Thanks to Alienware for sponsoring DF Direct. To learn more about the Alienware AREA-51 Gaming Desktop, check out: http://aw.gg/area-51 Another packed Direct Q+A show sees Oliver, Rich and Alex getting to grips with high-end graphics: are they actually worth it and are technological advances worth pushing? Meanwhile, can Switch 2 last for the 6-7 years Nintendo wants it to - or will next-gen consoles make it obsolete for multi-platform titles? All this and - inevitably - a lot more in the new Direct Q+A Show. Examine the DF Website: https://digitalfoundry.net Go here to check out DF merch! https://store.digitalfoundry.net Subscribe for more Digital Foundry: http://bit.ly/DFSubscribe 00:00 Introduction 00:51 Sponsored by Alienware 0:02:10 Supporter Q1: Is the high end PC experience really worth it? Should we stop pushing top-tier visuals in general? 0:12:24 Supporter Q2: Will we have to wait years for a SWOLED 2? What should we make of Nintendo’s reported increase in R&D spend? 0:21:01 Supporter Q3: Can Switch 2 handle another 6 or 7 years of cross-gen software? 0:26:03 Supporter Q4: Given inflation, isn’t it true that gaming hardware today is relatively cheap? 0:32:19 Supporter Q5: Could Microsoft ship a version of Windows for Xbox Series? 0:36:53 Supporter Q6: Will Project Helix hardware prove tempting for AI users? 0:40:26 Supporter Q7: Is PC emulation on Android ready for prime time? 0:45:21 Supporter Q8: What would you do in 2026 with an old 10-series PC? 0:50:34 Supporter Q9: How much does Oliver cut out of DF Direct every week?
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Can DF get Alex a green screen so we can have interesting gaming environments for him to walkthrough during each Direct? Thanks
It was a great choice to split out the Q&A portion of the weekly video, much easier to digest in separate chunks. Thanks DF!
Hey Alex, thanks for speaking up for the working class! Also chronic injuries suck! Wishing you the best recovery.
how many years?
alex be walking 🚶
What we NEED is optimization.
Finally people who understand the difference between inflation adjusted price and the amount of actual disposable income people have today compared to couple of decades ago. Good job guys.
I mean just yesterday I was playing Uncharted: Lost Legacy, Arkham City, and about an hour of DOOM 2016, and each of those games, a decade old, look like they could have been released today. Games have looked great for a while now. The only babysteps we've had lately are higher fidelity (when it comes to photorealism) that most people -hardcore gamers included- wouldn't even notice without being told. Hell, DF even usually has to slow down and/or zoom in on aspects when discussing graphical nuances with us. And I'm not even going to get started on how much the industry bitches about the high dev cost corner that publishers have painted themselves into.
Graphics are there. The optimization is the thing that it's not on the game developer's list.
I thought I could hear Alex listening to cool industrial music, but it was just his treadmill.
I think the entire console industry has kinda proven that, yes, you can get a comparable experience (if playing games are your only requirement) without spending out the nose for "enthusiast" grade equipment. It's never going to be the most premium experience available, but the gulf between that and what is available in consoles isn't linearly associated with the price difference between them.
As a switch 2 player mainly, gameplay will always be more significant than graphics. But that doesn't mean more powerful systems producing more beautiful and responsive results aren't interesting!
Imagine deliberately focusing on the comparison of switch and high end pc to suite your own agenda. The point is most people are perfectly happy with the graphical quality and presentation of base Xbox and ps5. Companies should plan to achieve 60fps on those and sacrifice anything else until it’s done.
Thanks to Alienware for sponsoring DF Direct. To learn more about the Alienware AREA-51 Gaming Desktop, check out: /digitalfoundry
At this point engine and game companies are offloading the optimization to the consumer to buy new hardware.
Every time Alex is walking on screen, Brodyquest plays in my head. :) (on a serious note, hope Alex recovers and starts feeling well soon)
The biggest tragedy of Switch 2 is no vrr in docked mode. It would be the best quality upgrade for people who don't use handheld aa much. Other than that I'm just excited that it can even run newer titles, even if it is an inferior version.
4:58 Ridiculous, the metaphor about the book was the cover is the presentation and the story stays the same. It's obviously not like having half the words of a story missing, or not fleshing out a character, her hair just looks different.
3:32 i don't think the average gamer is the usual viewer of digital foundry, i like to see the newest technologies even if i not always can afford them.
To the randon inquiry, this is why sticker shock is such a big deal: 5 years into the PS4 generation, I was able to buy a PS4 slim with a physical copy of Spider-Man for 199 USD brand new in the box. If I had taken the same approach for the PS5 generation, I would have spent more than the price at launch. A lot of people relied on gradual price drops to buy into console ecosystems. Especially since games tend to be heavily discounted that late into a console's lifespan.