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Hello - and so we find ourselves planning the next episode of DF Direct Weekly - the 231st (not including specials) and we'll be "taping" this one in two chunks: before Nintendo Direct in our regular Friday morning slot and then after, once we've sifted through the news.

But what else will we be discussing? I've been playing Nvidia's upgraded GeForce Now 5080 - and it's highly impressive stuff: 4K 120 streaming at up to 95Mbps with full 4:4:4 colour depth - with working G-Sync, no less - brings us one step closer to a full, high-end PC streaming solution. And as we're on the topic of cloud streaming, I managed to "luck" into an Xbox cloud server instance using its new 1440p streaming mode. We've got some footage to share on that but I was reasonably impressed.

Other stuff up for discussion? Well, improved LOD popping is now in on Star Wars Outlaws but if there's anything else of interest in the update, we'll discuss that. We may well comment on the highly plausible reports of all RE Engine Resident Evil titles coming to Switch 2, along with the equally plausible reports of PlayStation 6 having an optional, detachable BD drive.

But here's where you come in! Are there any other topics you feel we should be talking about? Do you have any comments or questions on what we're discussing - or indeed, anything else? As usual, there's a completely empty box beneath awaiting your input. Thanks!

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Comments

Pomps

Hey gents! Given the competent RT performance in outlaws on switch 2, what are your expectations for Indiana Jones since they both require RT?

Zero

Hey Gents! Is Alex looking forward to doing the performance review for the inevitable Jedi Survivor Switch 2 port? It will combine two of his favorite things!

CrispyNougat

Will you be covering tomorrow's Nintendo direct in this week's DF direct?

Mr_Weis

“Hey DF, are you guys going to talk about the survey results? Also, congratulations on your independence!”

Marcus

Hiya Foundrymen. The leaks about FSR 4 on RDNA 3 and 3.5 seem somewhat promising. Could this be the saviour of 7000 series GPUs and the higher end Z series handhelds? Thank you for your time.

Iain Gillespie

Hey! I wrote this in the discord but I'll pop it here too. I recently purchased Shinobi: Art of Vengeance on Nintendo Switch 2, and I was really shocked to see the visual quality of the game. It's not something I've seen or read anywhere online, so I'd be keen to hear what you guys think of it. I assume the poor visual quality is down to it also being available on Switch 1, but even that console was able to display stunning games like Ori and the Will of the Wisps. Is this down to lack of Switch 2 dev kits, or the fact that Sega shipped for Switch 1 that has meant a downgrade for Switch 2? As a customer I am truly gutted to see this and won't play it until they one day release a patch for it to have the same performance as other consoles or PC. If I'd have kown it looked like this, I'd have gotten it on Steam to play on the steamdeck.. I just wanted to have another nice new game to play on my nice new console.. More fool me I guess and I'll definitely be checking out demos before buying in future

Ian

Hi DF, with Microsoft having signed a 10 year deal with Nintendo for call of duty games to appear on the switch - do you think this is something which will actually happen or was it an empty gesture to circumvent the regulatory process?

Jordan + Cinewhirl

Hey gang. Is gaming still fun when you do it for a job?

SodaPop6548

As a console player, I've noticed a lot of UE5 games that run a pretty decent 60fps in performance mode have 30fps cutscenes. Currently playing Expedition 33 (amazing game) and noticed that there and confirmed it with Oliver's coverage. Why does that seem to be a common practice?

Josh Miles

The rumour mill is in full flow around Steam Frame. What's the gang's view on it? Assuming it's going to be a VR headset of some sort, how big an impact could it have? Would love to hear John's (always well informed) take on it.

Andrew Franges

Is it called global illumination because the moon illuminates the globe with light reflected from the sun? Anyways. Ray tracing has clearly seen some huge improvements in recent years and is no longer simply a way to do cool reflections. RTGI and RT shadows have a huge impact on believability and immersion. Do you think ray-traced audio will see similar implementation/improvements? Thanks!

