Digital Foundry Direct Weekly

Digital Foundry

When it comes to video games and the hardware and tech we play them on, the team at Digital Foundry are unparalleled experts. Each week, DF Direct breaks down the latest breakthroughs in video game visuals, sound, and performance happening on PlayStation, Xbox, the most powerful PC setups, and more. If you’re a geek for graphics, GPUs, or just video games in general, DF Direct will help you get the most out of your gaming setup.

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340 episodes
Updated Friday

Episodes340

Newest first

Dec 8, 2025 · 1 hr 53 min
DF Direct Weekly #243: Metroid Prime Switch 1 vs 2, The Witcher 4-6, Crucial RAM Dead, 32-bit PhysX!
Nintendo didn't release Metroid Prime 4 Switch 1 review code to journalists, so how does it stack up against Switch 2? Rich does some digging. Meanwhile, the team lament the end of the iconic Crucial RAM, but there's better news about the return of some kind of 32-bit PhysX support for RTX 50-series GPUs. Oliver talks Sonic Racing Crossworlds on Switch 2, John's impressed by TimeSplitters Rewind - and just how bad have things got for HDR support in video games?
Dec 2, 2025 · 1 hr 30 min
DF Direct Weekly #242: Ghost of Yōtei Big Upgrades, AC Shadows Switch 2, Death Stranding 2 PC Coming
In this week's Direct, Rich gets to grips with Ghost of Yōtei's unlocked frame-rate and balanced mode upgrades, discovering some excellent results. The team discuss the seemingly soon arrival of a PC port for Death Stranding 2, while mulling over Ubisoft's details on its upcoming Assassin's Creed Shadows Switch 2 port. John's highly excited by eXoWin9X and there's a celebratory round of applause for Panic Button - entrusted by Nintendo to upgrade some its most important games for Switch 2.
Nov 24, 2025 · 2 hr 1 min
DF Direct Weekly #241: Steam Machine Price Concerns, Win 11 Update Kills Perf, Proton FSR 4, RDR1!
A meaty new episode of DF Direct Weekly kicks off with a Valve double-header - reaction to news that Steam Machine may be heading for PC pricing, plus news of Linux FSR 4 support via Proton... including old GPUs. Meanwhile, Angry Alex is back and he's measured just how bad Windows performance in AC Shadows is impacted by a rogue update. Red Dead Redemption 1 returns once again, Oliver has opinions on Horizon Steel Frontiers and let's just say that we really think you should check out Sektori.
Nov 17, 2025 · 1 hr 33 min
DF Direct Weekly #240: Steam Machine - Pricing, Specs, VRAM, ARM Ambitions + More
Valve's reveal of the Steam Machine has proven phenomenally popular to the point where our coverage is by far and away the biggest DF video of the year. But there's more information emerging post-embargo we had to share, plus plenty of discussion points to wade through. How much will it cost? Does this really cause problems for Microsoft? What is the actual make-up of the Zen 4 CPU? And is a spec that's comparable with PlayStation 5 really the best that could be done over five years into this ge
Nov 13, 2025 · 43 min
DF Direct Special: Valve's Steam Frame VR Headset - Hands-On + Impressions, Specs + Tech Breakdown
While the new Steam Machine PC/console hybrid has taken centrestage, it's not the only major hardware launch revealed by Valve today. Steam Frame is a state-of-the-art VR headset that not only streams games from your PC but can actually run them on the headset itself, with an x86 to ARM translation layer working in addition to Proton. Oliver's been hands-on and shares his impressions with John in this DF Direct Special.
Nov 12, 2025 · 51 min
DF Direct Special: Hands-On With Steam Machine: Valve's Beautiful PC/Console - Specs, Impressions And More
It's the hardware we've been waiting for. Built on SteamOS, Valve's brand-new Steam Machine runs the same games that Steam Deck does, with 6x the graphics horsepower - all built into a super-cute, premium, cube-like design. Oliver visited Valve HQ to go hands-on with both the new PC/console hybrid and the new Steam Controller, reporting back with impressions, specs and insights from the engineers behind the project.
Nov 10, 2025 · 1 hr 48 min
DF Direct Weekly #239: GTA 6 Delayed, Silent Hill 2 Xbox, Switch 2 Biggest Console Launch Ever?
