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Call For Questions For DF Direct Weekly #244 (Patreon)

Published:
2025-12-12 07:43:24
Edited:
2025-12-12 08:04:13
Imported:
2025-12

Content

Hi everyone and welcome to the extremely late call for questions post for the latest Direct. Content is pretty straightforward! We'll be giving our verdict on the new announcements from The Game Awards before moving on to the big news topics of the week.

Rich will be talking about Cloudberry Kingdom, a small indie remaster that also happens to include the first functional PS3 emulator for PlayStation 5. We'll also be discussing news that Call of Duty is getting a bit of re-think from Activision - likely in the wake of disappointing Black Ops releases. Initial thoughts: Alex talks frame-pacing on FSR Redstone frame generation, while Oliver shares his impressions of Skyrim on Switch 2.

Finally, Microsoft is talking of big improvements for Windows - but what do we want to see?

Feel free to chime in with your thoughts on the topics of the day and, of course, to pose your questions for the team. It'll be Rich, Oliver and Alex on the panel. We'll be taping the Q+A section later today, but please try to have your input ready by 1pm GMT.

Files

Comments

Alexander Zyryanov

Hello exclamation pointers. Do you think PS6 will start an era of double-cross gen with games been simultaneously released for PS4, PS5 and PS6? Cheers!

regawdless

Hello Gents! With all the beloved "Yeeees Rich" harmony, what gaming opinion and tech preference disagreements do you guys have, what makes you go "Noooo Rich"? Cheers

Tony Capecci

With all of the games you guys need to consume for your jobs, surely you must have some personal preferences of games or genres. What are your guilty pleasures or the kinds of games that you will cozy up with on a cold or rainy day?

Pomps

What's up! Any of you guys getting tired of the cg trailers? I was hoping for SOME gameplay for the new larian game, but was massively disappointed that we only saw the prerendered scene. Just wanted your thoughts on this. Maybe it's just me, but I don't feel super short teasers work as well as they do for other media like movie trailers VS videogames. It's hard to get excited when you know NOTHING besides the dev behind it. I felt very similarly with the Witcher 4 reveal as well.

Ryan H

I noticed the speakers in John’s background have changed. Are those new Kef Reference 1s or something else?

Pomps

For some reason I imagine John would be the type of guy to play turok 1

Having an AI-neurysm

The new Mega Man game will be releasing in 2027… on PS4. Will last-gen ever die?

TheAdam

Hi DF Masters. 6 months switch 2, whats your verdict? What are the good, the bad and the ugly here? Enjoy the holidays and thanks for 2025 and all your efforts! And have a great and healthy 2026!

Ian

Christmas greetings foundryers. Do you think valve will find a way to bake FSR 4 into SteamOS for steam machine?

Michael Pearn

Happy holidays DF crew! Will anyone take a look at the FSR4 release on Clair Obscur? It won the most numbers of “Geoffs”, will it win the upscaling award too?

Songmin Lee

Hello DF! Recently I upgraded to a miniLED monitor only to find out that VA panel monitors also suffer from VRR flicker. This caught me off guard because I always thought this was only a thing for OLED displays. As a result anything involves low frame compensation is pretty much unusable. I'm satisfied with other aspects of the monitor (mainly how bright it gets) so I'm not returning it but it's disappointing nonetheless. I was wondering if any of the DF crew have similar problems with your displays and if there's any way to somehow mitigate the flicker, and finally, if this is an unsolvable problem that is inherent to the technology. I think this is a problem worth talking about especially considering it can be triggered by something like traversal stutter or shader compilation stutter which a lot of contemporary releases have.

Pomps

I mean if it's on switch 1 why wouldn't they release it on PS4. They would just be leaving money on the table

RagingWhisky

With the rampocalypse in full swing, and the blast radius impacting anything that requires memory of any modern flavour - do we all go buy embedded ram APUs and pre-builts? Steam Machine D.O.A. without Valve sucking up the cost? Should we just write this generation of hardware off, as with the years of GPU-geddon that had only stated to normalise this year?

Skyrimfest 26 FPS Edition

I am no fan of gacha games, but Wuthering Waves won the Player's Choice award and the revenues they generate seem to underpin the industry. Even Nintendo has dabbled in the genre. Should us 'core gamers' start taking this part of the market more seriously?

The Phantomnaut

While multiplayer games with anti-cheat are one of the obvious hurdles of games on Linux compatibility, what about those with more nuanced issues? My use case being the single player game Left Alive where it crashes trying to load the starting FMV regardless of Proton or Proton GE version I run it on. While it’s easy to say “it’s a bad game so don’t play it,” it ultimately deserves the ability to be played. I am sure there are more games victim to more arbitrary issues. With more people going from Windows to Linux as well as those planning to get the Steam Machine, there’s the expectation that their non-anti cheat games will work fine. What if some of the incompatible games never gets a fix? Is this a setup for a small disaster?