Pierre-Alexandre Renou

Hi "les fondeurs digitaux" (let's see how's your french), congrats on your independence. Since this is a new chapter for the company, could you maybe reintroduce yourselves : what are everyone's specific skills and habitual or preferred coverage? (maybe here on a direct, but also on a dedicated video?). I'm an old DF viewer, but newcomers might not know you. Keep up the amazing work, "et passez une belle journée".

WrongGPU

What is your guy’s problem with moore’s law is dead? He does great work!

andre surles

Two Questions: How do you interpret the newly released information on the Steam Frame "Deckard" and is there a possibility that 2D games will appear in a 3D environment opening of a new way to play all titles? Second question - With GeForce Now becoming a viable alternative will we see console makers leaning into this technology as part of their subscription plans despite it being hosted outside of their own ecosystem?

andre surles

That's honestly a great question, as someone who turned a hobby into work I would say no. It's harder to enjoy the sausage when you know how it's made and it feels like work.

Snoopey0

Hi Duffers! Please answer the following servey, answering questions in a reverse-ordered ranking system where 1 is most desirable and 5 is least desirable, but where 3 overrides the other values as most creative. 1. Rich must be a part of What's in the box, Rich!? every week going forwards 2. Alex going forwards will only review switch 2 games in handheld mode - and only games which utilise FSR1 3. John must make a video about how LCD technology is superior to all other display technologies, and replace all his CRTs with his favourite mid-2000s LCD displays. 4. Oliver can no longer use the word cromulent, and must swap out his mac studio for a model with only 8GB RAM. 5. Tom must give more personal opinions in videos so that a devious survey response can be crafted.

Darryl Stewart

If the Xbox team is successful in implementing a sufficiently slimmed down version of Windows that can deliver the level of O/S efficiency that has been achieved on Linux portables such as the Steam Deck, is it reasonable to expect that Microsoft will make this “Windows X” version of the O/S available for sale, so that enthusiasts may use it in their PC builds for better gaming performance?

DyeHardX86

Alright gents? Alright. As my handle implies the conjecture that ARM would replace X86 in mobile gaming or gaming hardware in general in the near future haven't really been borne out as some thought. Lisa Su and other execs seem to think there are efficiency gains yet to find in X86. Do you see ARM playing a more significant role in powering gaming hardware in the future or will X86 indeed DyeHard? Thanks for all the great work, Cheers!

DyeHardX86

I don't think they have a problem with MLID channel they've given them due credit although they arent exactly the most reliable source as have gotten as many things wrongs as they have right.

DyeHardX86

It'll absolutely happen and I bet that announcement could be as soon as tomorrow

Karvox

Hello DF Team. With respect to the 5080 streaming testing how much additional latency do you feel is acceptable for cloud streaming in general? Personally I find myself very sensitive to input latency, so I've been scared away from streaming tech so far as a result. That said, the advancements in GeForce now are impressive! Where do you think this tech really shines for consumer uses? Keep your stick on the ice lads, and thanks for the great work.

Hobobench

Hulu Gents! With the promising port of Star Wars Outlaws on Switch 2, does this add confidence that The Witcher 4 and other RT only games will be able to run on Switch 2 without requiring a total overhaul of the lighting solution? Are their any Nintendo franchise that you think would benefit from an RT inplementation? Luigi's Mansion 4, anybody? Keep up the great work!

Chill_Mode_JD

What’s up DF dudes! I’ve always thought it ironic that Hollywood doesn’t take gaming serious yet they rely on tech like UE5. Do you guys think gaming will ever surpass cinema in popularity and or profitability and become the more mainstream form of entertainment?

Snorlax cat

with nintendo playing their cards close to their chest like Sony, do you think this new silence until it is about time big gaming companies are using is any good? Maybe it proves good for business but they are giving a lot of momentum to hate videos saying that gaming is dead and whatever, giving a rhetoric that should not be so loud to much space.

Afty

“Ray-traced audio” sounds really similar to the old Aureal A3D technology

Max Fletcher

I also wanted to ask about The Witcher 4. If they are targeting 60fps on PS5, it might actually be feasible on Switch 2 at 30Fps. Yay or nay?

