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Call For Questions For DF Direct Weekly #216 (Patreon)

Published:
2025-05-29 13:35:08
Imported:
2026-06
Tags:
Q&A

Content

Hi, how are you? Thursday is once again upon us, which means it's time for us to start to put together #content for the next exciting edition of DF Direct Weekly, so what's the score there? Well, it'll be Rich (ie me), John and Alex at the mics covering a diverse range of topics. Topics that you can add to, if you like, via the open webzone beneath this post.

We may well be discussing the wealth of Switch 2 leaks we've seen so far from people who've got their units early, while Alex will be taking a look at path tracing on F1 25 - as well as the mooted new "high performance" mode for DLSS. Other prospective topics (which may or may not make their way into the show) include a look at the fixed balanced mode for Days Gone Remastered, the GeForce Now aaaappppp for Steam Deck and reaction to AMD's Frank Azor's comment on 8GB of VRAM being enough for the "majority" of gamers.

But now's your chance to help shape the show - feel free to suggest topics of your own and, of course, to submit your questions for consideration from the team. A quick tip for question asking: walls of text are hard to parse on the show. Keep it sharp and to the point! Thanks in advance for your input and your support in general!

Files

Comments

Taggen86

Any thoughts regarding the switch 2 ui/os and the available settings now when it has leaked? Hoped to see a VRR toggle but there is none. Maybe it is up to devs to support it or not. At least there are HDR, 120hz and ALLM settings (including HDR calibration).

Austin

I'm curious about the VRR experience in handheld. As far as know haven't seen any confirmation of the VRR window that it supports. I would be curious to know if this can be discovered through testing. Another display related point would be the quality of the HDR presentation. The other main testing point I'm mainly curious about is battery life. Obviously this would need some more extensive testing but a general idea would be nice. Isa game like Cyberpunk 2077 going to get the min 2hr spec? What about your "average" Nintendo game like Mario Kart World? Curious to see the results.

Jagster

With the Switch 2 launch looming, for each of you, what's a Nintendo IP you'd love to see revitalized or see a much desired sequel to on Switch 2, and how might the new system implement anything unique into your title of choice?

Taggen86

Do you think it makes sense for Nintendo to keep the os ui the same for switch 2? Or would you have prefered if switch 2 had a brand new ui (like ps5 vs ps4)?

Pol Kallamata

When Microsoft announced global price hikes for its consoles a couple of weeks ago, gaming commentators were quick to jump to two conclusions. The first being that the price increases were a result of tariffs / global trade issues. The second being that Sony would soon match the price hikes in the face of the same economic pressures. Yet this week Sony announced sales discounts for its consoles. And personally, I find it difficult to believe that they would choose to incur heavier losses temporarily on their units if they are facing the exact same pricing challenges as Microsoft and are planning an imminent price hike. Is it possible that the delta that is emerging in pricing between the two companies has less to do with global economic conditions and more to do with economies of scale? Sales reports over the past couple years have revealed a discrepancy of as much as 3 to 5x the number of units in Sony’s favor. If Microsoft sells fewer and fewer consoles, that inevitably means that their subsequent production runs will be for fewer units. If they are asking their manufacturing partners to produce less, then is it not likely that their partners see them as less of a priority and give them more of a raw deal? Whereas Sony maintaining its sales is able to retain the same rates with its manufacturers.

Hmmm.... Interesting

Are there technical obstacles to standardizing ML upscaling through Direct X? Why are devs still having to integrate multiple Up Scalers into their products?

Taggen86

How is sony able to decrease prices for the ps5 SKUs (given that ms is forced to increase their prices)? Does not make sense. Is the ps5 really that cheaper to produce?

AMH

Hi Gents, this is a question specifically for John. As a retrotink 4k user for the original switch I was hoping to not need it for switch 2 due to it already being able to output 4k. In a previous podcast you mentioned that it might still be beneficial. Could you please elaborate why that is the case?

