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Call For Questions For DF Direct Weekly #214 (Patreon)

Published:
2025-05-15 15:52:08
Edited:
2025-05-15 15:52:41
Imported:
2026-06
Tags:
Q&A

Content

Sup! It's Thursday, it's time for our regular call out for your input into the podcast-slash-video that is DF Direct Weekly, which is and shall always remain, our weekly show discussing the latest gaming and technology news. It'll likely be Rich (ie me), John and Alex at the mics first thing tomorrow, with a slightly earlier 7:00am BST cut-off for questions.

On the docket? News that it's unlikely there'll be many - if any - Switch 2 reviews up before launch day as review units from Nintendo appear to be unforthcoming. We'll also be talking about PS5's sales trajectory matching PS4 - but with worries that prices may increase, Xbox-style.

Assuming there's time, Rich will be taking a look at the Days Gone Remastered 40fps/VRR patch, while Alex will be enthusing about Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Shadows rendering GDC presentation! Meanwhile, news emerges of a massively cut-down RTX 5090 for the Chinese market that may well also be some kind of RTX 5080 Ti. What are the specs and what is projected performance?

We'll see what else emerges from the news dispenser before we record tomorrow but in the meantime, please feel free to occupy the webzone below with your valued prose - topic suggestions and, of course, questions are welcome!

Files

Comments

Spodlude

Hello Gents, Do you think it likely that Bethesda will bestow upon us a bespoke version of Doom the Dark Ages for Nintendo Switch 2? The market surely behooves them to do so! We're not aware of this in the here and now but surely by the end of the year of our lord 2026? Valve's Steam page listing clearly states it's TOO BIG for steam deck which is "below minimum hardware requirements", is it too big for Switch 2?

Spodlude

Rich's recent video had me pondering DF's internal logic regarding the use of music in your videos. Rich's favourite appears to be the classic DF theme that I think he's been using since Haswell? Rich is this nostalgic and reassuring theme exclusively reserved for hardware videos or is it just the Richard Leadbetter theme song? (I like the if it ain't broke don't fix it approach) John's DF retros never disappoint with BOMBASTIC use of funky retro themes to tickle the ears. How do you go about choosing music for your videos gents, and are there any internal rules for standardisation?

SteverBeaver

hey homies, long time listener first time writer iner. I've noticed that occasionally IGN will have one of you doing a performance review and sometimes they will have NXGamer do a performance review. Are there any plans for collaboration with NXGamer? How does IGN choose who is going to be doing a performance review of a game?

James M

Recent games such as Doom: The Dark Ages have adopted RTGI as their primary lighting model. Given the cost of this technique and that some games are opting not to provide an alternative, could this complicate getting "impossible ports" of Triple A games on Switch 2?

Aaron

Which third party titles are you most looking forward to trying on Switch 2? I myself am very eager to see how well Hitman performs relative to the PS4 and PS5 versions. Thanks!

kingpenumbra

Should we expect GTA VI to be a preview of what late generation games will look like or a preview of the baseline for next gen consoles?

ConcreteLlama

Why call it flopflation and not infloption?

ShawnaSanlucasyhc24

Hi, Gents. Regarding CDPR's statement about Switch 2 2077's DLSS, specifically "2x and up per axis." Should this imply that for a 1080p output, the maximum render resolution would be 540p (rather than the minimum)? One more thing: If the customised DLSS on Switch 2 is capable of temporal or spatial upsampling, just like Apple's MetalFX does, are there any chances that Nintendo's first party games, like Metroid Prime 4, are using the spatial path one? By the way, your coverage of the Switch 2 has been incredibly insightful. It’s really helping to set realistic expectations for the console’s capabilities.

Eric Hurst

If someone is looking to get into gaming for the first time in the year of our lord 2025, what system or platform would you recommend to them? I have a friend who wants to pickup the hobby but is pretty appalled by prices across the board, in hardware and in games. Things may be bad now, but surely things will change in the future. $450 switch 2 with $70-$80 games? $600 Series X with $80 games? $400 Steam Deck? What gaming platform do you think he will be the most satisfied with five to eight years from now if he were to make a purchase today? Cheers, exclamation point

Cold Pancake

Hi guys, there's been multiple titles now where the UE5 frame limiter has been the cause of quite some stutter, with the only right fix being that devs build in their own frame limiter. As someone with limited knowledge about game engines I'm rather confused. Why doesn't Epic fix their own frame limiter? Is there some deeper underlying issue causing this? Why do bespoke solutions actually work in limiting the framerate without stutter but the official one doesn't?