MattGPT

I did not watch the Geoffs but have read through the results this morning and I think that it is great to see Clair Obscur win so many awards as it is thoroughly deserved even if there are games that I personally enjoyed more this year (Death Stranding 2 being a game I absolutely loved). However what was interesting was some of the new announcements, of the new games for me the stand out is SW:FotOR, Divinity (even if both are likely going to be 2027 at the earliest) and now having a release date for Pragmata, what new announcements interested you the most, both for enjoyment and for something you really want to get your teeth into technically?

MattGPT

I hope that with the announcement of "major improvements to Windows" we might see some actual improvements rather than regression, but I remain largely sceptical based on MS's previous claims and their almost complete apathy to DirectX over the last five years. What I would really like to see is the ability to install Windows without any of the OneDrive or CoPilot crud, I know I can disable/remove it which I do but it does seem to reinstall itself every few updates. Would it also benefit most users to have a level of back compatibility in Widows removed, or at least limited, to allow a more streamlined modern underpinning to the OS, with some of that moved to an emulator or a VM?

Kaveh PG

I had a dream that TOTK got a Steam release (But not BOTW) and I dream the future often. The only evidence I have for this is the dire need for Bayonetta 2 and 3 on PC. If you would have told me TLOU would be on PC in the 2020s I would have been skeptical too, but do you think Nintendo could do the same thing as Sony?

Vassil M

Have you had a chance to try the Xbox full screen experience on PC? Is it a plausible alternative to Steam big picture?

Someguyperson

_ Richard Baby (TM) _ 🎵🎵🎵 Richard baby, slip a GPU under the tree for me I've been an awfully good girl Richard baby, and hurry down the chimney tonight Richard baby, an independent website too, not in blue I'll wait up for you dear Richard baby, and hurry down the chimney tonight Think of all the fun I've missed Think of all the stutters that I haven't missed Next year I could be oh, so good If you'd check off my Christmas list Boo doo bee doo Richard honey, I want DF Retro videos A lot I've been an angel all year Richard baby, and hurry down the chimney tonight Richard cutie, there's just one thing I really do need, the deed To some Nvidia stock Richard cutie, and hurry down the chimney tonight Richard baby, fill my stocking with PC benchmarks and Decks Show me those bad frametimes Richard baby, and hurry down the chimney tonight Come and trim my Christmas tree With some decorations bought at Amazon I really do believe in you Let's see if you believe in me Boo doo bee doo Richard baby, forgot to mention one little thing, a ring I know Sonic has plenty Richard baby, and hurry down the chimney tonight Hurry down the chimney tonight Hurry down the chimney tonight 🎵🎵🎵 P.S. - Absolutely no AI was used to create this, so you'll have to blame me for 100% of this

Andrew Barker

Hello DF overlords, with all the talk of a PS3 emulator for PS5 do you think Xbox might consider porting it's back compat software over to PS5 to release specific classic Xbox/Xbox 360 games over to Sony's console for release on PSN?

Jonathan Thomassen

Do you think the rising memory costs is going to lead to vendors making a bigger push for Unified Memory Architecture on desktop PC where we will start to see products for more enthusiast users as well?

Bryan

Hi DF Crew, after watching the game awards, would like to ask the crew here, am I the weird one for not liking Clair Obscur? After playing like 8 hours of the game, I feel the graphics and animation looks weird, the music getting annoying after a while, and I got lost too many times in a level. Do the crew think it is a reflective of the tendency of "game reviewers" crowding to a single point of view or single game to promote at all cost for some weird reason, or just me being weird for not "following the crowd". With so many developer bonuses nowadays tying to Metacritic or Awards, just wish the awards can spread a bit more to more games so more developers can have a joyful upcoming holiday as well. What are the crew thoughts on this?

wildwildwesty

Hi gents. It feels like we’re heading towards a gaming tech performance plateau: skyrocketing RAM prices, RTX 50-series refresh cancellation rumours, a void from Nvidia on feature releases (after the previous progress with DLSS, ray reconstruction, etc.), and of course a new Steam Machine with just 8GB of VRAM. Linking that to last week’s Witcher chat: if CDPR are aiming at a six-year trilogy timeline and building the foundations up front, with engine and assets to be reused, and if Witcher 4 releases at the end of this console gen, doesn’t that mean Witcher 6 will be “current gen shaped” even halfway into the next gen? Despite the gloomy sounding speculation, is this a rare moment for budget gamers to rejoice? Maybe sitting on AM4 based rigs with optimised settings could see us well up to the PS7 era?

scud

Hey guys, I really loved the deep dive on snow and was wondering if you'd consider doing one for rain? I have a slight obsession with rain in games and think there's a ton to dig into there. Everything from MGS2 really capturing what rain feels like (as opposed to just throwing a bunch of grey stripes on the screen), all the way up to the rain particle effects in AC Shadows, where streams of drops from rooftops flick with the wind and leave splashes where they actually hit the ground. There have been so many different approaches over the decades and I'd love to see you break them down. Cheers, and happy holidays!