Marcus

Hi DF Crew! Frank Azor’s recent comments sparked a lively debate, and I’m curious about your take. What are the long-term ramifications of mainstream GPUs still shipping with just 8 GB of VRAM? It works for most current titles, but we’re already seeing limits—and next-gen consoles will almost certainly have more memory available. Could another generation of 8 GB cards end up being a problem for low end PC gamers? Thanks for everything you do, and take care during the hectic Switch 2 launch week!

wildwildwesty

It might be a temporary reduction to combat the launch of the Switch 2. They could be making a loss on these units but getting players in to their ecosystem instead of Nintendos would be worth it

Snorkel Bandit

Whuddup DF, are there any upcoming display technologies the team are interested in?

Anxiously Chrono Triggered

Dear Founders, Chrono Trigger is now 25 years old. Have you got any memories associated with this title? Or perhaps some other game that came out around that time (mid 90s). Is there anything video-games related you miss from those days? Cheers!

wildwildwesty

Ahoy gents! With recent tension between Nvidia and outlets reviewing 50 series GPUs without DLSS or Frame Gen enabled, despite the majority of players using them, do you think Nvidia might ever hard lock these features, making them mandatory, just as no user turns on or off their CUDA cores or clock scaling, to enforce favourable gen-on-gen comparisons? Is this a realistic concern and might it even be a better way to implement these technologies? One way this could work would be setting a target frame rate, and then the GPU dynamically applies DLSS and FG as necessary

Taggen86

Could also be a way for sony to exploit the Microsoft price hikes to increase their user base which will be positive for them in the long term.

Kris Graney

I'm curious what you will find more intriguing - performance of Switch 2 specific games, performance comparing switch 1 and 2 editions of games, or performance of switch 1 games running on switch 2 in back compat mode? It sounds like a mind boggling array of tests the DF crew will need to go through each time you want to do in depth analysis of games. Then throw in difference Performance modes that may be available on the switch 2. Wow!

Anxiously Chrono Triggered

Dear DF, Apparently Nintendo Switch 2 has HDR calibration in the settings menu as well as the HDR on/off toggle. It gives me some hope HDR would not be just another gimmick and that more developers would start implementing it properly. Do you think it could happen or is it just me having breathed too much hopium? Cheers!

Zero

Hi DF Directors! The Switch 1 received many excellent "impossible ports" over its lifespan, many of which came later into its console run. With the Switch 2 swinging for the proverbial fences out of the gate with Cyberpunk 2077 and Star Wars Outlaws at or near launch, do you think we are already seeing the "best" the console can offer, or is there still room to grow? In other words, could a 2028 Star Wars Outlaws port, after devs have time to really sit with the hardware, theoretically be better than the 2025 port we are getting? What kinds of Switch 2 "impossible ports" do you expect to see?

Anxiously Chrono Triggered

Hey Gentlemen, Do you think Nintendo will finally start using proper AA given they now can access the POWER of DLSS? I think their 1st party games could look awesome upscaled with ML given their art direction (strong colours, lots of basic shapes, not too much details that could produce many artefacts etc). Cheers!

1040STF

Another AAA game cancelled - Black Panther. Another studio shutted down - Cliffhanger - by a publisher - EA - looking for more stability after promising infinite growth to its shareholders I guess. The only thing that feels infinite is the pace of the studios closing for similar reasons. I can't help guessing how I would think if I was a young developper looking for a first job: on one side, big projects within big studios but more and more sudden and brutal lay-offs. And on the other side, independant studios, with sometimes incredible stories like Clair Obscure Expedition 33. I'm not saying that the indie path is easier: it's not, by far. Even an indie studio like Dontnot made huge layoffs recently. But I can see a trend of being attracted to the indie world those days. I don't have any crystal ball to predict the future but I wonder sometimes where AAA gaming is going.

Kitty Raven

Q: How would it be if you made it all the way through one episode without mentioning VRAM, 8GB, or Stutter Struggle? Said with love as an avid supporter.

ThatGuyWhatDidThatThing

Am I the only one thinking that using a Switch 2 mouse (or even worse, mice) on a couch, in front of a TV is an ergonomic nightmare? At least without special furniture? For example coffee tables are too low to use as a desk without serious back and neck pain. Or am I just an old that needs to get with it (the kids still say, "get with it" right)? Should I resign myself to a future full of Zelda and Kirby themed lap desks and limited edition Metroid lift top coffee tables?

Xilon Xiao

With dave2d’s video comparing both rog allys, one with steamos and another with win11, what do you think is closer: steamos for pc desktops or a version of win11 better built for handhelds?