Paul Hockett

Hi DF crew, long time follower and enjoyer of your content. Hopefully I word this in a way that makes sense. Can we please get another explainer video of frame generation, input lag and how it handles input frame rate especially when hitting the limits of your display refresh rate? Example : 120hz gsync LG oled. Let's say I'm running forza horizon 5 (insert whatever game here) at 90fps average max settings no frame gen ... But I'd really like to max out my 120hz without lowering settings. Okay frame gen to the rescue right? But does then Decrease my input frame rate down to around 60 (or 40 if I use 3x multi frame gen) to then generate every other frame? In that case Id getting arguably worse input lag and possibly more artifacts than if I just stayed at my native 90fps? Long question, hope you can elaborate, thanks again!!!

gartenriese

In your opinion, which game do you think will be the most technically impressive of this generation, GTA 6, Half Life 3, or Intergalactic?

Conner Patzman

What is good DF?!?! With VRR on Switch 2 not being compatible in docked mode due to the HDMI converter, what are the chances of Nintendo fixing it via updates? If not do think we could see a "professional" dock with a display port connection for all the smoothness perverts in the DF audience? Thanks for all your hard work!

Sam H

Hi, everybody. Longtime listeners, first-time questions. With fears of price increases, Xbox-style. Is there a risk of a large-scale recession in the video game sector, or will it be similar to streaming in terms of what the threshold is, making it too expensive for people to buy their hardware, games, and subscriptions?

zephyr

With Nvidia with the 5060 and now Nintendo with the Switch 2, it seems as if there's a worrying trend of companies not valuing tech journalism and reviews. Is this an end result of high tech consumer goods selling out nearly instantly nowadays no matter what?

AfreemTheDream

Greetings, Foundrymen! AfreemTheDream here with your weekly PlayStation Portal question/concern! I've been rewatching the Mission: Impossible film series on 4K Blu-ray in anticipation for the newest film in the franchise. I popped the 4K Blu-ray of the original M:I into my PS5 and busted out the Portal to see if I could stream it. As soon as I launched the disc the Portal told me that the media could not be watched on the Portal. To recap: I cannot stream the 4K Blu-ray I own that's in the PS5 I own to the Portal I own. I could understand other types of #Content not working, but I'm streaming video from a physical disc I own that is physically placed in my PS5. Why does my Portal suck? Thanks!

Pol Kallamata

Most gaming outlets prognosticating on next-gen hardware continue to bring up the end of 2027 as the likely release date by assuming that this console lifespan for PlayStation & Xbox will be the same as the prior one. But given challenging trends like mid-gen price increases for the hardware, lengthier development times for titles, and diminishing returns in graphical improvements, would it not be likelier that the current generation is extended? Could end of 2028 or even 2029 be more plausible candidates for the introduction of a new generation of hardware?

Sloth

What are some reasons why some (particularly PC) games with high FPS modes like 120fps can't go further and offer an uncapped option? I know in older titles, game logic is often tied to framerate, but I would think this is less of an issue if the game can reach 120fps+. I watched John's preview of the Sony INZONE 480hz monitor a few months back and was agog at his vivid description of using it - so I would love to see more titles future proof themselves with uncapped FPS options for monitors like this.

1040STF

It's happy 30th birthday in America for the Sega Saturn this week. What are your favorite games and memories from that console if any? Rich, were you present at E3 when they announced its surprise shadow launch there? How was it? Cheers.

Marcus

Doom – The Dark Ages’ first PC tests show virtually no hitching, Snowdrop games such as Avatar and Outlaws have a similar reputation, yet many Unreal titles still suffer shader/traversal stutter that survives every settings tweak. Why can’t Unreal solve these issues if most engines have?

