Digital Foundry is a leading authority on gaming technology and performance, and in this regular podcast, the team sits down to discuss the latest news and take...
DF Direct Weekly #199: Forza Horizon PS5, Next-Gen Xbox Hints, Spider-Man 2 PC, Nvidia Smooth Motion
Join Rich, Alex and Oliver for another huge Direct, covering off the 'no red lines' Xbox news and the Forza Horizon 5 PS5 announcement, hints from Phil Spencer about next-gen Xbox, along with early impressions on Marvel's Spider-Man 2 on PC. Meanwhile, the team field questions about the controversial RTX 5080 release, while Alex tests out the surprise new feature - Nvidia Smooth Motion. Finally, Oliver is very, very excited about DeepSeek - but does it spell the end of Nvidia's AI dominance?
0:00:00 Introduction
0:01:00 News 1: Forza Horizon 5 headed to PS5
0:12:04 News 2: Phil Spencer: Xbox hardware will be the differentiator
0:30:37 News 3: Spider-Man 2 PC disappoints
0:44:44 News 4: RTX 5080 review reaction
1:11:48 News 5: Nvidia Smooth Motion adds frame gen on all games
1:18:46 News 6: DeepSeek R1 LLM impresses!
1:32:51 Supporter Q1: Does AMD have a big opportunity with the RX 9070 series?
1:40:31 Supporter Q2: Is there a risk in shipping console hardware ML acceleration too early?
1:45:00 Supporter Q3: What kind of techniques do you think will be accelerated by ML in the future?
1:51:02 Supporter Q4: Should GPU reviewers test different upscalers at “equivalent image quality” settings?
1:55:28 Supporter Q5: What would Apple need to do to compete in AAA gaming?
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2:06:05
DF Direct Weekly #198: Doom The Dark Ages Reaction, Xbox Developer_Direct, RTX 5090 Reaction!
As we close in on the 200th edition of DF Direct Weekly - where we currently have no special plans whatsoever - Alex, Oliver and Rich discuss Microsoft's brilliant Xbox Developer_underscore_Direct, and get highly excited about Doom: The Dark Ages, before moving on to discuss the reaction to the RTX 5090 reviews, the problems of GPU reviewing, Sony's baffling live services strategy - and the mysterious delay of AMD's RDNA 4 cards.
0:00:00 Introduction
0:00:56 News 1: Developer Direct 2025 - Doom: The Dark Ages
0:17:36 Ninja Gaiden 4
0:22:54 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
0:27:55 South of Midnight
0:32:38 News 2: RTX 5090 review reaction
1:14:39 News 3: Radeon 9070 cards arriving in March
1:27:53 News 4: Sony cancels Bluepoint and Bend Studios live service games
1:36:27 Supporter Q1: Could the Switch 2 pack unanticipated custom hardware?
1:42:18 Supporter Q2: Will GTA 6 cost $100 US?
1:48:11 Supporter Q3: Should the PS5 Pro be supported with new games for longer than the PS5?
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2:04:49
DF Direct Weekly #197 - Nintendo Switch 2 Reaction - New Hardware, Mario Kart 9, Back Compat + More!
Nintendo Switch 2 has finally been revealed in a somewhat detail-light two minute presentation, showcasing renders of the new hardware, some details on backwards compatibility and a teaser for what may well be Mario Kart 9. John, Rich and Oliver sit down after the reveal and discuss the reveal - along with some intriguing leaks about the clock speeds of the main processor.
0:00:00 Introduction
0:01:12 Switch 2 hardware
0:16:42 New Mario Kart analysis
0:28:32 Only partial backwards compatibility?
0:36:44 Rumoured Switch 2 clockspeeds
0:47:52 Supporter Q1: Can Switch 2 use transformer model DLSS?
0:50:32 Supporter Q2: Can DLSS salvage Switch 2’s output on 4K screens?
0:52:19 Supporter Q3: Will Nintendo release performance patches for Switch 1 games on Switch 2?
0:58:21 Final Switch 2 thoughts and impressions
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1:05:53
DF Direct Special: Inside Nvidia RTX 50-Series: Tech Deep Dive, AI, Features, Specs + More
The embargo has lifted on the Editor's Day material Nvidia shared with the press during CES 2025. In this DF Direct Special, Oliver and Alex share their thoughts on the architectural improvements to the RTX 50-series cards, the laptops, the new AI features, DLSS 4, price and projected performance.
0:00:00 Introduction
0:01:08 Blackwell architecture: Blackwell SM design
0:03:39 Updated Tensor Core and RT Core
0:09:37 AI Management Processor and Max Q power management
0:15:13 Display Engine and video encode/decode
0:18:32 Hardware specs: RTX 5080 and 5090
0:29:16 RTX 5070 and 5070 Ti
0:34:23 RTX 50 Series laptops
0:40:14 RTX Software: Neural Shaders
0:44:24 SER 2.0
0:47:06 RTX Mega Geometry
0:50:15 RTX Hair
0:53:13 Neural Radiance Cache
0:55:58 RTX Skin
0:58:01 DLSS 4: Super Resolution, Ray Reconstruction, Frame Generation
1:06:18 Generative AI demos
1:10:03 Wrap up discussion: RTX 50 series price and performance
1:17:36 Nvidia’s software package and features
1:22:38 How should we review graphics hardware?
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1:30:05
DF Direct Weekly #196 - CES 2025 Special! - Nvidia, AMD, Intel Highlights - DLSS 4 + More!
Yes, it's true - not only do Oliver and Alex have full torsos and legs but they have now actually met in person at CES 2025! The duo discuss their reactions to the Nvidia keynote and the RTX demos that excited them the most before moving on sharing further impressions on their AMD, Intel, Asus and Razer visits. Also, the pair's critical eyes land upon the latest generation of displays showcased at the show.
0:00:00 Introduction
0:01:47 Nvidia CES demos - RTX Mega Geometry
0:14:25 RTX Neural Materials
0:21:24 RTX Neural Faces and RTX Hair
0:31:37 ReStir Path Tracing + Mega Geometry
0:36:49 Black State with DLSS 4
0:42:47 Alan Wake 2 with DLSS 4
0:46:01 Reflex 2 in The Finals
0:53:22 AMD at CES: AI denoiser demo, Lenovo Legion Go handhelds
1:03:51 Razer at CES: Laptop Cooling Pad, new Razer Blade
1:11:30 Asus and Intel at CES
1:17:29 CES displays: Mini-LED, Micro-LED, OLED + monitor sins!
1:30:07 Supporter Q1: Will Switch 2 support DLSS 4?
1:32:22 Supporter Q2: Did you see the Switch 2 mockups at CES?
1:33:56 Supporter Q3: Could you test DLSS against an ultra high-res “ground truth” image?
1:37:52 Supporter Q4: Why would a developer use Nvidia-developed rendering techniques over their UE5 equivalents?
1:40:38 Supporter Q5: Will multi frame gen solve game stutters?
1:42:05 Supporter Q6: Will multi frame gen make VRR obsolete?
1:44:27 Supporter Q7: Is Sony regretting sticking with AMD for their console business?
1:49:49 Supporter Q8: What do you think of the FF7 Rebirth PC specs?
1:52:37 Supporter Q9: What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen on the show floor at CES?
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Digital Foundry is a leading authority on gaming technology and performance, and in this regular podcast, the team sits down to discuss the latest news and take questions from the audience.
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