Digital Foundry Direct Weekly

In the wake of Steam Machine pricing and sharp Xbox MSRP increases, are we looking at the prospect of a $1000 next-gen console? John, Rich and Oliver discuss. Meanwhile, in the current climate, how can you save money on gaming hardware? Is GTA 6 in danger of being the most over-hyped game ever? And if time travel were available, how could the current Xbox crisis have been averted?00:00 Introduction00:51 News 1: How does the gaming industry survive recent hardware price bumps?24:54 News 2: What’s your advice for saving money on gaming hardware?33:44 News 3: How is John feeling after the GTA 6 code-in-a-box fiasco?42:11 News 4: Is GTA 6 the most overhyped game ever?46:57 News 5: If you could time travel, how would you fix Xbox?55:28 News 6: What’s the future of the Steam Machine? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oliver, Rich and Tom discuss GTA 6. Are the 63 new screenshots indicative of actual gameplay? What about the "code in a box" situation? Are the latest PS5 Pro rumours plausible? Meanwhile, the panel is shocked by the huge Xbox price rises, somewhat more positive about FSR 4 arriving on RDNA 3 GPUs, and there's a full breakdown of Sonic Frontiers for Switch 2. And finally, SteamOS can now power a range of desktop PC hardware - but wasn't Bazzite doing that already?0:00:00 Introduction 0:02:37 News 1: New GTA 6 assets, details released 0:32:43 News 2: AI-driven price rises hit Xbox, Apple0:45:52 News 3: FSR 4.1 released for RDNA 3 GPUs0:57:50 News 4: SteamOS 3.8 supports wide range of AMD PCs1:05:53 News 5: Sonic Frontiers tested on Switch 2! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Actual GTA 6 news - and a new clip - see John, Tom and Oliver "concerned" over missing RT reflections. Then it's onto Unreal Fest with discussion on the latest Unreal Engine 5 upgrades and the implications of AI in Unreal Engine 6 workflow. The Gears of War: E-Day tech demo demands attention, while John gets to grips with a staggeringly expensive VR headset. And would you believe it's been a whole five years since we published our massive PS1 launch episode of DF Retro? John's got some stories to share.0:00:00 Introduction0:02:33 News 1: Rockstar releases new GTA 6 footage0:11:10 News 2: Unreal Engine 5.8 demonstrated at Unreal Fest0:31:10 News 3: Epic reveals new Unreal Engine 6 details0:39:41 News 4: New PS5 8TB SSD costs nearly $30000:45:20 News 5: Call of Duty Black Ops 1 and 2 being ported to PlayStation0:50:49 News 6: John tests Pimax Dream Air1:03:56 Retrospective: looking back on DF Retro PS1 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The team is left reeling after reports emerge of studios on the brink within Microsoft - a far cry from the highs of the summer showcase and previous comments from management about preserving their studio structure. Meanwhile, we discuss ARM's new ML rendering suite, the potential return of the previously cancelled RTX 50-series Super cards and... is Sega working on a retro handheld and if so, what would we want from it?00:00 Introduction00:48 Supporter Q1: What’s going on at Xbox?21:08 Supporter Q2: Will Xbox become the next 3DO?29:35 Supporter Q3: What do you think of ARM’s new AI rendering suite?36:44 Supporter Q4: What should we expect from the 50 series Super cards?44:00 Supporter Q5: What does Intel and Nvidia’s GPU collaboration mean for Arc?49:35 Supporter Q6: Is Sega working on a new retro handheld? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nintendo Direct rounds off the big summer gaming events and... well, it's a mixed bag for sure. What have we learned about the Ocarina of Time Remake? How well are the third party ports holding up? John, Rich and Oliver have some thoughts on that before moving on to reactions to the 30 minute Fable gameplay demo. Meanwhile, Nintendo is planning a new Switch 2 revision with a replaceable battery and... somehow, the RTX 3060 has returned.0:00:00 Introduction 0:02:12 News 1: Nintendo Direct: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 0:09:29 Xenoblade Genesis, Xenoblade 1-3 Switch 2 Editions0:17:40 Kingdom Hearts 4, Kingdom Hearts 1-3 0:22:21 Third party games: Dragon’s Dogma 2, Onimusha, Metaphor Refantazio, Space Marine 2, The Duskbloods, Devil May Cry 5, Rise of the Tomb Raider 0:35:47 News 2: Fable previewed in 30 minute demo 0:42:55 News 3: Switch 2 gets easily repairable EU edition 0:50:46 News 4: Is the RTX 3060 coming back? 1:03:51 Retrospective: Five years of FSR 1 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our audience has questions, we've got answers - but first, the team gets to grips with the contents of Asha Sharma and Matt Booty's Xbox Reset memo. Beyond that, is Xbox console exclusivity the best route forward? Should Valve update Steam Machine specs? Will God of War Laufey get a massive PS6 enhancement? It's a big show and there's still more to discuss beyond that.00:00 Introduction01:00 What should we make of Asha Sharma’s “XBOX Reset?”21:40 Supporter Q1: Will exclusives be enough to save Xbox?27:47 Supporter Q2: Should Valve scrap Steam Machine for something more powerful?33:44 Supporter Q3: Could God of War Laufey feature RTGI on PS6?37:44 Supporter Q4: Are mainstream CPUs good enough for modern games?44:18 Supporter Q5: Has the Series S secretly saved Switch 2? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Taped before we produced our Xbox Showcase coverage, it's John, Rich and Oliver at their respective microphones to discuss all the big games at the recent Summer Game Fest. Geoff came good - as this excellent line-up of titles reveals. 0:00:00 Introduction0:02:28 Final Fantasy 7 Revelation0:10:35 Resident Evil Veronica0:19:20 Stellar Blade: Blood Rain0:24:35 Mighty Cuphead Adventures0:29:25 Alien Isolation 20:33:21 Gen Atlas0:40:23 Clutch0:45:12 Crossfire0:52:42 Virtua Fighter Crossroads0:58:14 Other games: Haex, Star Wars Galactic Racer, 1666 Amsterdam, Star Wars Zero Company, Hot Wheels Infinite Rush, Guild Wars 3, Super Yooka-Laylee Kart Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Another packed Direct Q+A show sees Oliver, Rich and Alex getting to grips with high-end graphics: are they actually worth it and are technological advances worth pushing? Meanwhile, can Switch 2 last for the 6-7 years Nintendo wants it to - or will next-gen consoles make it obsolete for multi-platform titles? All this and more in the new Direct Q+A Show. 00:00 Introduction 00:53 Supporter Q1: Is the high end PC experience really worth it? Should we stop pushing top-tier visuals in general? 11:07 Supporter Q2: Will we have to wait years for a SWOLED 2? What should we make of Nintendo’s reported increase in R&D spend? 19:44 Supporter Q3: Can Switch 2 handle another 6 or 7 years of cross-gen software? 24:46 Supporter Q4: Given inflation, isn’t it true that gaming hardware today is relatively cheap? 31:02 Supporter Q5: Could Microsoft ship a version of Windows for Xbox Series? 35:36 Supporter Q6: Will Project Helix hardware prove tempting for AI users? 39:09 Supporter Q7: Is PC emulation on Android ready for prime time? 44:04 Supporter Q8: What would you do in 2026 with an old 10-series PC? 49:17 Supporter Q9: How much does Oliver cut out of DF Direct every week? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.