Iuri Grangeiro

With the barrage of people considering switch 2's image quality "better than series S" in a large variety of AAA games, have we severely underestimated how much the average person prefers DLSS to the non AI alternatives? I ask that because yes, there was always a narrative that the extra features are worth paying for in either money or performance, but never to anything close to this extent. No one in their good conscience would recommend an nvidia card over an AMD alternative if, for the same price, the nvidia one was around half as performant, yet, when the numbers are completely obscured, and two images are shown running at the same framerate, people are gravitating to the switch 2 DLSS image even when it's rendering at close to half the horsepower. I find it interesting how that's an almost opposite approach than reviews work on. Instead of matching settings and comparing performance, the comparisons are almost always at matched performance, but tailoring the settings to the features and power envelope of the machine - which is much closer to how people set games up in reality. Has the standard review etiquette and procedures obscured this most important slice of how people actually use their cards? Cheers

Jeremy W

What are the actual technical ramifications of being limited to 8gb VRAM? If a large segment of the PC gaming market is on 8gb "budget" cards, won't publishers seek to work within that limitation to maximize sales? What can we expect to be limited or pared back if this becomes the case? Does it only really affect higher resolutions?

Iuri Grangeiro

Side-note: the idea of matching performance sounds a bit far fetched, but it really never was. Due to nvidia app (and profile inspector before it), you can choose the DLSS scaling factor very granularly, and can easily match performance of very different cards to single digit performance differentials.

Swe downhill

Hi guys! I'm curious about your thoughts about the current generation of consoles and the amount of remasters, remakes and re-releases we've seen in recent years that's been released for them. It feels like we have never seen this many new old games. Have they become too many? I would personally much rather see new games than replaying old stuff over and over. Will the next generation provide a shift towards new IPs and successors again?

Rich Leadbest

The prevailing narrative around the Switch 2 VRR controversy suggests that Nintendo intended to support variable refresh rate in docked mode, but either selected the wrong hardware for the dock or is running into software issues. Some even speculate that support could arrive in a post-launch update. But isn’t it more likely that VRR was never intended for docked mode at all? Variable refresh is especially effective at helping underpowered hardware maintain smooth frame rates under load. It would make strategic sense for Nintendo to treat it as a proverbial ace in the hole for handheld mode—where hardware limitations are most pronounced and the benefits would be most impactful. Supporting VRR in docked mode would only draw more attention to the performance gap between docked and handheld play.

Alan

Hi Scamps, Switch2: Who cares! Alex, what are you hyped for in the PC gaming space? Star Citizen? Any indies? John, what are you hyped for in the retro scene? Richard, what are you hyped for in the GPU/CPU or hardware space? P.S. Maybe Oliver could add in post if there's anything he's hyped for in the Mac gaming space?

Spodlude

As we bid farewell to the switch 1 and hello to switch 2, do you have any parting messages to our old friend, bon voyage switch, we had some great times.

ConcreteLlama

I finally built a PC a few weeks ago after mostly being a console gamer for many years. Haven't played PC games for years but I am loving getting back into it (albeit mostly from the couch with a controller). However, I did find that the initial setup for a consistently smooth gaming experience was a little overwhelming, requiring you to utilise a disparate set of tools for the optimal experience rather than simply "install game, adjust settings". Obviously there's the basic simple stuff like installing Windows, drivers etc, but when it comes to gaming you've got a variety of things to contend with from global framerate caps (with occasional exceptions for games that don't play nice with, say, 116fps) to vsync (to ensure frame gen doesn't go bananas) to (in my case) process lasso for each game to ensure it uses CCD0. Have you ever considered creating an all encompassing video for new PC gamers to help them set up their systems correctly from the get go without stumbling into issues as they go along?

ConcreteLlama

I posted this last week but now we're Johnful (and he covered the game originally) figure I'd ask again! I finished Split Fiction with my wife the other day and my mind has been left positively boggled by the final level. Boggled! It's absolutely bananas what they achieved and how they managed to get it to work so seamlessly. I was wondering if you'd ever consider covering it independently? Is it quite common for you to be unable to show the most technically impressive parts of a game in a review because it's right at the end and would generally be considered a massive spoiler? Yours boggledly, ConcreteLlama.

