Digital Foundry Direct Weekly

Exploited PS5s can now run Linux - so obviously we had to check it out, running Steam versions of Crimson Desert, Black Myth Wukong and Pragmata on Linux via Steam, stacked up against the actual PS5 versions - with some fascinating results. Meanwhile, Alex talks us through an amazing tech presentation from the developers of Teardown, John impresses us with his new Anbernic RG477M, Tom provides us test data to prove that Oblivion Remastered is indeed still "broken", while Rich and Alex come to terms with the fact that it's time to say goodbye to the Ryzen 5 3600.

0:00:00 Introduction
0:02:15 News 1: Linux gaming on PS5 tested!
0:26:31 News 2: Teardown devs highlight voxel ray tracing enhancements
0:38:10 News 3: Anbernic retro handheld tested!
0:50:31 News 4: Oblivion Remastered is still broken
0:59:29 News 5: Saying goodbye to the Ryzen 5 3600

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some excellent questions from Digital Foundry Supporters this week. Does the F1 25 PS5 Pro path tracing demo and ReSTIR optimisations mean that path tracing is going mainstream - maybe for next gen? Is there still untapped potential in PS5 and Series X? Is Microsoft's new "We Are Xbox" strategy document just a massive balloon of hot air? Is Nvidia making path tracing an exclusive feature and what do we think about that? And... a year on from release, why Oblivion Remastered still broken?

00:00 Introduction
00:35 Supporter Q1: Will path tracing efficiency improvements bring PT to current gen console games?
12:30 Supporter Q2: Is there still untapped potential in PS5 and Series X?
19:25 Supporter Q3: Have we hit the peak of ML image reconstruction?
27:45 Supporter Q4: Why is path tracing exclusive to Nvidia in so many recent games?
32:54 Supporter Q5: Will Oblivion Remastered ever be fixed?
39:57 Supporter Q6: Would games really run 30% faster if they were optimized for Intel CPUs?
45:31 Supporter Q7: Do Microsoft’s recent Xbox promises mean anything?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new DF Direct arrives and with it, some remarkable news that failed to emerge from this year's GDC - namely that Codemasters has a demo of path tracing working on the PS5 Pro version of F1 25. How good is it? How fast is it? Alex clues us in. Meanwhile, the team discuss the AC Black Flag Resynced reveal, Tom looks at Mouse PI For Hire across several platforms and there's much excitement about the prospect of Panther Lake arriving in the handheld space.

0:00:00 Introduction
0:01:03 News 1: GDC talk: F1 25 path tracing implemented on PS5 Pro
0:20:22 News 2: LiberNovo Omni Chair [Sponsored]
0:33:15 News 3: Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced revealed!
0:44:09 News 4: Game Pass Ultimate price slashed, Call of Duty access restricted
1:03:05 News 5: News 5: Mouse: P.I. For Hire tested!
1:18:11 News 6: Intel planning Panther Lake handheld reveal

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The latest Q+A show sees Rich, Oliver and Alex discussing a range of topics. If PSSR2 looks good at lower resolutions than the standard PS5 version, should developers focus on higher settings? There are plus and minus points. Should Nintendo add 120Hz and VRR support on Switch 2 when running Switch 1 software? Is an RTX 5080 good enough for path tracing? And should Sony's more affordable next-gen console actually live in the cloud?

00:00 Introduction01:18 News 1: Why do developers keep increasing internal resolutions in their PS5 Pro games with PSSR?08:57 News 2: Could Nintendo add 120Hz support or VRR for Switch 1 software on Switch 2?15:04 News 3: Should studios develop game engine specific upscalers like PICO?23:36 News 4: Can we solve uncapped frame-rates by capping the display to 30Hz? And why doesn’t Capcom cap their games?29:25 News 5: What will the rumoured Switch 2 Starfield port look like?35:23 News 6: Should I get an RTX 5080 for path traced games?40:36 News 7: Should Sony offer a PS6 Cloud Edition?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The new Direct sees Alex, Rich and Oliver reacting to the reveal of Metro 2039 - and it looks like another technical showcase from the brilliant 4A Games. Nvidia denies wanting to acquire a big PC manufacturer, but it kinda of makes sense, so is it going to happen? The team share disbelief about the quality of tech QA on Starfield PS5's launch, before moving on to Asha Sharma's comments about Game(s) Pass being too expensive. There's a warm welcome for the return of the Ryzen 7 5800X3D - but how much will it cost? And finally, what happened when Pragmata on PS5 ran at 1440p on Rich's PS5 - but only 1080p on Oliver and Tom's consoles?

0:00:00 Introduction
0:01:13 News 1: Metro 2039 revealed!
0:15:50 News 2: Nvidia: we aren’t acquiring a PC maker
0:22:58 News 3: Bethesda: Starfield PS5 crash fixes incoming
0:33:16 News 4: Asha Sharma: Game Pass is too expensive
0:44:16 News 5: Report: Ryzen 5800X3D to return
0:54:33 Content discussion: is Pragmata on PS5 1080p or 1440p?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices