DF Direct Weekly #275: This Is The Most Performant Console Generation Since 16-Bit 2D

More from Digital Foundry Direct Weekly

1. 

   12 Aug 2026 · 59 min

   DF Direct Q+A: Celebrating DF Independence - One Year Since Leaving IGN!

   It's been a year since Digital Foundry parted ways with IGN, buying out its shares and becoming completely independent. The team discuss the challenges of the last 12 months within the context of continuing bad news within the games business, before discussing what we've achieved from our objectives, where we've fallen short and how we're looking to revamp our tools. Beyond that, there are more questions about the future of the console business, the idea of an Xbox Helix "add in card" for PC, how Nintendo has achieved success without compromising its identity and finally... what PC spec…

2. 

   S1 · E276 · 10 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 27 min

   DF Direct Weekly #276: GTA 6 An Extended Look Reveal Reaction, Quakecon 2026, Xbox 360 On PC

   What was looking like a fairly quiet week turned into a frenzy with the news that Rockstar will be publishing an "extended look" at Grand Theft Auto 6 on August 27 - but what should we expect? And why on earth would Netflix pay for a six-hour exclusivity window? Meanwhile, The Verge reveals Microsoft docs confirming Xbox 360 emulation for PC, Xbox Disc2Digital should be coming soon and someone has Half-Life Alyx kinda running on Meta Quest 3. Finally can the Steam Hardware Survey really be trusted? Are there really more 16GB GPUs out there than 8GB GPUs? 0:00:00 Introduction 0:02:26…

3. 

   4 Aug 2026 · 55 min

   DF Direct Q+A: Sony Finally Responds To End-Of-Disc Backlash - And It's Not Good News

   It took a Q+A session of its own within a financial earnings call - as opposed to talking directly to its users - but Sony has finally responded to the backlash whipped up by its announcement of the cancellation of physical media. What do we make of the response? And if it's just a small minority of PlayStation users upset by the news, is it right that Sony ignores the very negative feedback? Beyond that, we talk next-gen "secret source", whether it's possible for PC users to get a curated out-of-the-box "good settings experience" and where does Project Helix back-compat stand compared to…

4. 

   31 Jul 2026 · 53 min

   DF Direct Q+A: Too Expensive? No Exclusives? Is Next-Gen Just For Enthusiasts?

   The hardware situation grows more bleak by the week, so where does this leave next generation consoles? If they're too expensive, will developers target them over current-gen hardware? Is enhanced RT and path tracing enough to make people upgrade? Will there be actual next-gen exclusives? Would it make more sense to buy a higher-end PC now? All this and more is discussed in the latest show. 00:00 Introduction 00:57 Supporter Q1: Why should people want next-gen consoles? 19:09 Supporter Q2: Will people hold on to PS5 and Series X to play their disc games? 28:59 Supporter Q3: Should we just…

5. 

   S1 · E274 · 27 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 21 min

   DF Direct Weekly #274: OG Xbox/Xbox 360 PC 'Back Compat', Valve - Memory Crisis "Getting Worse"

   In the latest DF Direct Weekly, we go deeper into the OG Xbox emulator for PC... which is actually running within an Xbox 360 emulator, Inception-style. So what's the masterplan from Microsoft? The team mull over the reaction to Halo: Campaign Evolved, more details emerge on the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Volume 2 and it's panic stations - again - as Valve predicts that the memory crisis is only going to get worse. Much worse. 0:00:00 Introduction 0:03:25 News 1: Xbox BC tested on PC! 0:23:48 News 2: Halo Campaign Evolved: a beautiful remake 0:44:56 News 3: Konami reveals resolution,…

6. 

   24 Jul 2026 · 51 min

   DF Direct Q+A: Creation Engine 3 in Elder Scrolls 6/Fallout 5, Is Doom THE Great American Videogame?

   The Q+A show returns, with Rich, Oliver and Will getting to grips with the potential of the Creation Engine 3 in The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5, while assessing the merits of Doom as THE great American videogame. Sony's new vapour chamber patent is considered for PS6 viability, while questions linger over what Sega's support for Nvidia's RTX Spark actually amounts to. And there's more: what would the generation have looked like if it stuck to 30fps? Is Sony killing discs really about its post-handheld ecosystem? And what's the deal with Oliver's cat? 00:00 Introduction 00:42 Supporter Q1:…

7. 

   7 Oct 2026 · 41 min

   DF Direct Q+A: Is PS5 QSSR Really A Game-Changer? Will Xbox Series X|S Get ML Upscaling?

   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 Introduction 02:36 Supporter Q1: Why did Sony make QSSR? 14:11 Supporter Q2: Which games would benefit most from QSSR? 19:17 Supporter…

8. 

   S1 · E284 · 5 Oct 2026 · 1 hr 16 min

   DF Direct Weekly #284: Ghost of Yōtei QSSR Tested, Star Wars Galactic Racer, Gears E-Day PC

   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…

9. 

   3 Oct 2026 · 33 min

   DF Direct Special: PlayStation QSSR - AI Upscaling For Standard PS5 - A Current-Gen Gamechanger?

   A surprise to be sure - and a welcome one. Out of the blue, Sony has released QSSR - Quick Spectral Super Resolution - a refactoring of PS5 Pro's PSSR for the standard PlayStation 5. In this video, Rich and Oliver share their initial thoughts on the technology. We've got image quality comparisons from Marvel's Wolverine, we've got early performance testing from a PS5 dev kit, comparisons with PSSR and much more. 00:00 Introduction 01:29 What is QSSR? 05:28 QSSR vs IGTI 11:13 QSSR vs. PSSR 16:51 QSSR performance 26:04 Will QSSR be in GTA 6? 28:35 Concluding thoughts Hosted on Acast. See…

10. 

    30 Sep 2026 · 50 min

    DF Direct Q+A: PS5 Emulation on PC, Will Halo Move To COD Tech, Will PCs Replace Consoles?

    The progress in PS5 emulation for PC is becoming extremely rapid - so just how viable is it and should Sony be worried? Meanwhile, Rich, Oliver and Will discuss a range of topics: can PS5 Pro run PSSR and FSR frame gen together? Will PCs eventually replace consoles? Can a Project Helix console replace both a gaming PC and an Xbox console? And... would the Project Helix concept have changed if Xbox had won the console generation? 00:00 Introduction 00:41 PlayStation 5 Emulation on PC gathers pace 13:55 Q1: Why can't PS5 Pro run PSSR and FSR 3.1 frame gen together? 21:27 Q2: Will PC eventually…

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