ConcreteLlama

RICHARD! (I hope you read this in your head in Mrs Bucket's voice). Some time ago you mentioned that you were using a 9950X3D and I was just wondering how you were getting on with it and if you did anything special to eke the most performance out of it? I have one myself and had read online that "Game Mode" doesn't quite cut it for optional performance, and that really you should use Process Lasso to assign games to CCD0 with "CPU Sets". I had a little play with my limited benchmarking skills and found that if I played Cyberpunk at a super low resolution to get it CPU limited, performance was indeed improved by turning off game mode and using process lasso. I also recall you saying the 9950X3D is very very slightly worse performing in games than the 9800X3D but wonder if this is still the case using the above technique?

RAVE_DAM0S

Hi DF Foundrymen, After hearing John's experience with the Backbone Pro, I decided to order one myself, which sparked a broader question. Are there plans for DF to revisit cloud gaming or remote play, or do the home network variables introduce too much inconsistency for broadly applicable conclusions? Put another way, is there an approach to analyzing remote/cloud play that allows for meaningful performance insights and comparisons? I plan to test console streaming over both home and public Wi-Fi, and I'm hoping for a decent-or-better experience with both. Cheers!

HamSandevistan

Hello frame counters, Alex re-skeeted a Compusemble post showing off F1 2025, which included both path-traced and raster scenes. Some all-raster shots looked surprisingly flat and unlit— like this one: https://youtu.be/gwRSDy4IunU?t=24. It made me wonder: are devs starting to skip the time-intensive process of fine-tuning raster scenes? I’m all for progress, as seen in Doom: The Dark Ages, but at this point, comparing raster to ray tracing might be increasingly meaningless—especially if less effort is going into raster fidelity. Bless this mess, Ham

Peter

Good afternoon DF Gentleman. With Steam OS furthering it's reach with official support for additional handheld PC's, are we one step closer to a fully fledged Steam OS for desktop? Is such a thing viable and theoretically, what improvements could it yield assuming we are taking about games fully compatible with the Linux OS. I for one would love it, how about yourselves? Have a great week (PS, really enjoyed your 2080ti video Rich)

Octolimar

should switch 2 games offer unlocked framerates in any game possible since the screen is VRR? I couldn't think of a reason not to since pretty much every game Is likely to be gpu limited in handheld so you wouldn't get cpu related stutters.

Colby Buckets

Interesting thoughts. I'd guess that getting VRR working over the USB port that the hub uses is likely a software nightmare

Eirik M.Jenssen

Hello DF crew! Would it be possible to talk a little about DLSS and the different versions. DLSS is a little bit confusing if you ask me, especially now that we have acces to overrides via the NVApp, though only on certain games. I find myself being unsure of how to approach getting the best image quality in previous games which shipped with DLSS. You have DLSS 3 and DLSS 4, but is DLSS 310.2.1 (dll) still DLSS 3 if its using preset E, and not preset J or K? What about the new DLSS FG, is it only the new non-MFG FG if its 310.1, or does the "new" FG also have preset letters which enable the new vram saving feature. Appreciate the good work you guys do and godspeed!

Phillip H.

Are you sure this Switch 2/Series S disparity isn't just fanboyism or uninformed opinions? I rarely look at YouTube comments, but I did for the last DF Direct and was shocked to see the amount of misinformation out there. Additionally, people are commentating with feelings rather than any kind of objective analysis. I'm not sure if it's within DF's power to fix this.

Phillip H.

It always take time for developers to learn a console. Also, Nintendo "unlocked" more power from the Switch 1 for devs to work with. I'm sure there are many impossible ports left in the Switch 2’s life.

tod weitzel

John, did you wake up in Japan, see "Xbox Retro Games powered by Antstream," and trash your hotel room like Van Halen?

goregutz

Hi DF gentlemen! I just read that 60% of capcom's sales are from the PC. I doubt it's only Capcom. But despite that, you wouldn't have ever guessed it from the state of theirs and many other's PC releases. Why do publishers neglect the PC so blatantly when it's bringing in the bulk of their revenue?

goregutz

Hi DF mates! I was reminiscing about The Order 1886 recently and wondered what a hypothetical PS5 sequel would look like? What kind of graphical boundaries might it have been pushing?

goregutz

Hi DF crew! Reports suggest that after Nintendo's terrific deal with Samsung foundries, Sony is also considering switching yo (or using for some unbeknownst product) Samsung foundries instead of TSMC. Given everything we know, what kind of credence works you give this rumour? How good a deal would Samsung need to offer to make Sony contemplate this?

