Digital Foundry Direct Weekly

In a packed new Direct, Rich dissects the PC version of Phantom Blade Zero - does it run well on mainstream hardware? What about RT and path tracing? Meanwhile, Oliver discusses the latest Apple hardware, there's conjecture on a potential Switch 2 Lite, Rich gets to grips with the more efficient FSR 4.1 for handhelds, while John looks to get an "anti PS5 Pro patch" fixed for Castlevania: Belmont's Curse. The show reaches a crescendo with the team celebrating ten years of PS4 Pro - and the Digital Foundry Supporter Program! Looking for an ad-free Direct experience? The DF Supporter Program has an ad-free private RSS feed along with high quality ad-free video downloads: https://www.patreon.com/digitalfoundry0:00:00 Introduction 0:02:02 News 1: Phantom Blade Zero tested on PC! 0:20:02 News 2: Apple announces OLED touchscreen MacBook Pro 0:33:45 News 3: Switch 2 Lite rumours emerge as new Samsung process unveiled 0:43:36 News 4: FSR 4.1 tested on ROG Xbox Ally X20! 0:56:11 News 5: Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse suffers low-res rendering bug on PS5 Pro 1:01:43 Retrospective: 10 years of PS4 Pro, 10 years of DF Patreon

Ever wondered why game coverage often neglects Xbox consoles? It's an issue we've highlighted before and after Call of Duty failed to register on Metacritic, Microsoft is finally doing something about it. In the new Q+A, the team discuss the issue, its impact on DF and hopes that things will genuinely improve. Meanwhile, what to make of the reported Project Helix delay to 2028? Will new CPU releases get caught up in the hardware crisis? Was Sony's QSSR a direct response to a potential FSR 4.1 on Xbox consoles? And will Nintendo update its Switch 2 DLSS tech?Looking for an ad-free DF Direct? The DF Supporter Program offers a private ad-free RSS feed and high quality ad-free video downloads: https://www.patreon.com/digitalfoundry00:00 Introduction01:03 Xbox attempts to solve creator/journalist review code problems11:08 Supporter Q1: Why is Xbox Helix suffering an apparent delay to 2028?24:56 Supporter Q2: How will Xbox Helix offer hardware expandability?32:08 Supporter Q3: Will CPUs continue to stagnate, or will they advance further in 2027?38:07 Supporter Q4: Was QSSR designed to counter FSR 4.1 on Xbox Series?43:37 Supporter Q5: Will Nintendo revise their DLSS tech for Switch 2?

Big news this week from Fortune, with an insider feature on Xbox that combines deep access to senior management along with a range of big reveals: a Helix console costing between $1200 to $1800 coming 2028? A handheld in 2027? Disagreements between the Xbox and Microsoft OS teams? There's a lot to discuss here. Meanwhile, the team lament the end of BioWare and mull over the leaked Mass Effect trailer, and there's good news for RDNA 2 GPU owners - and Xbox Series console users - as FSR 4 arrives ahead of time. A potential PlayStation frame generation technique is discussed and finally, five years of Oliver Mackenzie at Digital Foundry! The panel look back at his first video and discuss his approach to working on the channel.Looking for an ad-free Direct experience? Join the DF Supporter Program for an ad-free podcast feed and high quality, ad-free video downloads: https://www.patreon.com/digitalfoundry0:00:00 Introduction 0:01:04 News 1: Article lays out Xbox next-gen plans 0:21:26 News 2: EA shutters BioWare, Mass Effect Universe trailer leaks 0:31:33 News 3: AMD ports FSR 4.1 to RDNA 2, handhelds, Xbox 0:45:51 News 4: Sony patents frame extrapolation technique 0:59:30 Five years of Oliver!

Reports that Nvidia's RTX 5090 gaming flagship would be discontinued gathered pace, with Nvidia finally denying cancellation of the card. But in a world where a 5090 can cost $8000, is its presence in the gaming market all but over? Can Nvidia do anything about it? Meanwhile, DF Supporter have questions about GTA 6 on PlayStation and in the absence of actual information, we can only offer our thoughts and speculation. Finally, what would actually constitute a Switch 2 "impossible port"...?00:00 Introduction00:35 News 1: Nvidia refutes RTX 5090 discontinuation rumours, but questions linger22:46 Supporter Q1: With the high cost of memory, should Sony have used a larger GPU in PS6?34:10 Supporter Q2: Could the ROG Xbox Ally X20 screen be used in a Switch 2 OLED?37:20 Supporter Q3: How will Rockstar configure GTA 6 on PS5 and PS5 Pro?42:45 Supporter Q4: How long will GTA 7 take to develop?48:22 Supporter Q5: Why are so many UE5 games shipping with hardware Lumen and MegaLights now?53:09 Supporter Q6: Which Switch 2 ports meet the criteria for an impossible port?

