested!

0:09:26 PS2 and PSP emulation on PS5 analyzed

0:24:58 Snapdragon X Elite gaming performance disappoints

0:44:34 Still Wakes The Deep ships without FSR, DLSS, XeSS on Game Pass

0:54:17 LRG3 showcase features re-releases, remasters

1:05:04 How can I age as gracefully as the Switch?

1:13:55 Would you still recommend the Steam Deck over the new ROG Ally X?

1:16:46 Could the PS5 last 8 or 9 years as Sony’s flagship console platform?

1:23:25 Do you think a 1080p screen could be too much for a next-gen Switch?

1:28:46 Do you think any unannounced first party games will be released around launch for Switch 2?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

bookmark
plus icon
share episode

A big week for news as the first phase of Sony's PlayStation VR2 embargo decloaks, meaning we can take the hardware out of its box and offer first impressions on the headset and controllers! Meanwhile. the latest Nintendo Direct turns out to be a bit of a banger - Pikmin 4 takes centrestage, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom gets a new trailer and the brilliant Metroid Prime Remastered gets a surprise 'shadow drop'. Also: why are PC VRAM requirements becoming so bloated?

00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:07 News 01: PS VR2 hands-on impressions! 00:14:25 News 02: Nintendo Direct reactions: Pikmin, Zelda, Metroid Prime 00:41:46 News 03: Hogwarts Legacy coverage plans 00:45:57 DF Supporter Q1: Avatar 2 mixes 24fps and 48fps footage - is this a good idea? 00:50:37 DF Supporter Q2: What can we expect in terms of timing for a Switch successor? 00:55:08 DF Supporter Q3/4: CPU performance is bottlenecking modern games - can developers work around this? Plus, ninth-gen games haven’t shown the expected bump in simulation complexity, so are the additional CPU resources just going towards draw calls and RT? 01:02:58 DF Supporter Q5: Will PC VRAM requirements continue to steeply increase throughout this generation, or is this a short-term phenomenon? 01:09:25 DF Supporter Q6: Why don’t console games support 50Hz output, given that nearly all TVs support it?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

bookmark
plus icon
share episode

After a challenging week reviewing The Callisto Protocol and awaiting various performance patches, Alex, John and Rich unload about the triumphs and tragedies of the launch period, while reflecting on how good the game actually is. Meanwhile, Nintendo's promising improvements to Pokémon Scarlet/Violet, modders tackle Sonic Frontier's shortcomings - and Jesus Christ himself appears, rendered at 4K60 on RTX 4090.

00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:37 News 01: Callisto Protocol review aftermath 00:33:04 News 02: Poké-patch arrives for Scarlet/Violet, Nintendo apologizes 00:36:06 News 03: Fixes arrive for Sonic Frontiers 00:41:23 News 04: I am Jesus Christ Prologue: biblically-accurate graphics! 00:46:53 DF Supporter Q1: Which Switch games look better than you would expect? 00:50:54 DF Supporter Q2: Given the success of the Steam Deck, should Valve do Steam Machines again? 00:54:03 DF Supporter Q3: Who will implement a Nanite-style virtualized geometry system next? 00:58:28 DF Supporter Q4: Why do some games have broken physics when you increase the frame-rate? 01:03:14 DF Supporter Q5: Could Nvidia offer new tech as a paid subscription in the future? 01:06:54 DF Supporter Q6: If you could bring back a dormant Activision/Blizzard IP, which would it be?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

bookmark
plus icon
share episode

On the eve of release, the team ponder the dearth of Black Myth: Wukong PS5 reviews - and then some last-minute footage emerges. Will Judd joins the team to discuss the latest AMD Zen 5 problems, more rumours of Xbox exclusives coming to PlayStation 5, while The Verge bravely talk about the game nobody's supposed to be talking about but everyone's playing. Meanwhile, we don't actually have a Switch 2 release date, but apparently it's been delayed - what's going on?

0:00:00 Introduction

0:01:48 News 01: Black Myth: Wukong benchmark drops

0:22:35 News 02: Zen 5 launch unravels

0:44:24 News 03: Switch 2 possibly “delayed” further into 2025

0:54:49 News 04: Unannounced game Deadlock hits 18,000 concurrent players

1:06:33 News 05: FF7 Remake trilogy third title to switch to UE5?

1:12:32 News 06: Man connects 444 consoles to one TV

1:20:39 News 07: Tango Gameworks acquired by Krafton

1:24:26 News 08: Forza Horizon 5 potentially headed to PS5

1:34:40 News 09: Valve plans to offer SteamOS to other handhelds

1:44:58 Supporter Q1: As Microsoft increasingly goes multiplatform, what’s the point of Xbox?

1:49:45 Supporter Q2: Should Microsoft be putting older exclusives on Switch?

1:52:10 Supporter Q3: What does the DF audience have to look forward to in 2025?

1:56:12 Supporter Q4: Which graphically intense ports should come to Switch 2?

2:00:10 Supporter Q5: What are some technical annoyances you have with modern gaming?

2:04:34 Supporter Q6: What is the best way to achieve good frame-rates for PS3 titles?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

bookmark
plus icon
share episode

Show more best episodes

Toggle view more icon

FAQ

How many episodes does Digital Foundry Direct Weekly have?

Digital Foundry Direct Weekly currently has 217 episodes available.

What topics does Digital Foundry Direct Weekly cover?

The podcast is about Leisure, Games, Podcasts and Video Games.

What is the most popular episode on Digital Foundry Direct Weekly?

The episode title 'DF Direct Weekly #77: New CFI-1200 PS5, Sony vs Microsoft COD War, Halo Infinite Split-Screen' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Digital Foundry Direct Weekly?

The average episode length on Digital Foundry Direct Weekly is 97 minutes.

How often are episodes of Digital Foundry Direct Weekly released?

Episodes of Digital Foundry Direct Weekly are typically released every 7 days.

When was the first episode of Digital Foundry Direct Weekly?

The first episode of Digital Foundry Direct Weekly was released on Mar 8, 2021.

Show more FAQ

Toggle view more icon

Comments