Peter Karadimas

Hello gents, the current generation of consoles have largely solved the problem of load times. What issue affecting gaming do you hope the next generation of consoles prioritizes solving?

Iuri Grangeiro

Well, I'm sure there is fanboyism going around (boy the comments sections do suck on these switch 2 videos), but also I don't think it's clear cut like that. Sf6 for instance I agree it does look better on the switch than the series S, so much so that DF miscounted as native 1080p on their first analysis and no one bat an eye. Cyberpunk also looks very much like a side grade to the series S quality mode to me, though I'd probably still prefer series S, it's really not far fetched to my eyes why someone wouldn't agree with me. So in a way, yes, I don't think the "dlss factor" is a 2x, but I don't think estimates like 15% do a good service representing the opinion of the every person - which is very much more sensitive to shimmering and instability than "painterliness"

Iuri Grangeiro

I also see something similar on Metroid prime, which DF claimed it was 4k native at first, both due to counts and subjective IQ, and ended up being 1440p. In essence I don't think anyone in the switch 2 conversation - even the professionals - seem to be that tuned into the upscaling artifacts they claim to hate when they don't know what method is being used, and the subjective impressions seem to line up a lot more with output resolution than input resolution. This was not true on the coverage of any non machine learning upscalers as far as I know.

Someguyperson

With the announcement that Game (UK store) is canceling Switch 2 pre-orders, do you think you'll still get consoles on day 1? How bad to you think launch will go?

Someguyperson

I know people say that there's no reason to buy a Switch 2 until more games come out for it, but I'm sure there are millions of people out there who would like to play Pokémon Scarlet & Violet without performance issues right? Isn't Switch 2 just the best way to play Switch games?

Someguyperson

Do you think Switch 2 will have an edge in PC ports vs. the Steamdeck because of the JoyCon mouse functionality? RTS games & the like really need a mouse to play properly and I see that happening on Switch 2 more than the Steamdeck going forward.

HamSandevistan

You can use a mouse with the Steamdeck. It's just a Linux machine ultimately, so you can use loads of stuff with it.

Someguyperson

Yes, that's true, but how many people will travel with a mouse in addition to their Steamdeck? The Switch 2 controller itself acts as a mouse, which is orders of magnitude better, particularly as the Switch 2 is smaller and more portable to begin with. Convenience is everything, particularly when it comes to portable consoles, maybe even more so than with a conventional console.

Phillip H.

I think we can give DF a pass for off the cuff first impressions. They always do a detailed analysis later and I would hate for them to stop sharing their opinions because a minority of viewers claiming they don't know what their talking about. SF6 I think is an outlier that definitely does deserve investigation.

DaJaCo (Dan)

Happy Half-Fortnight Lads! So apparently there are not 2 types of Switch 2 cartridges but 3: LB- Carts only work on Switch 2 LP- Game Key Cards LN- Carts work on both Switch 1 and Switch 2 The LN carts seem to either contain both SW1 and SW2 versions, OR, contain the SW1 version, while acting as a game key card in switch 2. Presumably this means there are 4 compatible cart categories (if you include OG vanilla switch 1 carts). Whats unclear, is whether the LN carts can store a full Switch 2 game, or operate at Switch 2 read/write speeds.. yet another cartridge conundrum! What do you all make of this news? Hopefully John is a little less sad, as surely it is at least another preservation avenue, that's at least one step up from game key cards or worse still; being condemned to codes in boxes.. or mothballed, moribund servers!?

Neotokyo

Greetings gents! What was your first wow/jaw drop moment for gaming graphics which caused you to stop and admire in awe? in my personal opinion, the atmosphere and details of a game like battlefield 1 with the rain/dirt that is possible on your viewmodel was mighty impressive for 2016. cheers!