Someguyperson

Now that it's been proven that the Switch 2 can utilize RT pretty effectively, do you think that a lightweight Ray Reconstruction model would be really impactful? Oliver and the rest of you guys mentioned that DLSS RR would have helped out the noise issue in Star Wars Outlaws. With more RT games inevitably on the way, could this really make Switch 2 even closer to the Series S experience?

Someguyperson

Everything he does is the most speculative you could possibly get. Also, he puts a bunch of stuff out there that changes or gets cancelled, so from a journalistic perspective, why bother reporting on it until the details are actually hashed out? Having multiple sources confirm something is crucial to good reporting.

Someguyperson

I'll call my own shot a bit here: did the Nintendo Direct finally give you guys relief that the Switch 2's launch window is filled with enough good games? To me, it clearly seems like Nintendo is only announcing a few games at a time to maximize sales & marketing for each game. The alternative is that people look past something like DK Banannza and only focus on the big Mario game.

sirseky

"What are those!" Hey John. Where have your legendary Sennheiser headphones gone, and what new type are you using now?

Kirkland Spector

What’s up DF :) First time asker, long time fan (since pre VO on Youtube)! With the new Xbox Ally, I’m imagining what my htpc gaming machine will run in the next few years. Ideally I’d hope Steam OS but will Nvidia ever support Linux to make that dream come true? It saddens, but doesn’t surprise me, to hear DF’s description of the “Xbox Windows” on the Ally feels bolted on and not legit - classic MS. After decades of Windows being litter compared to the Mac experience, I lack faith in Microsoft sticking the landing on making a true console OS for htpcs. If you had to wager a guess, do you see Steam OS becoming a viable option vs “Xbox Windows” for “htpc pc consoles?” I love my 4090, but am dying using windows on the tv. Let us pray the almighty messiah Jenson brings us to the rapture with Linux/SteamOS support. Much love from San Francisco!

Series Xistential Crisis

What’s up you professional video game analysts?! Long time follower/viewer. I’m often curious what headphones you guys wear and why you prefer them. Also, Rich…are you using (tucked into your shirt like a pro) the free pack-in Apple wired headphones, the ones they stopped packing in years ago? If so, why? If not, why not? Keep the content coming, I very much enjoy it.

André

I didn't even know they had a problem with him; In fact, I feared they didn't! I'm glad they do then, for the reasons outlined above.

André

Hey gents! Do you think it's likely we get a refresh of the 50 series with a new node? And, if so, do you think we'd also get a more power efficient (hopefully cheaper) 5090, or would NVIDIA stick to "Super"ing just the 60-80 lineup?

regawdless

Hello Foundry People! Star Wars Outlaws on Switch 2 impressed with RT effects and DLSS. With Nintendo being... well, Nintendo, how confident are you that we'll see first party games with a similar feature set? Zelda dungeons with nice RT lighting? Metroid with RT reflections?

Anna Rae

Hiya DF, will you be covering Digimon Time Stranger at all? It's certainly a big jump from their last game on Vita/PS4. From everything I could find I believe it's using a custom engine too. I think it would be great to learn more about this game and how their technology has evolved since Cybersleuth <3

Taggen86

How does geforce now currently compare to moonlight streaming in terms of iq and latency? Is this the time to abandon moonlight for geforce now?

WrongGPU

I can tell from your responses that you haven’t watched anything by him recently. I’ve noticed that he’s become more selective about sharing information, both about what he hears and when he does so.

Buzz Bee Spoke

Hey babes, at this point its pretty much the standard for games to use ai upscaling for image quality do you think it will become just as normal to do ai filters or even have them as integral parts of the render pipeline? A game would for example have basic geometry for the game logic and general composition of the scene as a baseline and then the ai would paint over that or refine it. The ai pass would basically draw from human made parameters and art.