Aside from the monumental release of our brand new website, it was looking like a quiet week until the gigaton news that Grand Theft Auto 6 was delayed again quote-unquote dropped. The team discuss the implications in this week's Direct, before moving onto PS Portal cloud streaming impressions and the AMD marketing debacle that is the RDNA 1/2 driver situation. Silent Hill 2 is all but certain to arrive on Xbox, but what about Switch 2? Plus: kudos to Nintendo as it looks almost certain now that
Nov 8, 2025 · 1 hr 12 min
PlayStation 5 Pro: Year One - Was It Worth It? The Best/Worst Games, PSSR + More - DF Direct Special
At the time of uploading this video, it has been one year to the day since PlayStation 5 Pro was available to buy. In a DF Direct Special, John, Oliver and Tom compare notes on a massive range of Pro-enhanced titles, putting them into buckets: successful, good but not great and straight-out bad. And with that out of the way, it's time to talk about the overall effectiveness of the system in delivering an enhanced experience - plus thoughts and hopes for PS5 Pro: Year Two.
Nov 3, 2025 · 1 hr 39 min
DF Direct Weekly #238: MGS Delta Fixed? Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2, AC Shadows Switch 2!
A new patch has "dropped" for Metal Gear Solid Delta and there are big performance and feature improvements in some areas, but is the game actually fixed? Meanwhile, Oliver gets to grips with Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 and comes away disappointed, while John is highly impressed with Lumines Arise. The team try to work their way through a puzzling interview from Microsoft's Satya Nadella, while a promising game that first started development in 2012 now actually has a launch trailer - but what is Routine? And 13 years on, why should you be interested? 0:00:00 Introduction 0:01:49 News 1: Metal Gear Solid Delta patch shows performance bump 0:23:19 News 2: Bloodlines 2 tested on PS5 0:33:16 News 3: Assassin’s Creed Shadows trailer drops for Switch 20:41:34 News 4: Lumines Arise impresses in preview 0:47:34 News 5: Microsoft CEO: gaming’s competition is short-form video 1:04:53 News 6: Routine re-emerges in release date trailer1:09:23 Supporter Q1: Could you add Linux coverage to your PC game reviews? 1:16:06 Supporter Q2: Why did Xbox lose this console generation? 1:26:49 Supporter Q3: Is the new Power Saver mode actually intended for the cloud? 1:33:57 Supporter Q4: Is Apple finally serious about gaming? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 27, 2025 · 2 hr 17 min
DF Direct Weekly #237: Halo Campaign Evolved Reaction, "Premium" Next-Gen Xbox, New DF Retro Show!
A gigantic new episode of DF Direct Weekly sees the team's reaction to the big Halo Campaign Evolved reveal - and some unfortunate Unreal Engine 5 issues already coming into view. Meanwhile, what does Microsoft actually mean by its "very premium, very high-end" next-gen comments and is the Xbox Ally X interface really the best way forward? Meanwhile, John and some familiar faces reveal our next big project - the DF Retro Super Show - our brand new video podcast. Beyond that, Rich talks PlayStati
Oct 21, 2025 · 1 hr 44 min
DF Direct Weekly #236: Xbox Ally X Review-In-Progress, Next-Gen Spec Leak Comparisons, New PS5 Pro!
ROG Xbox Ally X is "in the house" and Rich describes his first couple of days in the review process. Alex answers the big question as to whether new PC games stutter more than older ones, while Oliver gets to grips with Black Myth Wukong's latest patch on PlayStation, complete with Lumen-free performance mode. Finally, next-gen Xbox and PlayStation spec leaks are gathering pace - so what do we make of them?
Oct 21, 2025 · 1 hr 27 min
DF Direct Weekly #235: Microsoft Re-Confirms Next-Gen Xbox, Red Dead 2 Remaster Heavily Rumoured
In this week's DF Direct, Microsoft deny rumours that its next-gen console has been cancelled - but to what extent are its statements credible in the wake of the infamous "four games" messaging? The existence of ports of Red Dead Redemption 2 for PS5, Xbox and Switch 2 are confirmed by the most reliable leaker in the business, while John shares his impressions of Yooka-Replaylee. And to what extent did Nintendo underclock the SoC for Switch 2?
Oct 11, 2025 · 30 min
DF Direct Special: Sony/AMD Project Amethyst Update - Next-Gen Tech Revealed + Mark Cerny Q&A