FrametimeSommelier

Hi Df Team, recent job postings suggest that Microsoft may be exploring ARM/Snapdragon for future Xbox products. What’s your take on this? Could the rumored Xbox handheld (separate from the ASUS third-party device) actually be powered by Snapdragon? Does this seem plausible to you? As far as I know, the only Snapdragon-based gaming devices currently on the market are the Meta Quest VR headsets. Do you think a Snapdragon SoC could even make its way into the next Xbox console, or is that too far-fetched? Looking forward to your insights!

SillyMrBingus

Now that Switch 2 specs have been revealed, do you have a sense of how Switch games might perform on Switch 2? Will Switch 1 games run natively, and thus potentially benefit from the Switch 2's power overhead? Or would Switch 1 games need to be software emulated, introducing potential performance issues? In the broadest terms and based on the information you have today, does the DF team expect Switch 1 games to run better, worse, or the same on Switch 2?

FrametimeSommelier

Epic recently previewed Unreal Engine 5.6, promising vast open worlds running at a CONSISTENT 60Hz. Alex, do you buy it? Additionally, Tim Sweeney recently acknowledged that UE5's game simulation is entirely reliant on single-thread computation, with full-on multithreading being a major goal for UE6. What’s your take on this? Is this one of the reasons UE5 is still struggling with vast open worlds (especially when using lumen)?

Peter

Greeting DF Gentleman! ID Tech is hosting a new game and unsurprisingly, it's putting on a masterclass in optimization. My question is two part. 1. Why can Unreal, probably the most popular engine around, not eradicate shader comp and stutter? 2. Should Microsoft be exploring wider use of ID Tech amongst it's many Dev teams as opposed to Unreal Engine? Is there a good reason not to? Thanks all, and have a great weekend!

Snorlax cat

I like the switch 2 specs despite not being able to buy it till probably next year, but I take issue with Nintendo, there is no system seller like breath of the wild or launch window game like odyssey. Bananza seems fine but I am more interested in the upgraded versions of Zelda or Kirby than any new game. What do you think will be the real system seller for this new switch? HAS NINTENDO RUN OUT OF GAMES? other than Metroid 4…

MittenFacedLass

Any plans to look at the Stalker Zone Trilogy? It just got an update adding modes for current gen platforms!

MittenFacedLass

The idea that full multi threading support won't be a thing till UE6 is... embarrassing, frankly.

MittenFacedLass

Could be a rights issue somehow? Technically you're sort of rebroadcasting the Blu-ray.

DaJaCo (Dan)

Ah but were you in your house that you own.. and how long have you been on the electoral roll?

DaJaCo (Dan)

Primacy effect, alliteration, and because Mark Cerny used the term very prominently.

Skyrimfest 26 FPS Edition

Doom the Dark Ages might be the thing that finally makes the 5070 worth buying! Sadly not due to performance, but it is making a major difference to the 5070 value proposition. The Founders Edition - which is £529 and regularly available in the UK - now comes with one of the most expensive games of the year, at £70 (or £100 for the edition the Nvidia card comes with). If you value Doom at full price then the 5070 is suddenly very cheap for a 70 series card. Even if it's worth, say, £35 to the buyer (because they wouldn't buy Doom until it went on sale), you are looking at a 5070 'cost' of under £500 and within spitting distance of the MSRP of the 16GB 4060 Ti. Bundles are nothing new, but game prices are going up, so do they now make a bigger difference?

Skyrimfest 26 FPS Edition

It turns out the most important feature of of UE5 isn't eye-candy, but rather enabling indie studios to produce games with AAA polish on a AA budget. Clair Obscur is the perfect example, but Robocop is another where it impressed and I bet there are others in the pipeline. With AA like this, maybe we don't need to fret as much over 'Big Gaming's' troubles?

Ildar Nurislamov

Hi! The question is about post-release UE5 version upgrade precedent: I assume that Black Myth Wukong absolutely has to be released on Switch 2.0. Judging from the current state of the game’s performance, that may look like too big for Switch 2 thing. At the same time, while being very stylish and pretty, the game doesn’t demonstrate anything special from a technical point of view - it’s just not optimized well. That got me thinking - do we have a precedent of a post-release UE5 engine version upgrade? I haven’t heard of any. That’s strange. It’s either too hard to upgrade a game to a fresh version, or the performance benefits are not big enough to justify the effort.