A year on from its initial launch, Xbox Ally gets a brilliant OLED upgrade for the new X20 edition but are we any closer to an actual Xbox-like experience? Meanwhile, Nvidia delivers faster frame-gen and DLSS 5 while Epic acts like a lightning rod for all the AI hate with its latest pivot. Oliver tests out The Crew Motorfest on Switch 2, while John has thoughts on Castlevania: Belmont's Curse.Looking for an ad-free experience? The DF Supporter Program offers private RSS feeds for all of our podcasts along with high-quality ad-free video downloads: https://www.patreon.com/digitalfoundry00:00 Introduction 02:07 News 1: Nvidia debuts faster frame gen, DLSS 5 18:13 News 2: Asus ROG Xbox Ally X20 tested! 32:44 News 3: Epic embraces AI coding for new Epic Games Launcher 48:22 News 4: The Crew Motorfest tested on Switch 2 54:39 News 5: Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse impressions

In the new AI era, it seems that decompilation, recompilation and unofficial ports are child's play - so what are the chances of an unofficial GTA 6 PC port before Rockstar delivers the real thing? And adjacent to that, how is Sony going to react to the massive impact of the recent PS5 jailbreak? Meanwhile, the panel are asked about the importance of PS5 Pro as it nears its second anniversary and questions are asked about the support level for the recently released QSSR.Join the DF Supporter Program for a private, ad-free RSS feed and high quality ad-free video downloads of all DF content, including DF Direct.00:00 Introduction00:50 Supporter Q1: Will Rockstar move up GTA 6’s PC release date because of PS5 emulation?15:22 Supporter Q2: Will Sony adjust their policies in response to PS5 jailbreaks?21:09 Supporter Q3: Have you changed your opinions on PS5 Pro over the past couple of years?26:36 Supporter Q4: Will Sony abandon QSSR?32:56 Supporter Q5: Can Nintendo force VRR to work on Switch 2 games?38:05 Supporter Q6: Why do PC graphics vendors not implement upscaling with DRS as a default?

Dragon's Dogma 2 launched with problematic performance on current-gen consoles, making a Switch 2 port seemingly impossible. But the game improved and now the Switch 2 version is here and it's almost brilliant. The panel discuss the new port in depth, before moving on to their thoughts on the PC version of Star Wars: Galactic Racer. Then it's on to a remarkable native PC port of Hideo Kojima's P.T - complete with ray tracing! - before the show ends on a more sombre note with Sony selling off its VR patents to Meta. And presumably that means the end of PSVR.Looking for an ad-free DF Direct? Join the DF Supporter Program for ad-free audio and video downloads a private RSS feed: https://www.patreon.com/digitalfoundry00:00 Introduction01:37 News 1: Dragon’s Dogma 2 on Switch 2 tested!15:14 News 2: Star Wars: Galactic Racer PC impressions25:18 News 3: Star Wars: Galactic Racer documentary discussion38:31 News 4: Kojima’s P.T. ported to PC48:33 News 5: Sony sells off VR/XR patents as PS VR3 hopes dwindle

After the out-of-the-blue, completely unleaked release of QSSR upscaling for PlayStation 5, Digital Foundry supporters and the panel attempt to provide some answers, while tackling the question of whether Xbox Series consoles will receive a similar technology. Meanwhile, what are the chances of The Witcher 3 on Switch 2 getting VRR support - and what dead franchises would the DF team like to see returned and rejuvenated for modern and next-gen hardware?00:00 Introduction02:36 Supporter Q1: Why did Sony make QSSR?14:11 Supporter Q2: Which games would benefit most from QSSR?19:17 Supporter Q3: Will Microsoft release an INT8 version of FSR 4 for Xbox Series?26:18 Supporter Q4: Should The Witcher 3 get VRR support on Switch 2 when docked?31:47 Supporter Q5: What dead franchise would you like to see resurrected?

DF returns to QSSR coverage with a closer look at Ghost of Yōtei, with John weighing in with his opinions on Marvel's Wolverine too. Rich reveals that Sony isn't the first to port an AI upscaler to a non-AI based GPU, showing FSR 4 running on the RDNA 1 Radeon RX 5700 XT. Meanwhile, John's very happy with the PC version of Gears of War: E-Day. And after sharing some stories on anniversary DF content, the Star Wars Galactic Racer review embargo hits in real-time - and John's got a lot to say about it...0:00:00 Introduction 0:01:13 News 1: QSSR tested in Ghost of Yōtei 0:25:19 News 2: FSR 4 port on RDNA 1 RX 5700 XT 0:35:36 News 3: Gears of War: E-Day PC impressions 0:53:27 Retrospective: Switch OLED 1:00:13 Retrospective: Mantis Burn Racing 4K60 on PS4 Pro 1:06:46 Star Wars: Galactic Racer review reaction