Fowler is God

Hi gents. Why so much uproar for 8gb vram on the stream deck? I've just added an Rx 7600 to a sff pc for a 2nd TV at 60hz 1080p and it's perfect. Decent settings in all games and more often than not, medium settings is absolutely fine here. Valve have their stats and maybe medium and not the best settings is fine for the masses?

Renan

Most game announcements at Game Awards didn’t have a Switch 2 version, Tomb Raider games being particular highlights for me. Is this just a matter of time? Or do you think the gracing period is over and we’re back to “Nintendo console is for Nintendo games only” philosophy? What do you expect for 3rd party support on Switch 2 in the future? Thanks for the great content every week!

what does dog need with a starship?

hello digital foundry men, i had an interesting experience playing the ROG xbox ally x at a store recently and was dismayed at how bad the graphics were! one of the games setup for play was street fighter 6 and was shocked to see it running at what looked like sub 30fps and at a horrible resolution that would make me want look for prescription glasses. what im getting at is, what does xbox think they are going to get from a product like this with prices double the switch 2 but worse graphics? maybe i was just holding it wrong, or they have an issue with optimized games, or maybe i should have opened task manager beforehand and closed some apps, but this doesn’t seem to bode well for the brand… i’m curious if in your testing you ever experienced anything like this on the ROG ally xbox x? (ps. did i get that in the right order?)

Eric Benoit

Morning DF, I forgot my Netflix password again, when i went to get my verification code at Outlook they said my emails were locked because i had too much storage on One Drive. I had to clear storage to get my emails but now every game i run on Steam crashes, im sure i inadvertently deleted vital folders to run Steam. Im sure i can just reinstall everything again, but you know what? I unplugged my PC and will wait for the Steam Machine. Whatever price difference there is to building my own PC i will categorize as the price to get Windows out of my life! My pc is old so its still an upgrade i think (I7-875k RTX 3060 12GB). How did windows get so bad?

FrametimeSommelier

Do you think The Game Awards should start adding per‑trailer content warnings for material that goes beyond standard M‑rated violence? The show had a general disclaimer at the start, but the Larian trailer this year crossed into genuinely disturbing territory. It caught a lot of viewers off guard, including my 10‑year‑old son who loves games and was allowed to stay up for the show. I expected some video‑game violence, but this was on a completely different level. Wouldn’t contextual warnings directly before the most graphic trailers be a reasonable solution? Seems like they really don't want to be a family event.....

DaJaCo (Dan)

Happy Half Fortnight Lads! Looking at the broad plethora of releases shown at the Game Awards, what is your "big picture impression" of the general direction of the industry? To me there looks to be a real mixture of scope / budgets, with some really great and exciting titles, but perhaps a little too many "me too", "safe bets"; which risk being total flops. P.S. Go On Lads, did you get the top secret screening of Half Life 3?

CABBAC

After the Keighley's, have you all decided what your favourite non-gameplay trailer of the show was because everyone loves non-gameplay trailers?

CABBAC

Yes, it's in the terms and conditions.

CABBAC

Hello Digital men. With the big three now officially up ended by the hugely successful Nex Playground, when can we expect the first Digital Foundry deep dive into this stunning console to arrive? Should all 10 Xbox Series owners now sell their consoles and buy a Nex Playground instead to experience the future?

Blahshead

Hello DF Crew! New subscriber here and very happy to support everything you guys do. The new DF forums have got me reminiscing about the early- to mid-aughts, when forums were much more commonplace and could be found for almost any niche (before Reddit and web 2.0 came along and ruined all of that). I loved forums back then because they provided a much greater sense of community, and I hope the DF forums are a huge success! What forums did you frequent back in those days, and do you miss that era of the web? Cheers from Chicago.

Blahshead

I myself used to frequent RazetheWorld (and later Tek Syndicate) as well as a handful of young adult fantasy and video game forums like Shurtugal and Harvest Moon Otaku (I loved Harvest Moon). I wonder if anyone here was a member of any of those too!

Will Means

Hello, what do you think of doing an interview with a dev or a deep dive into stacks like proton, dxvk, and even FEX (though it might be a it early for that)? As a non-game systems developer, technologies are fascinating and it would be very neat to hear what parts of these systems were more or less difficult than expected.

