Digital Foundry Direct Weekly

In the wake of our Steam Machine review, Rich and Will tackle a range of Supporter questions on the price, value and design of the hardware, the ability of Valve to supply it - and the future of SteamOS in general.00:00 Introduction00:37 Supporter Q1: What should we think of the value of the Steam Machine?12:03 Supporter Q2: What’s the target audience for the Steam Machine?20:01 Supporter Q3: Should Valve have used unified memory?25:19 Supporter Q4: Is Valve incapable of shipping hardware in volume at the moment?29:30 Supporter Q5: Will Nvidia be supported in future SteamOS releases?35:09 Supporter Q6: Why doesn’t the Steam Machine have a lunchbox-style handle?

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

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?

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

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?

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

It's Xbox's time to shine with the latest in the big summer showcases and Team Green certainly delivered. Gears of War: E-Day finally breaks cover, Halo Campaign Evolved impresses, while Senua, Metro 2039 and Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy look phenomenal. But what's the deal with Microsoft's exclusivity strategy and will it actually work?0:00:00 Introduction0:00:46 Gears of War: E-Day0:13:36 Clockwork Revolution0:16:21 Is Xbox returning to exclusive games?0:29:30 Halo Campaign Evolved0:34:24 Persona 4 Revival and Persona 60:38:52 Senua0:43:21 Spyro: A Realm Beyond0:46:02 Metro 20390:49:35 Crazy Taxi: World Tour0:53:20 Doom: The Dark Ages | Revelations0:57:57 Wo Long 2: Wings of Ember1:00:48 Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy1:04:40 Xbox 25th Anniversary Series X

At the time of publication, it has been one year and one day since Nintendo launched the Switch 2 console - so, as is DF tradition, it's time to look back over the last year and assess the system's track record so far. Strong back compat, impressive first and third party support, actual ray tracing and game-changing DLSS results - has Nintendo managed to put a foot wrong at all?00:00 Overview01:10 Is Switch 2 a generational leap over Switch 1?11:40 What are the worst and best Switch 2 ports?21:46 Has Nintendo extracted the most from Switch 2 in their own games?27:34 Have we accepted Switch 2’s hardware flaws?33:27 What do we make of GameChat, GameShare, and mouse controls?37:51 How do we rate Switch 2’s backwards compatibility?44:08 Concluding thoughts

With the welcome announcement of Call of Duty coming to Switch 2, the question is... can the hardware handle the series' signature 60fps? Meanwhile, what does Nvidia aim to achieve with its new RTX Spark processor? In the wake of the shock Steam Deck price rises, could a self-built PC potentially offer superior value? What's the fate of Xbox Series S in the Helix era? All this and more in the new DF Direct Q+A show.00:00 Introduction00:40 Supporter Q1: Do you think Modern Warfare 4 will be good on Switch 2?09:38 Supporter Q2: Is the Nvidia N1X an expensive, niche chip?24:25 Supporter Q3: Is a custom PC a better deal than Steam Machine?31:00 Supporter Q4: Are review embargoes becoming more strict?37:50 Supporter Q5: Will Microsoft ditch Series S when Project Helix arrives?42:07 Supporter Q6: Are high hardware prices a boon for game optimization?