Levander Davis

As someone who’s very frugal and shys away from expensive hobbies, I always recommend dipping a toe rather than diving in. Does your friend have an old PC? See if it can be upgraded cheaply with used parts. A laptop? Most laptops purchased within the last five years can play popular games at low settings.

Mr Bespoke

Hi DF Crew! This ones is for the head honcho him self. Are you still instantly subscribed (yes I said Instant) to that YouTube channel you so typically despise so much and do you still watch RandomGaminginHD? Thanks and keep up the awesome work!

AfreemTheDream

I'm assuming it is, but come on! Hahah

AfreemTheDream

I even dropped some of my blood on the screen as a sacrifice

Dan

I'm a little disappointed that path tracing didn't make the cut with Doom: The Dark Ages at launch, but am still eagerly awaiting it. I understand that path tracing performance isn't known yet, but I wanted to ask for some speculation on your parts. For someone with a 240hz monitor, a 5090, and a 9800x3d, would you recommend waiting until path tracing is in the game, or do you think that the experience might be better to play without path tracing to get a higher base frame rate and lower latency by way of a lower frame gen multiplier? Thanks!

TheGreatJumanji

Hello! In the video covering Expedition 33, Alex noted that there’s no way to turn Hardware Lumen on in the settings. Is this something that might be achieved through a mod or an easy patch, or is that something that would have to be considered earlier in the games development. Thanks!

Someguyperson

TSMC recently announced their roadmap going until 2028 and it has some big implications for the upcoming consoles. TSMC will come out with a bunch of improvements up until 2026 with A16 and then the next node that comes out in 2028 (A14) will only provide 8% better efficiency at the same performance or 2-5% better performance at the same power consumption. I did the math and when you compare N7 (what the current consoles are built on) with A16, you can gain 75% more performance at the same power draw, or a 2.5x reduction in power at the same performance. This means that a Series S drawing 80w could be ported to A16 and draw ~30w, which is in the realm of a handheld, albeit on the high side. A prospective PS6 would only provide 75% more rasterization performance if that's where you put all your effort, but if you take away from a rasterization performance increase and put that additional horsepower towards tensor & RT performance, you would have a much more interesting console in my opinion. This roadmap also indicates that if you're building something, A16 is the place to be and if you come out with something earlier than that, it will quickly become outmatched. Does all this change your minds about anything? Or did you all expect 2027-2028 to be the year the next generation will come out anyway? A14 vs. A16: 8% power, 2-5% performance A14 vs. N2P: 25-30% power, 10-15% speed (new GAAFET design) A16 vs. N2P: 15-20% power, 8-10% speed (Backside power delivery) N2P vs. N3E: 36% power, 18% performance (GAAFET) N3E vs. N5: 32% power, 18% performance N5 vs. N7: 20% power, 15% performance N7 to A16: 2.5x power reduction, 75% performance N7 to A14: 2.75x power reduction, 81% performance N3 wafers are 33% more expensive than N5

DyeHardX86

Hello with the report of a job listing at Qualcomm (via Brad Sams) seeking the Director of Sales for Future Surface and Xbox devices implying heavily that the next Xbox device will utilize an ARM CPU powered by SnapDragon I wonder if all Next Gen hardware will follow suit? Or will this only be for the portable devices? Would love your thoughts and Thank you Kindly.

Spodlude

We're a couple of months into the 9070XT now. Doom - no FSR4, Expedition 33 - no FSR4, Avowed - no FSR4, I could go on.... with so many new releases not supporting FSR4 at launch I suspect many 9070 owners like myself are feeling a little neglected - thoughts gents?

goregutz

Hi DF guys! You talked last week about the grim prospects of GTA 6 coming on switch 2. That makes sense and all but I'm wondering why GTA 5 never made it onto the original switch given its origins as a PS3 hardware game. I'm sure the switch would have been able handle it.