Succulent Chinese Meal

G'day Gents. As the gaming market enters a less ideal period, what aspects of the market can you highlight, or give positive affirmations for/to, hardware or software wise? Take it Sleazy!

Levander Davis

Did you ever adjust the settings? Since it’s technically the PC version running, there should be kids if ways to adjust it (just like in the Steam Deck and other handled PC devices).

Levander Davis

This demands to be sung live on the podcast!

what does dog need with a starship?

nope, just picked it up as-is and played it for a bit.... obviously its able to do much better cause i remember playing forza on the original ROG ally and it was much better experience so idk

Yannis Panagiotidis

Hello gentlemen. New subscriber. Please keep on doing your amazing work. Games journalism is in dire need of quality reporting with integrity, like yours. Off to my question: do you think the platform holder's push to an all digital future, for higher margins, has hurt the growth of the traditional console market? The success of the Nex Playground makes me think how few retailers/stores there are in the world who carry/push to sell physical video games nowadays. Making me think there are less opportunities to get non console gamers exposed to brand new and interesting entertainment experiences in physical stores. Experiences that converted them to gamers. Think of people being exposed to the arcades of the 80s,the first 3d racing and sports games that made the PS1 so popular, Tetris on the game boy, eye toy, Wii sports, etc.

Afro_Physicist_314

A thought about the steam machine . I understand the concerns about the hardware and price . Could Geforce Now be a great equalizer ? Sure it costs more money, but I know people who use GeForce now on steam deck for better graphics and performance. Some even connect their steam deck to a monitor . I’m just wondering do you think GeForce now is valuable and will increase the life expectancy of the steam machine and steam deck ?

zephyr

Hi DF team! With Clair Obscur hoovering up all of the game awards could this be a sign of smaller, more AA games becoming a more dominate force in the gaming industry? If high quality games can be made quicker and with a smaller budget, it seems like it will be a win for everyone!

Bulbous_Bow

More Happy Alex Corner please!

Blahshead

My two cents there is: at that point, you don't even need a steam deck or a steam machine. I think android handheld (even some cheap ones) can game stream really well as long as you have an SOC with a modern decoder.

Jasper

DF gentlemen, did you see the HDR update for Switch 2?

Salman

Just a comment instead of a question this week. Underwhelming game awards broadcast.

Orange Generator

What are your honest emotional gut feelings about how 2026 is shaping up to be regarding the health of the PC/tech hardware industry and the direction it is going in? It doesn't need to be doomer either, just what do you want to see and what do you see actually happening. I am hyped for Valve hardware and delving even more into Linux with the help of SteamOS on the Deck.

HarryB

Alex’s thoughts on FSR Redstone? Frame gen seems to have serious issues.

Karl_Zimmer_

Hello Foundry friends, cheers to a happy new year and great year of technology and games! I'm curious, do we have an opportunity to talk games with the best art style? I feel graphic technology has hit a peak for the foreseeable future, RAM has a steep price increase, amongst other hardware challenges leading to the Steamframe and Switch 2 defining minimum spec for games. I think it's time for less tech, and more passion, art if you will. Games that run like a dream or just look darn good on common hardware. Games that come to mind are Cyberpunk, Kirby Air Riders, Yotei, Elden Ring Nightreign, KCD2 to name a handful. Would love to see a breakdown of more modern games that push optimization and style, such as Elden Ring, because we all know it's not well optimized, yet it's still a jaw dropper from an overall graphics perspective.

Jimmy Joe McGurl

Hello venerable DF team!! I have noticed when using the Switch 2's Game Chat feature, specifically in docked mode, that the framerate of some games, as well as the Switch 2 homescreen seems to be cut in half! Have you noticed this or tested/posted about it anywhere? When trying to search this online you can only find information about the low framerate of the screenshare feature, and while I understand why that would make sense, what I'm seeing is that while only using audio, from both my Switch 2, as well as my girlfriend's Switch 2 over gamechat (again, no screen sharing active), my homescreen was scrolling at what looks like 30fps, and Apex Legends went from 60fps, to what appeared to be a consistent 30fps. I'm noticing this in docked mode, playing at 1080p 60fps on an FW900 CRT (shoutouts John!) and I'm in the Gamechat's full screen mode. Within a few seconds you can see the framerate double in real time on Apex when you close Gamechat. Thanks for any insights into this and for all the wonderful, bespoke content throughout the years!

Jimmy Joe McGurl

For posterity, I'll also note that I'm using a Pro controller with a headset plugged in, not that this SHOULD affect anything, but you never know.. also tested and can confirm Celeste was at half the framerate as well, and that shouldn't be a demanding title for Switch 2 by any means