Chicken Point

Greetings! Today, Sony confirmed in a wccftech article that FSR 4 features are on course to arrive on PS5 Pro in early 2026. I'm interested in the implications of this. Could it make it easier for developers to get the most out of the PS5 Pro? My idea is that if developers are already working with these features when porting to PC, that work will easily translate onto the Sony console, instead of the developers having to implement for PSSR totally independently from working on FSR. Do you think this is right? Another thought is about existing PS5 Pro ports, for example, Alan Wake 2. Suppose Remedy simply ignores the new features being added to PSSR. Would this mean the game would run exactly as it does now? Or might the game automatically run better? Or might it stop working? (Evidently, I have no knowledge of what it means to bring new "features" to a graphics card.) Cheers!

Anxiously Chrono Triggered

Hello Gentlemen! When do you think we’ll see the first PC handheld powered by an nVidia GPU? I guess it would have to be an ARM one. Or do you think it’s possible they have an agreement with Nintendo not to enter the market in the first 2-3 years of Switch 2? Cheers!

Anxiously Chrono Triggered

Dear DF crew! I love the idea of an anniversary event. Maybe there’s also a chance for a livestream with some multiplayer goodness for your supporters? Someone could admin and read you questions asked by the audience. Just an idea.

Horrordoc

How will PC gaming remain a viable platform when the price of admission for a serviceable (read: one that isn't absolute dreck) GPU is in the same range, if not same price, as an entire console? This is to say nothing of all the other components required. Perhaps I'm a pessimist, but the future is looking pretty grim when a "mid-range" PC costs north of $1000 USD. PC has always had a slightly higher buy-in, of course, but since the turn of the decade, it's gotten completely out of hand.

goregutz

Intel has added more games to its APO list with some impressive performance gains. What is APO? Why do such few games benefit from it and why does it take so long for games to be added to it? Can AMD make its own version so that games can better utilise it's 3D cache?

goregutz

Hi DF gentlemen! With rumours abounding of an imminent release of the Arc B770, is it too little too late for Intel? The GPU landscape is much different to what it was a year ago and prices seem to have settled. Is it even possible for Intel to succeed in an age where NVIDIA is seemingly unstoppable?

Alan

Hi Guys What are you most excited for at the Tokyo Games Show? Japan really seems to be where it's at currently with gaming, there are so many Japanese-esq inspired games at the moment! Will DF/John be able to cover it at all?

Alan

Hi Guys, So the Nintendo Direct, what are your thoughts on Metroid Prime: Beyond (if it's been shown/it's absence)?

DaJaCo (Dan)

"Prolific" Dan here, Lads..! With insider gaming reporting that the PS6 will with launch with the slim / Pro style removable modular disk drive, and also feature a "slimmer simplified console design" (compared to PS5) it seems like sony is focused on mitigating cost risks, which ties in with various leaks about the APU compared to magnus. Its good news for physical media luddites like myself, and should save John from an imminent paroxysm. However a burning question remains; how would you like them to handle games that launch on their portable AND the PS5 or PS6.. is it likely that only digital games will enable a floating licence, or do you think they'll have some system to allow phyical games to be played on either.. or will people have to double dip?

Pulec

Hi DorFs, jolly good weekend ahead. Related to G-Sync, how it compares to FreeSync/Adaptive Sync? I am confused about what display and with which GPU I am using which technology and what are the (if any) differences.

Series Xistential Crisis

Hey cloud gaming fanatics at Digital Foundry!! With the RRROOGG Ally X costing a small fortune and its competitors (Lenovo etc) priced about the same my handheld dreams feel more out of reach than ever. John gave a glowing review of the backbone pro a short while back and I’m reading good things about the Gamesir controllers. With 1440p all but guaranteed now, is streaming xbox/game(s)pass to my phone finally a viable alternative??

Brawler Yukon

Hello there! With Star Wars Outlaws punching well above its weight on Switch 2, presumably due to the console's raytracing grunt and the game's reliance on "forced RT", do we finally have an example that will get the haters to understand that RT is the future? When even hardware this outdated can make a current-gen game run and look this good with raytracing, why would anyone light a game the old way anymore? Between the gains on the dev side and the performance (see also: Doom: The Dark Ages - Switch 2 port when?), hopefully the anti-RT crowd is running out of legs to stand on.