Jovi

Given the challenges the Xbox Series S has posed this generation, do you think future hardware cycles will continue to include a less powerful, budget-friendly console alongside the more 'next-gen' system, even if it complicates development for 'next-generation' features?

inebriatedPorcupine

Hey! Wanted to ask what happened to the review of the Spider-Man 2 PC port. I feel like even a beloved porting studio like Nixxes should have gotten their fair-share of criticism about the state of the game at release.

Stop the Spread

What up DF, homies? I’ve got a question. IF the switch 2 is more powerful than the Steam Deck, why not compare the Switch two to the Series S, like you’ve already done with the Series S Vs. Steam Deck? And can you please let these people know a steam deck isn’t docking to a TV… Also, John I need a DF Retro look at the Neo Geo. For the culture. Or just more DR Retro.

DaJaCo (Dan)

Happy Half-Fortnight Lads! So this week a Qualcomm job listing surfaced that mentioned next generation Xbox and Surface products. This would suggest that Microsoft is making the switch to ARM at the very least for their in-house handheld; which makes a lot of sense.. However, this would surely also open the door to ARM on their next home console too.. but not without some back compat hurdles to overcome. If you could look through a "prism" into the future, how do you see both scenarios playing out for them (i.e. handheld ARM only, or both), and how would this detail play into their delivery of "the largest generational leap ever" - if at all.. Will ARM give them the legs they've been missing this generation?

tod weitzel

Does Doom: The Dark Ages scale well enough that it could have hypothetically gotten a PS4 version?

Que

Greetings from down under. A couple of weeks ago you did a segment about the decline of previously high quality web sites. Would it be possible for you guys to tell us your favourite websites and publications. Those you consider credible for the DF community. RetroRGB is a good example. I know you like to think of our relationship as monogamous but I do see other YouTube channels and websites!

Alan

Hi Guys, I am shocked DF isn't getting any Switch2's & games to review before release, they'll hand them to influencers like candy though, everyone will be waiting for the DF reviews! But after the full specs does Nintendo have something to hide? I am concerned that Cyberpunk 2077 has already pushed the Switch2 as far as it can go, my hype's been tempered.

(Don’t be a) Richard

I’ve started playing Doom The Dark Ages after recently revisiting Doom Eternal, and I can’t help be amazed about how good id Tech looks while being very scalable and performant. While not a focus for id so much the past few decades outside of Machine Games titles, should MS consider leveraging id Tech across some of its other studios as an alternative to Unreal. While I don’t expect The Coalition to move away from Unreal, id Tech increasingly feels like it’d be a suitable engine for a franchise such as Halo, especially now with it handling large outdoor environments, dozens of enemies, deformable terrain and assets while having incredibly fast load times and consistent performance. The engine seems to be avoiding common pitfalls Unreal engines games exhibit, especially on PC. Curious on the merits to this assuming id was resourced to support other studios. We did see Indiana Jones also do great things to the tech and id love to see more games using it.

(Don’t be a) Richard

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe this week got a patch (3.04) that quietly recompiled the game from a 32 bit app to a 64 bit app. The rumours suggest this may have been done at this late stage in the games life as part of support for Switch 2. Is this theory likely and if so, is running Switch games compiled to 64bit mandatory and will it be a cause for other Switch titles to not be supported on Switch 2. Could it in part explain why the comparability charts are indicating backwards comparability isn’t as pervasive as we might like and are used to expecting from modern consoles?

wildwildwesty

That’s the plan by Sony with their handheld device, right?

Patrick Young

Hi govs, Rich’s downclocked and underpowered RTX 2050 build is a dead-ringer for Nintendo Switch 2 hardware specs. Given the success of this experiment, do you reckon we could take another deeper look into the future by downclocking and underpowering the next low-end laptop RTX card? I suppose an underclocked 5050 or 6050 laptop card might tell us what we can expect in another eight years from the Big N. What do you think?

Blam Supplebut

I’m always curious about what each of you enjoy most about your work, video games and technology - seems you all have a great eye for detail and craftsmanship, but what motivates these specific interests in you? And what do you look forward to most into the coming years. Thank you!

Eric Benoit

Does anyone on the DF Crew foresee an impossible port to Switch 2 of Doom The Dark Ages video?

