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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…

Digital Foundry Direct Weekly

by Digital Foundry · English · Tech & Science

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.

More from Digital Foundry Direct Weekly

  1. S1 · E278 · 24 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 15 min

    DF Direct Weekly #278: Sony Undecided On PS6 Price/Launch Date, Black Myth Zhong Kui Gameplay

    We're not going to be commenting on leaks from a stolen GTA 6 build that's years old and promoting a memecoin but we WILL be talking about Sony's comments on not knowing PS6's pricing and release date and assessing the Black Myth Zhong Kui gameplay reveal. Rich is intrigued by Alan Wake's big PC upgrade for AMD users, while John muses over the reported end of live service elements in Horizon Hunters Gathering. Finally, five years ago, Alex made a range of predictions about Switch 2 and DLSS... so how accurate did they turn out to be? 0:00:00 Introduction 0:02:49 News 1: Sony undecided on PS6…

  2. 19 Aug 2026 · 53 min

    DF Direct Q+A: Oblivion Remastered - Can Switch 2 Optimisations Fix PS5/PC/Xbox Versions?

    Bethesda is promising a new patch for Oblivion Remastered based on the Switch 2 version's optimisations - but is there any evidence to suggest that the Switch 2 improvements will make any real differences for the other versions? Meanwhile, Oliver clarifies his comments on which PC specs reflect next-gen consoles, whether Project Helix will make much of a difference for Microsoft and whether Epic should make their own console (!). Finally, how come Switch 2 hasn't really much in the way of cross-gen first party exclusives? 00:00 Introduction 01:19 Supporter Q1: Can Switch 2 Optimisations Fix…

  3. S1 · E277 · 17 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 24 min

    DF Direct Weekly #277: Crimson Desert Switch 2 Confirmed, Gears E-Day PC Tested, Viture XR Glasses!

    The team react to Pearl Abyss' statement that Crimson Desert is - somehow - coming to Switch 2, but the first order of business is to share impressions (and performance testing) for the Gears of War E-Day MP beta on PC... and while extremely impressive, we do have some concerns. Rich tests a remarkable system for playing Switch 2 games on the go in TV move with a virtual 174-inch OLED display, John's excited by a new wave of announced VR titles, there's curiousity around Xbox/Game Pass app games coming to Linux and there's some eyebrow-raising data on Resident Evil Requiem physical disc…

  4. 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…

  5. 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…

  6. S1 · E275 · 3 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 25 min

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

    The news has been pretty grim for the last few months, so why not concentrate on the positives? PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X have delivered the best performing videogame generation since the 16-bit 2D era with more support for 60fps gaming than any other 3D-focused console. How did this happen and what are the drawbacks? Meanwhile, if those same consoles are effectively pint-sized PCs using PC components, why is there the sense that PC gaming is far less performant than it should be? John, Rich and Oliver discuss this, with a cameo from Tom talking Splatoon Raiders and OG Xbox "back…

  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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