DF Direct Q+A: Helix 2028 "Delay"...? Xbox's Review Problem Fixed? Will Switch 2 DLSS Improve?

Should consoles makers focus on price as hardware costs continue to skyrocket? An ex-Sony executive thinks so - but is a $300 PS5 even remotely achievable? In a similar vein, could cloud RAM work as a stopgap solution? Meanwhile, we discuss whether Xbox Helix could have a path tracing advantage over PS6 and how FSR 4 will affect comparisons between current-gen consoles. All this and more revealed in the latest DF Direct Q+A.00:00 Introduction00:40 News 1: Ex-Sony exec says $300 PS5 should be next-gen priority07:52 Supporter Q1: Should platform holders focus on console cost and ease of development again?14:42 Supporter Q2: Could consoles use cloud RAM to extend hardware budgets?21:50 Supporter Q3: Will Xbox Helix have a path tracing advantage over PS6?30:44 Supporter Q4: Will FSR 4 on Xbox make console comparisons interesting again?35:59 Supporter Q5: Why hasn’t Nvidia shipped frame gen for Switch 2?44:12 Supporter Q6: What will DF be doing one, five, and 10 years from now? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Looking for an ad-free Direct? Join the DF Supporter Program for an ad-free RSS feed and ad-free, high quality video downloads of everything we do, plus early access: https://www.patreon.com/digitalfoundryA packed Direct this week as the panel discuss the pros and cons of DLSS for Nintendo first party games like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Meanwhile, HDR experts aren't too impressed by Nintendo's HDR implementations, Rich takes time to test out the Xbox FSR demo on PC and God of Way Laufey gets a three month delay. And looking back in time, the panel has praise for EA's 30th anniversary game package, it's 20 years since the launch of Nvidia's 8800 GTX and a decade since John posted his epic Tomb Raider DF Retro episode. And finally, hilarity as Rich discovers how old Oliver was when Tomb Raider first released...0:00:00 Introduction0:00:57 News 1: Should Ocarina of Time have used DLSS?0:18:02 News 2: Does Nintendo need to step up on HDR?0:29:30 News 3: Frame-times released for FSR 4 on Xbox Series0:48:25 News 4: God of War Laufey delayed0:52:52 News 5: GeForce 8800 GTX turns 20!1:03:52 News 6: EA remasters 7 classic PC games1:11:06 Retrospective: 10 years since John’s Tomb Raider DF Retro! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How will history regard the current console generation: success or failure? The panel decides! Meanwhile, will Chinese fabrication tech solve the AI hardware crisis? Is using the RTX 5090 in our videos baiting the audience at this point? All this and more in the latest DF Direct Q+A show.00:00 Introduction00:42 Supporter Q1: How will history judge this console generation?17:41 Supporter Q2: Will Chinese RAM save the PC market?27:00 Supporter Q3: Will PC hardware price spikes cause developers to target ‘potato’ PCs?31:54 Supporter Q4: Should DF stop testing the RTX 5090, because of its poor availability?41:11 Supporter Q5: Why is Anthropic blocking game decompilations from Claude Code?48:40 Supporter Q6: Why didn’t Sega use their arcade hardware team for home console designs? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.