Samuel Gao

Hello my fellow tech enthusiasts!! With Sony sticking to x86 hardware, leaning into PC ports, and the PS5 Pro landing a bit flat… is there still a strong case for a PS6? SteamOS and handheld PCs now offer similar experiences — but with the bonus of running everything from PS1 classics to future AAA titles on one platform. Are we reaching the end of the “fixed” console era, or is there still room for a distinct PlayStation identity in the next generation? (Also, shout out to ChatGPT for turning my caffeine-fueled ramble into something coherent!)

Anxiously Chrono Triggered

Sup DF crew! We’re seeing fewer games with proper HDR implementation, especially on PC. While you can kind of force it using Special K or Auto HDR I cannot think of a proper reason developers tend to neglect this important part of visual presentation. It’s not that there are fewer screens that support it, quite the opposite! Why do you think it’s the case? Cheers!

Anxiously Chrono Triggered

Good morning, gentlemen! Nintendo has announced that some of their first-party games will receive a free visual boost. Bangers like Mario Odyssey are among them. What do you think makes them split these upgrades between free and paid versions? Is it the sheer amount of work and visual changes? Cheers!

Anxiously Chrono Triggered

Good morning, gentlemen! Apparently, Qualcomm is looking for employees to “support the sell-in activities for the next Snapdragon and Xbox products built on Snapdragon solutions.” How likely do you think it is that the next Xbox will run on ARM architecture? To me, it sounds more like another collaboration—like the one with Keenan the Barbarian—but who knows what Phil is cooking anymore? Cheers!

digitalfoundry

We don't do performance reviews for IGN, but we do occasionally pop up for a chat with the IGN staff! No plans to do anything with NX Gamer.

DaJaCo (Dan)

Probably, but more easily - Switch 2.

DaJaCo (Dan)

That is pretty dismal, hopefully sony's eventual FSR4 flavoured PSSR will be more forthcoming on PS5 Pro with sony giving developers the needed nudge.

DaJaCo (Dan)

Do consoles tend to go with the newest node, or second newest close to release? Perhaps this is why everyone is going handheld mad - they're becoming more viable than ever. If only someone would do OLED+VRR+HDR+ Large Silicone Carbon Battery with the "Nvidia feature set". Hopefully Sony and Microsoft's next in-house handhelds will be along those lines. I do think it makes a lot of sense to embrace handhelds because gamers are getting older and having kids - and so the more flexible and accessible high fidelity gaming is - the better. When do you think Nintendo will die shrink the Switch 2 to Samsung N5 / N4 .. they really need that Lite version out to maximise sales to kids imho.

DaJaCo (Dan)

I agree, it seems to have opened that door - can't wait til it's used for Stellar Blade 2

DaJaCo (Dan)

Wouldn't it also be "technically rebroadcasting" if you ran an HDMI splitter to two different screens in the house simultaneously? Why is it different if its short-range wireless?

DaJaCo (Dan)

ARM would make sense for their next gen in-house handheld if they really want to push the limits and differentiate it from the other handhelds - but unless they also used ARM for their next home console, it would all lean too heavily on real time translation layers like their Prism jobby.. So it could mean both will be ARM cpu based.. with some kind of translation layer for back compat only..?

DaJaCo (Dan)

Alas, they could have been Ninfluencers.

Leddy Metal

Salutations to the DF Brethren, first time long time.... Given the Xbox branding on upcoming handhelds from 3rd parties, is there any chance these could be running a version of Xbox OS? if not, what is the point? Surely any upcoming handheld from MS themselves will be, so won't this just cause more confusion in the marketplace?

Sven Dahlin

Hi gents! It would be great if Alex you could touch upon the new patch Star Wars Outlaws that promises RTXDI improvements and Ray Reconstruction improvements.

VeryProfessionalDodo

Yeah, my money is on they're just upping the res-cap, maybe stretching out some draw distances, nothing more. All the Switch 2 versions included some more major changes, like extra content, or the voice thingy for BotW.

VeryProfessionalDodo

I think that a PS6 will most likely be a more platform oriented approach, consisting of a handheld and full console approach. If SteamOS and handheld PCs were so immensely popular, PS5 wouldn't be keeping pace with PS4, despite being more expensive. I wonder if Digital Foundry viewers that are more attuned to more technical aspects and prefer PCs are in a bit of an echo chamber, and a market for "regular folks" who don't care that much about it will still exist, and maybe even increase with time.