(Don’t be a) Richard

Hi team, good luck with the next few weeks, which I imagine will be your busiest of 2025 thanks to Nintendo not providing hardware ahead of time. Everyone appreciates the dedication! Make sure you take care of yourselves.

SonOfFaith

Gentleman let us have discourse concerning Monster Hunter Wilds! A recent update caused shaders to not compile on launch and as a result the game stutters intermittently. Users have opted to fix this themselves by deleting the shader cache. I find this unacceptable for a game that performed so well financially to lack any major optimization, months after release. Is there something fundamentally wrong with the engine? I appreciate your thoughts and/or advocacy on the matter.

Mr Bespoke

Hi DF Crew! What pick ups has John Snagged from the land of the rising sun? Any hidden gems or were the ones you picked you didn't have in your collection yet? Thanks and keep up the great work!!

Samuel Gao

Hi DF Team! This one is for Alex (But anyone can chime in): With next-gen hardware approaching, do you think gamers and devs are still excited by x86’s 'brute-force' rendering approach—or is it time for a fresh architectural leap? If you could spec out a bespoke next-gen console to push innovation, what core changes would you champion?

Mr Bespoke

Hi DF! Will they be any Switch 2 unboxing video? Just to see if Rich can open one (without) destroying the box or any of the packaging. Thanks and keep up the great work!!

Iuri Grangeiro

I think you've misunderstood my point. I'm not criticizing DF for these mistakes, or the value or technical and detailed analysis. I'm saying that the idea that this image quality is competitive with much more powerful non-DLSS machines is not just a result of "misinformation" or "fanboyism". Yes, there is a huge amount of that out there, and I'm sure that "better than series S" is, the vast majority of time, simply not true. My point is that it's close enough to true to fool people without expertise even when considering carefully, and experts when in passing, and that is incompatible with the value that is usually put on DLSS. I'm not saying "it's the same thing as having a 2x more powerful GPU", but that it's probably less comparable with a "15% more powerful GPU" (a number I've seen thrown around) than it is to a "50+% more powerful GPU" (a number I've never seen anyone dare to get close to), and that these confusions illustrate that point. DF would never and could never confuse a resolution for double itself in console analysis with any other method, if for nothing else, because the counted numbers are always checked against subjective impressions, and no analytical upscaler fools DF's eyes even in passing. This is so far from a criticism, it's actually closer to the opposite - DF is too good for them being mistaken like this to not be a huge win for the method in a way that is worth being talked about.

Eric Benoit

Hey DF Crew, I was just wondering, especially in regards to Richard, I know you work extremely hard analyzing games and recording and editing videos. Have you any time to just play and finish a game for you own pleasure? Which game was it if you did?

zurce

Hey DF Folks Greetings! Recently I switched to watching Music Videos on Apple Music and realize how terrible even 4K on Youtube is, with IGN resources would you guys consider making a website for trailers that can support higher bitrates? Have you contacted Youtube about enabling such features for specific channels? it's a crime how compression sometimes limits this hobby

Aaron

Hi DF friends — Do you have any intel or speculation on the version of DLSS that is being made available to Switch 2 developers? While we haven’t heard any confirmation of a custom “lightweight” DLSS optimized for Switch 2, what is your gut telling you about that particular rumor?

BespokeEP

Good day eSTEAMed gentleman!!! Get it? No question, just wanted to give my boy Gabe and his big deck a shout out

BespokeEP

I would love to see Rich rip a switch 2 box and a switch 2 in half

digitalfoundry

We would need the high quality assets to begin with - and 99% of the time, we don't get them.

digitalfoundry

I don't personally, but then again, in addition to doing my own #content, I run the business and do a lot of admin work on both the channel and DF Clips.

DaJaCo (Dan)

I think you're right, not only is it included with every console - it can always be assumed to be present. Also being a console, any port will have some level of optimisation, and even the most basic optimisation would include controls porting. There is a big difference between being "mouse compatible" and "having an integrated mouse always present, on a single spec SKU". The bigger question is how effective the alternative control modes are when mouse mode is inconvenient.. (i.e. its fine for tabletop or train seat / thigh rubbers.. but not for true handheld mode) - Metroid Prime 4 deals with it beautifully.. it switches control modes by detecting how you are holding the joycon (so you don't have to pause and change settings).. hopefully we'll see more like this going forwards.

