In this 160th edition, it's Tom Morgan joining Rich and Alex to discuss the latest gaming and technology news. There's good news and bad news with Fallout 4's new 'next-gen' upgrade, Rich is impressed with Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora's new 40fps mode for PS5 and Series X, while Alex talks us through the latest path-tracing innovations revealed at GDC and GTC. Tom shares his impressions on Paper Mario for Nintendo Switch, Rich tests frame-gen on ROG Ally - and are Lords of the Fallen's tech issues resolved in the newly released patch 1.5?

0:00:00 Introduction

0:01:57 News 01: Fallout 4 gets mixed current-gen upgrade

0:22:14 News 02: Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora gets 40fps mode

0:38:07 News 03: Lords of the Fallen receives performance boost

0:49:12 News 04: Alex dives deep into game tech

1:11:56 News 05: ROG Ally updated with AFMF tech

1:22:08 News 06: Paper Mario preview!

1:29:31 Supporter Q1: Could frame gen be used to scale a game from 40fps to 120fps, and then decimate it to 60fps?

1:34:07 Supporter Q2: Why are some Microsoft games exhibiting different settings on PS5 relative to Series X?

1:42:49 Supporter Q3: Do you prefer Doom 1993 or Doom 2016?

1:47:11 Supporter Q4: Is sampler feedback the Series S savior? And is the PS5 API better than Microsoft’s?

1:53:07 Supporter Q5: Is the PS4’s continued developer support a problem for Sony?

2:00:13 Supporter Q6: Could the Switch 2 have an image quality advantage over PC gaming handhelds?

2:05:35 Supporter Q7: Are 13900K and 14900K processors really unstable?

2:10:54 Supporter Q8: What would a Republic of Gamers look like?

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

PS5 Pro... ultra boost mode? Rich, Oliver and Alex discuss the possibilities of how Sony's new console can improve existing games, before moving on to discussion of Ghost of Tsushima's PC specs and the 'PlayStation Overlay'. The team mull over the highly attractive Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 trailer, Oliver tests emulation on Apple while Rich gets to grips with GeForce Now's G-Sync support. And as for Alex? How about a 20-minute monologue on Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora's remarkable tech disclosures?

0:00:00 Introduction

0:02:16 News 01: PS5 Pro to receive “ultra boost mode”

0:15:50 News 02: Ghost of Tsushima PC requirements announced

0:31:05 News 03: Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 revealed

0:38:38 News 04: Avatar devs disclose game tech

1:00:17 News 05: Hands-on with GeForce Now G-Sync

1:09:56 News 06: Apple opens the emulator floodgates!

1:18:45 Supporter Q1: What does a more PC-like console look like? Would it be worthwhile?

1:28:25 Supporter Q2: How could a 5090 improve on today’s gaming experiences?

1:36:16 Supporter Q3: Why can’t Nvidia obtain an x86 license and create x86 CPUs?

1:40:38 Supporter Q4: Will The Last of Us Remastered get a PS5 Pro remaster?

1:42:32 Supporter Q5: What are your most anticipated PS5 Pro patches to existing games?

1:48:36 Supporter Q6: Will Sony release their exclusives on PC on the same day as PS5?

1:55:07 Supporter Q7: Can FSR 3.1 save this console generation’s image quality?

2:03:36 Supporter Q8: If DF released a console motherboard shirt, would Alex wear it?

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

What's going on with Microsoft's new game preservation team and commitment to forward compatibility? Alex, Rich and Oliver rake over the details - such as they are. Meanwhile, there's discussion over Fallout 4's upcoming current-gen upgrade, while the new Star Wars Outlaws story trailer gets the DF breakdown. And with FSR 3 frame-gen coming to consoles with Immortals of Aveum, what sort of expectation level should be set?

0:00:00 Introduction and DF Merch

0:01:39 News 01: Xbox establishes game preservation team

0:20:26 News 02: Fallout 4 getting current gen upgrade

0:30:03 News 03: Star Wars Outlaws story trailer drops

0:46:10 News 04: Dead Space is dead!

0:53:56 News 05: Immortals of Aveum gets FSR 3 boost on consoles

1:08:29 Supporter Q1: Can you get console-like convenience on a PC?

1:16:12 Supporter Q2: Is the PS5 Pro’s CPU boost enough to bring a 30fps game to 40fps?

1:20:23 Supporter Q3: Are modern games too ‘fake’, with their reliance on upsampling and frame gen?

1:26:40 Supporter Q4: Could RT be losing traction with upcoming games?

1:34:38 Supporter Q5: Could Microsoft launch a Series S-matching handheld this holiday season?

1:42:06 Supporter Q6: What does Microsoft mean when they claim the next Xbox will have the biggest tech leap in a generation?

1:52:06 Supporter Q7: Should we be happy that more games are targeting 30fps on the consoles?

1:57:57 Supporter Q8: How powerful will the Switch 2 be relative to the Steam Deck and Series S?