Someguyperson

The PlayStation and Xbox consoles have typically used the latest & greatest nodes, while Nintendo does their own thing. Microsoft & Sony like using a node that will have a long lifespan and a tweak or two that allows for an easy die shrink. I also don't really see Nintendo putting the Switch 2 on a new node anytime soon. The 8 nm node they're using is specifically the last node Samsung made before moving to EUV, which is a huge layout change and not a simple die shrink. You basic need to fully port the SoC to a new node, so I don't see that happening for at least 4-5 years, but they might never do it ultimately. I would think they would want to do it for a Switch 2 Lite, but that will be a serious overhaul.

(Don’t be a) Richard

Seems to be commonly raised that RAM is perhaps the main bottle neck. If they’d given the system a few more GB then perhaps the box wouldn’t have been so hard to optimise for. It also may be that the concept is sound but MS made too large a concession on this one spec, something they could address with future hardware. Notable that memory’s a recurring concern for lower end PC graphics cards nowadays too.

Marcus

The studio behind Stellar Blade put out a response to the controversies surrounding the PC port, most of it is probably not of interest to the professional digital foundry aspect of things but I thought it was interesting that they claimed that performance was better with Denuvo than without it. Could you send some light on why that might be?

Dan Matte

Hi, DF. One for John, Tom, or Oliver—the Lunar and Suikoden remasters both suffer from uneven pixel scaling. Any chance you could comment on them? Seems like Lunar might only look good output to a 4K pixel grid, and Suikoden aligns to a 1080p pixel grid? Thanks for everything you do!

BespokeEP

What makes you think PS5Pro fell flat? It’s nearly twice the price as PS4Pro and is selling pretty much the same, even without a big 1st party game released for PS yet.

BespokeEP

why would someone who traditionally games on console ever want to switch to PC? BC is something people love to brag about and never use. Nobody is putting in 100’s of hours on old PS1 games that they already played +25yrs when 100’s of new games release every month. I bet less than 0.1% of gamers play a BC game for longer than 5mins. Retro gamers either use OG hardware or one of the dozens of multi retro consoles, not a new PC or console. Also nobody is giving up their library of games at this point. Console gaming is also much more relaxing and reliable, no messing with dozens of graphical settings for hours before you can play, no searching for driver updates. Console gaming isn’t going anywhere. PS has grown substantially every gen. After just 3.5yrs the PS5 gen was already more profitable than every PS gen combined. I predict PS6 will easily break 200m consoles sold thanks to the 3 “hero projects” starting to kick into high gear.

Samuel Gao

Thanks for the thoughtful response! I totally get where you’re coming from — consoles are still easier to use overall, especially when it comes to UI, plug-and-play reliability, and not having to think about drivers or updates. That said, I think we’re heading toward a major shift once SteamOS hits full maturity, especially if it rolls out with NVIDIA stack support, full accessory compatibility, and a console-like user experience. The Steam Deck already proved the concept, and if that experience scales, suddenly the “console simplicity” argument weakens. As for PlayStation — when most Sony exclusives are making their way to PC (even if delayed), and Xbox is already shifting toward service-based models, it gets harder to justify a PS6 that’s just more performance. If PS6 ends up as a 7700 CPU / 9070 GPU / 16GB GDDR7 / 2TB SSD box — but still x86, still running current-gen architecture, and still playing the same cross-gen games — then what’s it really offering? Higher frame rates? Native 4K instead of upscaled? Slightly better ray tracing? Even path tracing, while cool, isn’t transformative enough to sell a whole new console if it’s just a slightly cleaner/accurate image. And if you build a $2100 gaming PC running a future-proof SteamOS, that system could potentially play PS7, PS8, PS9 games (at whatever settings your hardware allows). That’s true longevity and value. It’s hard to argue against that, especially once the console “exclusivity” window shortens even more.

FatalRecall

Hello DF crew, I was wondering if CDPR implemented Havok instead of PhysX in the RED Engine, would Console versions of their games have better performance, especially on last-Gen Consoles?