DaJaCo (Dan)

You should get in touch with the marketing team with slogan suggestions: "Play Pokemon Stutter Free!" I wonder if it'll be one of the LN carts that works in either console.

DaJaCo (Dan)

I think next gen will solve the problem of having a high quality hardware accelerated upscaler.. and possibly the problem of having hardware accelerated frame-gen on console. They'll also go very big on ray tracing i would imagine (look how PS5 pro is 3x ~ 4x as capable at RT compared to PS5) - the real question is whether they'll be able to handle a reasonable level of path tracing.

DaJaCo (Dan)

I would expect something along the lines of the technical approach used in Hellblade 2 - i.e. a highly constrained, super high density, 30~40fps implementation of UE5 with clever cinematic camera effects. , and speaking of which, it's out on PS5 / Pro soon with enhancements.

DaJaCo (Dan)

Depending on listening habits, you could have a johnful on the john. Remember to flush twice.

DaJaCo (Dan)

I'm more concerned by the fact that it won't support 4k / 40fps - because that would have been an attainable target for many games while docked - where 60 or 120 are not.. so now we'll get 4k 30.. bad 4k 60 modes, and lots of 1440p games I'd guess?

DaJaCo (Dan)

Based upon the Nintendo patents that have been circulating for a while now, what nintendo is using is not strictly speaking "DLSS". It has been heavily modified, and the biggest difference that stood out in the patents was that instead of being trained to work with dynamic resolutions or stick to one target ratio - it seems like it has a separate training model per resolution ratio, and then switches between the different models on the fly. This approach seems to be employed in order to shift as much as the processing as possible into the model training phase - and away from realtime tensor core use. This is all speculation based on looking at the patents, DF's coverage of the patents.. and the results we are seeing. CDProjekt Red even said "We're using a version of DLSS available for Nintendo Switch 2 hardware, powered by Nvidia's Tensor cores," - ("a version".. i.e. a nintendo customized version) This is a slightly different beast to what is on PC.. it's "NintenDLSS"

Jerome

Hi DF, Have you had the opportunity to evaluate FSR4 technology on unsupported games using Optiscaler? If so, I would be interested to hear your thoughts on how FSR4 compares to XeSS and or DLSS. Do you have any plans to update your review of FSR4 in the near future? Cheers

DaJaCo (Dan)

It's customised based on the patents - i.e. NintenDLSS

DaJaCo (Dan)

Sony might have managed their contracts better, so prices are fixed for longer. They may have also iterated the internals more to save costs.

DaJaCo (Dan)

A new F-Zero is long overdue.. and how about a starfox game with mouse flying controls.

Iuri Grangeiro

I am a bit skeptic of this. I certainly think that can be true true of what's happening on Hogwarts legacy and/or Metroid prime, but cyberpunk and sf6 just look like bog standard CNN dlss to my eyes. I don't have the DF credentials to back this opinion up, but I noticed and called both of these dlss applications on the discord before we had any confirmation from DF or the devs, so I do think I'm half decent at spotting dlss.

Jagster

Those both sound great

bibfortuna

Gentlemen, behold! I recently bought an inexpensive used PC off of eBay.com To my surprise and UTTER BEMUSEMENT, this 1080GTX with an old i7 can run THE FINALS, a UE5 title, at a mostly steady 60fps, with reasonable optimized settings. Bejng a multiplayer title makes optimization a priority, but I was very impressed nonetheless! is Embark Studios the “king of unreal??” in terms of optimization, and who might they be dethroned by? Thanks!

supergoogleli

With 9950X3D and RTX5090 on my rig, I find that my PC is always either overkill even in 4K native max settings, or games are simply unplayable without DLSS and frame gen (Wukong, Cyberpunk). As a purist who want to avoid DLSS and frame gen as much as possible, what would you suggest to make full use of my rig?