CottonBird

Why did so many games on the N64 run at such low framerates? Was there something about the balance of hardware resources that incentivized this? (Similarly to how the CPU/GPU balance last Gen led encouraged 30Hz games)

Raffaele Vitti

Has anyone on the team ever had issues with Repetitive strain injuries? Also does anyone have worries about being able to continue enjoying games as they age?

Anxiously Chrono Triggered

Hi DF crew! Would a combination of Crisis and Turok be a match made in heaven for Alex? And for the rest of you, which two games would you combine to create your ideal one? Can be a combination of graphics, music, gameplay mechanics - anything really. Cheers!

Anxiously Chrono Triggered

Hi DF crew! Would a combination of Crisis and Turok be a match made in heaven for Alex in terms of graphics, mechanics, or anything else? And for the rest of you, which two games would you combine to create your ideal one? Cheers!

Anxiously Chrono Triggered

Hello gentlemen! What’s everyone’s “comfort game”. One that you come back to the most. Not because you need to for DF videos (ie Judder Survivor) but because you feel like playing it. Cheers!

Jay Fischetti

So uh...Panzer Dragoon Zwei Remake. Yeah.

Natiq İsmayılzadə

Greetings from Baku! Do you think artificial intelligence will one day be used for game porting? For example, if we give AI all the information about a PS4 game and the device, can it port the game?

digitalfoundry

I did based on the angle of my wrists when typing on a laptop. I healed by not using a laptop for writing and buying a vertical mouse. No impact to gaming!

digitalfoundry

50 Series Super will be on 4nm just like normal 50 Series! Expect it in 2026.

digitalfoundry

Just using random white earbuds bought from a shop.

Octolimar

Greeting founders! What sorts of switch 2 upgrades do you want to see that have not yet happened? There's seems to be headroom for more than double the framerate/resolution compared to switch 1 which begs fhe questions why we haven't seen any 120fps modes for older games. I drool at the thought of splatoon 3 at a smooth 120 with mouse controls, or metroid dread at 120 with proper HDR to complement its contrasty visuals. Thoughts on this.

Draft Orange

With the Lenovo Legion Go 2 and Xbox ROG Ally X around the corner, would it be possible to see a comparative analysis of the two devices when they come out? (i.e. battery, weight, performance, ergonomic design, including the comfort experienced during handling).

DaJaCo (Dan)

The great thing about Judder Survivor is that everyone who plays it can truly become a Judder Survivor. This cannot be said for becoming a Jedi, so arguably that was much less immersive.

DaJaCo (Dan)

Ray Tracey approves of this comment.

DaJaCo (Dan)

It relied on a small pool of high latency unified memory which even the CPU couldn't access directly, creating more latency (4MB RDRAM). The fact that they added the expansion port for future doubling of the memory, suggests they knew it was a major bottleneck from the beginning. It also had a very small texture cache, and a reputation for not being very developer friendly.

DaJaCo (Dan)

I'm a bit worried about it being cross-gen / that holding it back. I'm sure it'll be a great game anyway, but it's a shame it's cross-gen.

DaJaCo (Dan)

We should have a whip around and get him a pair of Sony IER-Z1R with their beautiful zirconium alloy shells, tough to beat their combination of audio quality and build quality (I use them daily with a Fiio BTR17 and LDAC / Tidal Lossless).

DaJaCo (Dan)

The other related question here - could an updated version of DLSS which included ray reconstruction, be added by the developer of a game as part of it's code - or would Nintendo need to do a firmware update in order to enable it?

(Don’t be a) Richard

Now that Bubsy: The Purrrfect Collection is out on consoles, how is the team finding time to do anything but live and breath Bubsy? How is Audi Sorlie feeling about the release too given his involvement. Will we get any specials covering what went into it?