Could this be the foundational GPU technology for the PlayStation 6? Mark Cerny's latest Project Amethyst update describes the building blocks of future graphics technology, with a strong focus on ray tracing and machine learning capabilities, along with bandwidth-enhancing features designed to reduce the need on massive memory controllers. John, Rich and Oliver discuss the tech and share more information from Mark Cerny via an email Q&A conducted in the wake of the video's publication.
Oct 6, 2025 · 2 hr 8 min
DF Direct Weekly #234: Huge Game Pass Price Hike Causes Outrage, New PS5 Teardown
The latest DF Direct is dominated by discussion of Microsoft's gigantic price hikes for Game Pass - proof positive that the previous prices were unsustainable, or a greedy cash grab from Xbox? And who exactly wants the new content added to the top-end tier? Meanwhile, the team share their thoughts on the new Austin Evans PS5 teardown video, while Rich reports on a brace of native Steam Deck ports: Baldur's Gate 3 and Cronos. The former shows big improvements, but there's confusion surrounding Cr
Sep 29, 2025 · 2 hr
DF Direct Weekly #233: Wolverine Gameplay, Forza Horizon 6, Xbox ROG Ally X Pricing, Saros!
Yes, it's another episode of DF Direct Weekly and yes, once again it's two hours of content discussing the latest gaming and technology news. Marvel's Wolverine, Saros, Flight Sim 2024 and Deus Ex Remastered cover off what we want to talk about from the latest Sony State of Play, while there's reaction to what was essentially the non-reveal of Forza Horizon 6. We catch up with the state of Silent Hill f on Xbox following the late arrival of review code and - finally - the last minute indefinite
Sep 23, 2025 · 1 hr 52 min
DF Direct Weekly #232: Dying Light: The Beast, Intel/Nvidia Partnership, Borderlands 4 Controversy
In the latest exciting episode of DF Direct Weekly, Alex and Oliver share impressions on the PC and PS5 versions of Dying Light: The Beast in the wake of review code problems stopping us from delivering a full review. Meanwhile, the shocking news of an Intel/Nvidia partnership demands attention from the team, before Rich shares his experiences of testing the leaked FSR4 INT8 version on RDNA 3 hardware. There's eyebrow-raising disbelief around the Gearbox CEO's reactions to Borderlands 4 performa
Sep 15, 2025 · 2 hr 18 min
DF Direct Weekly #231: Borderlands 4 Perf Issues, Nintendo Direct, PS6 BD Drive, GeForce Now 5080!
In this week's gigantic DF Direct, Alex shares first impressions of Borderlands 4 PC performance, Oliver pops up for a guest appearance as the team summarise Nintendo's latest Direct, Rich enthuses about GeForce Now's new 5080 tier, while cloud coverage continues with a hands-on look at Microsoft xCloud's new 1440p streaming. Meanwhile, there's a cautious welcome for reports that PS6 will features a detachable, optional Blu-ray drive.
Sep 8, 2025 · 1 hr 55 min
DF Direct Weekly #230: Switch 2 Ray Tracing - Finally! Hollow Knight: Silksong, 007 First Light!
In the latest DF Direct, we finally get some idea of Switch 2's ray tracing capabilities via Star Wars Outlaws - and the team likes what they see. Meanwhile, details emerge of just how much slower Switch 2 carts are compared to internal storage and MicroSD Express - and it's a touch concerning. A reported storage downgrade for PlayStation 5 isn't exactly great news, and neither is the final death of Perfect Dark - but 007 First Night and Hollow Knight: Silksong have much to commend them.
Sep 1, 2025 · 1 hr 49 min
DF Direct Weekly #229: Xbox Ally X Hands-On, Sweeney Defends UE5, id Software Doom TDA Deep Dive!
In the latest DF Direct, Rich and Alex share their hands-on experiences of the Xbox/Asus ROG Ally X and non-X, while the team react to Epic's Tim Sweeney seemingly laying the blame on developers for sub-optimal Unreal Engine 5 games. Alex discusses a couple of his favourite SIGGRAPH graphics presentations. Finally, John's massively enthused by Shader Glass and is here to tell you why.
Aug 25, 2025 · 1 hr 47 min
DF Direct Weekly #228: Elden Ring/FF7R Switch 2! #StutterStruggle Fixed? Valve Console Specs!
With Rich unable to escape infection at #gamescom2025, it's down to John and Alex to share their impressions from the show, with Oliver completing the panel. The team share their thoughts on the Switch 2 ports of Elden Ring and Final Fantasy 7 Remake in the wake of very negative and very positive reactions from the showfloor. Alex is optimistic about Microsoft's proposed fix for StutterStruggle, while intriguing specs emerge of what may well be a Valve home console. Beyond that, there's more Gam