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

A wide range of Hellblade 2 previews emerged last week, but what have we learned about the game and is the dynamic resolution 30fps revelation in any way surprising? John, Rich and Alex share their thoughts while also sharing reactions to the latest chapter in the PS Portal hack story and Nightdive's POed remaster non-April fool. Alex shares news of his experiments with Intel's PresentMon 2.0 - and how it will change our PC games and hardware coverage - while there's intrigue and some level of excitement surrounding Intel's latest XeSS news.

0:00:00 Introduction

0:01:04 News 01: Hellblade 2 previews drop!

0:26:53 News 02: PS Portal hack patched before release

0:34:41 News 03: 90s FPS PO'ed getting Nightdive remaster

0:41:07 News 04: C-Smash VRS hits Meta Quest

0:52:03 News 05: Alex’s PresentMon experiments

1:06:57 News 06: Campaign demands: stop killing games!

1:16:19 News 07: Intel updates XeSS with revised modes

1:22:04 Supporter Q1: Would it be more practical to target 1440p than 4K for performance modes?

1:28:11 Supporter Q2: Dragon’s Dogma 2 has unimpressive NPC density, so why can’t it hit 60fps on consoles?

1:35:17 Supporter Q3: Why do some developers implement incorrect 30fps frame-rate caps?

1:43:36 Supporter Q4: Why isn’t low frame-rate compensation the default with 120Hz and VRR on PS5?

1:50:05 Supporter Q5: Could the PS5 Pro be powerful enough to run advanced path traced games?

1:55:04 Supporter Q6: With Microsoft potentially opening Xbox to third parties, was the 3DO approach right all along?

2:01:21 Supporter Q7: Would it have been better to forgo the PS5 Pro and instead shorten this console generation?

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

This week's show is dominated by Xbox news in the wake of a new interview with Phil Spencer strongly indicating a big change in direction for the Xbox platform and by extension, its hardware. There's also talk of what form an Xbox handheld may take, while leaked photography of a white Xbox Series X 'All Digital' console brings about bafflement from the team.

0:00:00 Introduction

0:00:50 News 01: Phil Spencer wants other game stores on Xbox

0:30:36 News 02: Phil Spencer’s gaming handheld wishlist

0:44:21 News 03: White digital-only Series X leaks

0:55:32 News 04: Testing Outcast performance

1:13:31 News 05: Sunsoft’s Uforia: The Saga 2 released!

1:20:26 Supporter Q1: Are Switch cartridges or Blu-ray discs better for long term preservation?

1:27:25 Supporter Q2: What do you make of claims that developers are considering dropping Xbox support?

1:33:33 Supporter Q3: Why didn’t Sony upgrade the CPU further on PS5 Pro?

1:40:43 Supporter Q4: How would Microsoft’s cloud technology be leveraged in a next-gen console?

1:47:59 Supporter Q5: Could Switch 2 receive games at a slower pace than the original Switch?

1:54:39 Supporter Q6: Is Nvidia’s market dominance a bad thing for competition?

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

Rich, John and Alex discuss the stunning Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra debut trailer, potentially big upgrades to FSR via its upcoming 3.1 upgrade, while Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's tweaked performance mode (via a new patch) is analysed. Have image quality concerns finally been addressed? Meanwhile, we attempt to draw a line under the whole PS5 Pro/GTA6 60fps situation, while John shares his experiences with Nvidia's AI-powered Covert Protocol demo. Can AI move beyond upscaling to provide new gameplay experiences?

0:00:00 Introduction

0:00:44 News 01: Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra stuns in debut trailer

0:18:56 News 02: AMD announces FSR 3.1

0:30:52 News 03: Latest PS VR2 update enables PC access

0:40:37 News 04: Could GTA 6 hit 60 FPS on PS5 Pro?

0:57:46 News 05: Covert Protocol demo shows off AI characters

1:10:17 News 06: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth gets new graphics options

1:16:05 Supporter Q1: What should Microsoft and Sony do to differentiate their next-gen hardware?

1:36:44 Supporter Q2: Why isn’t Microsoft making more out of their consoles’ machine learning capabilities?

1:43:09 Supporter Q3: Should Sony invest in frame generation? Does PSSR suggest a lack of faith in AMD’s upscaling tech?

1:49:24 Supporter Q4: Could backwards compatibility actually hold back Switch 2?

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

In a brand new, DF Direct Special we find Alex, Rich and Oliver confirming the leaked technical specifications for Sony's upcoming PlayStation 5 Pro console, we talk you through what the various spec points mean in terms of the gameplay experience, we go deep on ray tracing and machine learning-based upscaling and we reveal some new information about the new console based on recent developer disclosures.

0:00:00 Introduction

0:01:43 The CPU: What's Changed?

0:16:01 GPU Performance Boosts and Architecture

0:27:45 Ray Tracing: Really 2x to 4x Faster?

0:36:38 PSSR Upscaling and Machine Learning Performance

0:46:53 Additional Memory for Games

0:50:16 Closing Thoughts: What Do We Make of PS5 Pro So Far?

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

Rich is still trapped in a white room with two plants, but the Direct discussions continue regardless. Oliver's been checking out Rise of the Ronin on PlayStation 5, Alex has much to say about Nvidia's DLSS-based GDC reveals, while Rich is intrigued by Intel's latest PresentMon 2.0 features. Meanwhile, the surprise release - and withdrawal - of the PS5 Stellar Blade demo raises more questions about our digital library future.