(Don’t be a) Richard

Does Ollie have any plans to pick up a new iPhone 17 Pro or Air, and would he be up to retesting a few of the demanding titles that suffered from throttling in the past now that Apple has made steps to improve device thermals. In theory the devices should be able to sustain performance for longer on these models.

DaJaCo (Dan)

Re9 confirmed to be launching on Switch 2 - is this the next true "Impossible Port" after Star Wars Outlaws.. and will it have ray tracing that is not totally butchered.. ? Maybe at 30fps.. Maybe.. ?

André

No 😔

André

Poor Followorse

Speedworth

Can’t wait for the borderlands 4 analysis 😂 5800x3d 4090 32gb ram Running it at 4k and it’s such a stutterfest

Pol Arbequina

The best HTPC setup right now is something that boots with the default SteamOS big picture mode, which I have been running and I'm happy with. Bazzite is by far the easiest option to set that up if you want to. You can also use your 4090 there, but it will require a bit more setup and expect to have to navigate through some challenges. In my opinion though, Nvidia will never support gaming on a Linux system at the level they do for Windows. So expect to never see the latest features there. I think the best option is hope that AMD and Intel will one day offer something that satisfies your needs. Perhaps Windows will surprise us one day, but I would not count on it

Succulent Chinese Meal

With the slow down in process nodes, and the rise in associated GPU costs, does Digital Foundry (all of you insightful blokes) see the future of gaming, as cloud based stream services?

Succulent Chinese Meal

Do you see a future where engines like UE6 will "break the camel’s back" and players start to genuinely demand for and act for better player experiences over better graphical features? I see reviews being left on modern games, like Borderlands 4, et al., about performance, crashes, and optimisation but developers and publishers still seem to be releasing game after game with these issues. Is it actually a problem or is it simply a noisy minority and things are historically normal?

10 Watts Raytracing

Hi gents! Why do you think the switch 2 games have physical release dates that much delayed compared to their digital versions? Theory crafting here: I wishfully think that nintendo finally offers smaller and more affordable capacity cartridges, for these games like Hades 2 that does not need petabytes of assets. Maybe they were just late in providing supply chains for their smaller cartridges, but had it planned since the beginning?

Jeremiah

Not a question, but rather a shout out to Oliver for using the word “cromulent.” This noble spirit was embiggened by his comment.

The Portugeezer

What do you guys think about major publishers patenting gameplay mechanics, like Warner Bros.’ Nemesis System or Nintendo’s unique mechanics. Do you see this as a genuine threat to innovation in game design, or is it more of a symbolic/legal move that rarely affects how games are actually made? Obrigado! PS: this is related to the latest patent given to Nintendo this week.

Chicken Point

I have some issues to raise about the Nemesis System patent. (I tried to read the patent document, but struggled to understand it). I think it is unclear which game design mechanics, exactly, are protected by the patent. It is widely reported that the patent protects the "Nemesis System". But, how do we know what that actually means, in terms of specific gameplay mechanics, unless a legal expert (or someone capable of understanding the document) boils it down to plain English? (Maybe it's easy to understand, and I'm just dense? Very possible.) It could be that the patent is extremely specific, in which case, developers are free to make games featuring the mechanics that gamers actually care about (e.g., enemies "remembering" interactions with the player). But, it might just be easier for developers to avoid having to worry about being sufficiently different from the patent. Or, the patent may have no real impact on what developers make. Would be interested to hear if DF have anything to say about the issues I've raised!

BespokeEP

For disc based games on the handheld, what I hope and think Sony will do is if you have a PS4/5/6, you can pair the handheld to the console and when you pop a disc into the home console, there will be an option to install to handheld, and a special license digital version will install. Then similar to how they handle you playing PSPlus games offline, you will be required to pair the handheld to the console with the disc in the drive once a week to prove that you still own it or access will get locked. It seems like an easy system to enable considering they already technically have it. And if you no longer own any of the home consoles, maybe the handheld dock will have the ability to attach a disc drive to it and you just need to dock the system once a week with the disc in

DaJaCo (Dan)

That would be the ideal scenario, I just don't know how likely it is.