TheMightyEthan

Hey DF! What do you make of the reports that Microsoft is putting it's Xbox handheld "on hold" in order to focus on making Windows more competitive with Steam OS on existing handhelds? The device was supposedly set to launch later this year, so a lot of resources must have already been sunk into development. I'm no console-ologist, but it seems crazy to me to apparently halt a hardware project like this so close to launch. Am I the crazy one? I'd love your thoughts. Cheers!

musha68k

Dear team DF, Do you expect Nintendo's approach to input polling, power management, and OS overhead to keep total latency closer to Switch 1 levels - or might they break from tradition and prioritize responsiveness this generation? (Vanished?) VRR spec seemed to suggest a shift in priorities. Also curious about your technical assessment of audio improvements versus Switch 1 (and dare I ask: in comparison to PS5?) - any expectations there?

musha68k

P.S. good old SEGA going all in on the simulacra twice over for their Switch 2 "physical releases" is highly disappointing! Do or do not; there is neither game nor ownership here otherwise. SEGA > SIGA?

Levikonn

Hey Team! Keep up the good work. Would Alex rather be forced to review switch 2 games for a year or never play crisis again?

VeryProfessionalDodo

If someone who plays primarily on consoles reads this comment they'll get an aneurism Some things in PC gaming really are quite convoluted :D

Samson

Hello DF Boyz!! As a PC enthusiast who plays on a 65 inch 120hz LG C3 OLED with a 4090, I wonder if upgrading to a high refresh monitor is worth it for controller players like myself. I never game on mouse and keyboard due to my disability Obviously bigger number better but given how inherent lag is to the game controller, I wonder if chasing higher frame rates beyond 120hz-144hz is worth it. Thanks for all you do!

Corey Myers

Hello DF Team! What is a game you have played recently that you were surprised that you enjoyed? Keep up the amazing content!

BespokeEP

I believe you are getting the 2 handhelds mixed up. The handheld launching later this year is just an Xbox branded ROG Ally, and has not been cancelled. The actual Xbox designed “next gen” handheld has been put on hold. But I think it is inevitable that Microsoft is done making Xbox hardware all together. I expect an announcement at some point that lets everyone know that they have left the hardware business all together and will focus on being a massive publisher and Gamepass will become just like EA origins, Ubisoft plus and only contain Microsoft studios titles. But I believe this was the 7th year in a row where despite revenue being up, Xbox has lost money. Doing more hardware would be a bad decision

BespokeEP

I always travel with my small laptop mouse, it fits in my pocket and often I forget it is even there. But I agree it’s a lot more convenient on switch and think I might be the exception

Samuel Gao

you're already doing the best you can. 9950X3D can basically achieve 9800X3D performance. You're already at the top basically ~3% up and down. You can turn down settings to get better "real" performance. Reference Alex's "optimization guides" per title! Remember what Path Tracing in Nvidia's ecosystem is: Tons of RT cores trying to fill in the PT pipeline, because RT cores are more generic, PT cores are specific. And a 5090 is basically a slightly more efficient 4090 at 'Brute Force' rendering. The elephant in the room is this (in terms of PC Gaming): It's hitting the peak of rendering graphics and we're reaching a level of diminishing returns. The only thing nvidia can do is jump on the 2nm mode (50% shrink) and get more power efficient to squeeze out performance. So the 6090 @ 2nm will be about 40-50% faster than the 5090 @ ~600W which will make Cyberpunk Playable without any AI assistance. The reality of Brute Force Rendering.... The truth is, we're not really CPU bound nor GPU bound. We're architecturally bound. Engines were designed 50% for devs to crank out titles as quick as they can and focus on Art, and 50% to maneuver around the limitations of x86. (Same as AI integration)

William Z

Hi. Some Retro questions for John…. 1. Would you consider the Sega CD to be the equivalent of a modern mid-generation upgrade like the PS5 Pro It expanded capabilities (CD-based storage, better audio, scaling video playback) but didn’t fundamentally change the Genesis’ base power. So does it count as a mid-gen upgrade or more of a bolt-on platform shift? 2. If Sega had gone with a 3dfx GPU, a more ergonomic controller, and included a DVD drive in the Dreamcast — do you think it would have fared better commercially? Could the additional visual horsepower and media format compatibility have extended its life or helped it stand against the PS2 juggernaut? 3. How does the Dreamcast stack up against the PSP in raw power? The PSP came out 5 years later, but Dreamcast still seems capable of running many of the same types of games (arcade-style racers, fighters). Games like OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast would’ve been awesome to see on Dreamcast — could it have handled it?