0:00:00 Introduction and DF merchandise

0:02:26 News 01: Rise of the Ronin preview

0:11:40 News 02: Nvidia announces upcoming game enhancements

0:35:55 News 03: Intel unveils PresentMon 2.0

0:51:08 News 04: Stellar Blade demo released, quickly pulled

0:56:48 News 05: Peter Moore questions the future of consoles

1:12:11 Supporter Q1: Should console platforms let you impose frame-rate caps yourself?

1:19:39 Supporter Q2: What rendering tech will we see pushed after path tracing?

1:27:22 Supporter Q3: Should more developers expose debug menus in their games?

1:31:43 Supporter Q4: What storage tech do you work off of?

1:39:38 Supporter Q5: What would Digital Foundry have looked like in the 1990s?

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

Trapped in a plain white room with only two plants for company, an on-location Rich dials into the next DF Direct Weekly for salvation. Joining him this week as John and Alex, discussing the shutdown of the Yuzu and Citra emulators, the latest Sony PC ports from Nixxes, the Xbox partner showcase and hints of machine learning-based upscaling from AMD. Meanwhile, John's beard attracts an extraordinary level of attention.

0:00:00 Introduction

0:01:30 News 01: Nintendo forces Yuzu, Citra shutdown

0:28:16 News 02: Horizon PC specs released, Ghost of Tsushima PC announced

0:39:29 News 03: Xbox partner showcase drops!

0:58:53 News 04: Dragon’s Dogma 2 has unlocked frame-rate on consoles

1:09:03 News 05: Footage emerges from cancelled TimeSplitters game

1:15:30 News 06: AMD teases AI upscaling… but what is it?

1:26:42 Should I buy an OLED Steam Deck now, or wait for new portable Windows handhelds?

1:33:56 If cost were no issue, what VR headset would be best for PC gaming?

1:37:23 How does DLSS quality at 1440p compare to DLSS performance at 4K?

1:42:28 Do you think Sony will release their own dedicated gaming handheld?

1:48:20 How does John feel about being labeled as a television producer?

1:49:00 Did John and Marc get up to any shenanigans in Germany?

1:52:16 What’s the longest John has gone without shaving his beard?

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

Another big DF Direct Weekly sees John, Rich and Alex tackle the massive issue of lay-offs in the industry along with the welcome response from some developers in taking back control of their own destinies. Meanwhile, the team reacts to THAT Kingmakers trailer, while assessing Nintendo's legal action against the Yuzu Switch emulator. Finally, what is DirectSR?

0:00:00 Introduction

0:01:42 News 01: Massive gaming layoffs at Sony and EA

0:28:39 News 02: Studios take back control

0:39:37 John’s game buying interlude

0:41:59 News 03: Kingmakers trailer impresses

0:49:03 News 04: Nintendo seeking Yuzu emulator shutdown

0:57:12 News 05: Pentiment PS5 doubles Xbox version FPS target

1:07:38 News 06: DirectSR streamlines PC upsampling

1:16:08 Supporter Q1: Is the 5700X3D a good upgrade over a 2700X on an older system?

1:21:04 Supporter Q2: What kind of performance do you expect from a PS5 Pro?

1:26:35 Supporter Q3: When games are fully path traced, what options do you expect to see in their graphics menus?

1:30:27 Supporter Q4: How do you think the recent rounds of layoffs will impact QA?

1:33:45 Supporter Q5: Could a next-gen Xbox be much more powerful than its PlayStation counterpart?

1:41:03 Supporter Q6: Why don’t we see more physics-oriented features like PhysX today?

1:50:48 John’s next DF Retro!

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

The news comes thick and fast this week as John, Alex and Rich discuss topics as diverse as the Switch 2's mooted 'delay' until Q1 2025, the fall-out of Microsoft's multi-platform strategy in the wake of the first releases, and Nvidia finally doing something about its ancient control panel with its new app. The implications of the PlayStation Portal hack are dissected and the logistics of PSVR2 support for PC are discussed in depth. Then finally, Rich reveals the results of BRAND NEW testing of the Radeon 7. PS5 vs R7... which is best? Many thanks to DF Supporter Chriz86 for helping us out on that one!

0:00:00 Introduction

0:01:28 News 01: Switch 2 reportedly delayed until 2025

0:13:08 News 02: Microsoft multi-plat games revealed

0:29:55 News 03: Nvidia debuts new all-in-one PC gaming app

0:47:43 News 04: PlayStation Portal hacked

0:54:31 News 05: PSVR2 support coming to PC?

1:05:57 News 06: Radeon 7 re-tested in 2024!

1:20:19 Supporter Q1: In the age of ray tracing, why do so many games forego shiny mirrors?

1:25:44 Supporter Q2: Is cross-gen game scalability really that transformative?

1:32:50 Supporter Q3: Could Game Pass become a reality on PlayStation and Switch?

1:38:55 Supporter Q4: Could a future Xbox lower-spec console be a handheld?

1:50:25 Supporter Q5: Is the traditional console generation model breaking down?

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