Digital Foundry Direct Weekly

DF Direct Weekly #243: Metroid Prime Switch 1 vs 2, The Witcher 4-6, Crucial RAM Dead, 32-bit PhysX!

DF Direct Weekly #242: Ghost of Yōtei Big Upgrades, AC Shadows Switch 2, Death Stranding 2 PC Coming

DF Direct Weekly #241: Steam Machine Price Concerns, Win 11 Update Kills Perf, Proton FSR 4, RDR1!

DF Direct Weekly #240: Steam Machine - Pricing, Specs, VRAM, ARM Ambitions + More

DF Direct Special: Valve's Steam Frame VR Headset - Hands-On + Impressions, Specs + Tech Breakdown

DF Direct Special: Hands-On With Steam Machine: Valve's Beautiful PC/Console - Specs, Impressions And More

DF Direct Weekly #239: GTA 6 Delayed, Silent Hill 2 Xbox, Switch 2 Biggest Console Launch Ever?

PlayStation 5 Pro: Year One - Was It Worth It? The Best/Worst Games, PSSR + More - DF Direct Special

DF Direct Weekly #238: MGS Delta Fixed? Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2, AC Shadows Switch 2!

DF Direct Weekly #237: Halo Campaign Evolved Reaction, "Premium" Next-Gen Xbox, New DF Retro Show!

DF Direct Weekly #236: Xbox Ally X Review-In-Progress, Next-Gen Spec Leak Comparisons, New PS5 Pro!

DF Direct Weekly #235: Microsoft Re-Confirms Next-Gen Xbox, Red Dead 2 Remaster Heavily Rumoured

DF Direct Special: Sony/AMD Project Amethyst Update - Next-Gen Tech Revealed + Mark Cerny Q&A

DF Direct Weekly #234: Huge Game Pass Price Hike Causes Outrage, New PS5 Teardown

DF Direct Weekly #233: Wolverine Gameplay, Forza Horizon 6, Xbox ROG Ally X Pricing, Saros!

DF Direct Weekly #232: Dying Light: The Beast, Intel/Nvidia Partnership, Borderlands 4 Controversy

DF Direct Weekly #231: Borderlands 4 Perf Issues, Nintendo Direct, PS6 BD Drive, GeForce Now 5080!

DF Direct Weekly #230: Switch 2 Ray Tracing - Finally! Hollow Knight: Silksong, 007 First Light!

DF Direct Weekly #229: Xbox Ally X Hands-On, Sweeney Defends UE5, id Software Doom TDA Deep Dive!

DF Direct Weekly #228: Elden Ring/FF7R Switch 2! #StutterStruggle Fixed? Valve Console Specs!