Digital Foundry Direct Weekly

Our audience has questions, we've got answers - but first, the team gets to grips with the contents of Asha Sharma and Matt Booty's Xbox Reset memo. Beyond that, is Xbox console exclusivity the best route forward? Should Valve update Steam Machine specs? Will God of War Laufey get a massive PS6 enhancement? It's a big show and there's still more to discuss beyond that.

00:00 Introduction
01:00 What should we make of Asha Sharma’s “XBOX Reset?”
21:40 Supporter Q1: Will exclusives be enough to save Xbox?
27:47 Supporter Q2: Should Valve scrap Steam Machine for something more powerful?
33:44 Supporter Q3: Could God of War Laufey feature RTGI on PS6?
37:44 Supporter Q4: Are mainstream CPUs good enough for modern games?
44:18 Supporter Q5: Has the Series S secretly saved Switch 2?
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Taped before we produced our Xbox Showcase coverage, it's John, Rich and Oliver at their respective microphones to discuss all the big games at the recent Summer Game Fest. Geoff came good - as this excellent line-up of titles reveals.

0:00:00 Introduction
0:02:28 Final Fantasy 7 Revelation
0:10:35 Resident Evil Veronica
0:19:20 Stellar Blade: Blood Rain
0:24:35 Mighty Cuphead Adventures
0:29:25 Alien Isolation 2
0:33:21 Gen Atlas
0:40:23 Clutch
0:45:12 Crossfire
0:52:42 Virtua Fighter Crossroads
0:58:14 Other games: Haex, Star Wars Galactic Racer, 1666 Amsterdam, Star Wars Zero Company, Hot Wheels Infinite Rush, Guild Wars 3, Super Yooka-Laylee Kart
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It's Xbox's time to shine with the latest in the big summer showcases and Team Green certainly delivered. Gears of War: E-Day finally breaks cover, Halo Campaign Evolved impresses, while Senua, Metro 2039 and Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy look phenomenal. But what's the deal with Microsoft's exclusivity strategy and will it actually work?

0:00:00 Introduction
0:00:46 Gears of War: E-Day
0:13:36 Clockwork Revolution
0:16:21 Is Xbox returning to exclusive games?
0:29:30 Halo Campaign Evolved
0:34:24 Persona 4 Revival and Persona 6
0:38:52 Senua
0:43:21 Spyro: A Realm Beyond
0:46:02 Metro 2039
0:49:35 Crazy Taxi: World Tour
0:53:20 Doom: The Dark Ages | Revelations
0:57:57 Wo Long 2: Wings of Ember
1:00:48 Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy
1:04:40 Xbox 25th Anniversary Series X
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At the time of publication, it has been one year and one day since Nintendo launched the Switch 2 console - so, as is DF tradition, it's time to look back over the last year and assess the system's track record so far. Strong back compat, impressive first and third party support, actual ray tracing and game-changing DLSS results - has Nintendo managed to put a foot wrong at all?

00:00 Overview
01:10 Is Switch 2 a generational leap over Switch 1?
11:40 What are the worst and best Switch 2 ports?
21:46 Has Nintendo extracted the most from Switch 2 in their own games?
27:34 Have we accepted Switch 2’s hardware flaws?
33:27 What do we make of GameChat, GameShare, and mouse controls?
37:51 How do we rate Switch 2’s backwards compatibility?
44:08 Concluding thoughts
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With the welcome announcement of Call of Duty coming to Switch 2, the question is... can the hardware handle the series' signature 60fps? Meanwhile, what does Nvidia aim to achieve with its new RTX Spark processor? In the wake of the shock Steam Deck price rises, could a self-built PC potentially offer superior value? What's the fate of Xbox Series S in the Helix era? All this and more in the new DF Direct Q+A show.

00:00 Introduction
00:40 Supporter Q1: Do you think Modern Warfare 4 will be good on Switch 2?
09:38 Supporter Q2: Is the Nvidia N1X an expensive, niche chip?
24:25 Supporter Q3: Is a custom PC a better deal than Steam Machine?
31:00 Supporter Q4: Are review embargoes becoming more strict?
37:50 Supporter Q5: Will Microsoft ditch Series S when Project Helix arrives?
42:07 Supporter Q6: Are high hardware prices a boon for game optimization?
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