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Digital Foundry - Xbox Series S: Is It Still An Emulation Powerhouse? Dev Mode Testing + Performance

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 11:32:26 +0000

Microsoft may have done its best to lock down Xbox Series consoles from running emulators, but with the aid of the developer mode, it's still possible to access a wide range of emulators - and the results are still remarkable. In this video, Oliver Mackenzie shows you how it's done... and how well emulated titles work on the junior Xbox.

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00:00 Overview
01:08 Setup
03:02 8 and 16 bit consoles
04:38 Fifth-gen consoles and early 3D handhelds
06:05 Sixth-gen consoles
08:35 Xbox 360
10:02 Analysis and conclusion

Digital Foundry - DF Retro Play: MegaMan X Super NES vs Sony PSP's 'Maverick Hunter' 2.5D Remake!

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 11:32:26 +0000

MegaMan X on Super NES is a much-beloved platform game that still holds up well today, but did you know that the Sony PSP actually hosted a full 2.5D remake? In this edition of DF Retro Play, John Linneman and Marc 'Try4ce' Duddelson revisit the game and stack them up side-by-side and head-to-head!

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Digital Foundry - Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Review: The Disappointment Is Real

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 11:32:25 +0000

Anything from slower than a 3060 Ti to (a bit) faster than a 3070, the reality is that RTX 4060 Ti just doesn't do enough to justify its price-point - and if you want enough memory to fully futureproof your GPU for the triple-A games to come, you'll need to spend another $100... in two months time. Efficiency is a strong point, DLSS 3 has its uses in a mainstream build, but beyond that, this is a disappointment.

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00:00 Introduction
00:52 Gen on Gen on Gen Disappointment
01:32 Spec Breakdown vs 3060 Ti
02:25 A $400 '1080p Card'?
02:44 Impressive Power Efficiency
04:34 Physical Form Factor
04:57 Performance Part 1: Ray Tracing
07:03 Performance Part 2: Upscaling
07:58 Performance Part 3: Cyberpunk 2077 RT Overdrive
09:02 Performance Part 4: Rasterisation
12:22 RTX 4060 Ti vs RTX 3060 Ti - It Can Be Slower
13:33 The 8GB VRAM Question
16:25 The 16GB RTX 4060 Ti Variant
17:25 DLSS 3: Very Useful For Mainstream CPUs
19:11 Summary - It Is What It Is
19:46 And Now, The Conclusion

Digital Foundry - DF Direct Weekly #113: Sony Showcase Special, Project Q Handheld Reaction

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 11:32:25 +0000

With the first of the summer games events done and dusted, it's down to Rich, Oliver and John to shift through the games of the Sony showcase, bemoan trailergeddon, regale Marvel's Spider-Man 2 with praise then to discuss the merits of the Project Q streaming handheld. Meanwhile, the lack of a physical release for Alan Wake 2 upsets John.

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00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:15 News 01: Sony showcase recap!
00:40:02 News 02: Alan Wake 2 impresses, but why is it digital-only?
00:52:06 News 03: “Project Q” streaming handheld revealed
01:05:45 Supporter Q1: Nvidia’s server GPUs seem in heavy demand, so might the company shift resources away from gaming?
01:14:09 Supporter Q2: What’s the best way to measure and communicate the concept of frame-time stability?
01:23:44 Supporter Q3: Isn’t the 4060 Ti a lot more impressive when you bring DLSS 3 into the picture?
01:27:10 Supporter Q4: Could John make a video on running modern games on consumer grade CRT displays?

Digital Foundry - Marvel's Spider-Man 2 PS5 Showcase Trailer Tech Breakdown

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 11:32:25 +0000

What should we expect from Marvel's Spider-Man 2 as Insomniac finally leaves the PlayStation 4 generation behind? In this video, Oliver Mackenize takes a look at the early work-in-progress trailer we saw at the recent PlayStation Showcase and shares this thoughts, including comparisons with Marvel's Spider-Man and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales.

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00:00 Overview
00:55 Asset upgrades and water rendering
05:02 Character switching
05:50 Other visual features
10:05 Conclusion and analysis

Digital Foundry - Asus ROG Ally Review vs Steam Deck: The Fastest PC Handheld... But Is It The Best?

Tue, 23 May 2023 19:26:53 +0000

Weeks in the works and delayed owing to BIOS issues, our review of the Asus ROG Ally is finally complete. We're looking at the highest specification PC handheld we've seen yet with the Z1 Extreme processor paired with fast memory and a 1080p 120Hz VRR panel. But we're also looking at Windows 11 - which has traditionally performed poorly in the handheld space. This is clearly the most powerful PC mobile device around - but is it the best?

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00:00 Introduction
00:44 Unboxing and First Impressions
01:03 Form Factor + Controller Issues
02:15 IO - Ports and Sockets
02:38 Cooler Impressions
03:32 The 1080p 120Hz VRR Display
04:31 Software: The Armoury Crate
07:24 Software: Command Centre
08:05 Asus ROG Ally System Specs vs Steam Deck
09:29 Performance Intro
10:35 Benchmark: Control
12:04 Benchmark: Cyberpunk 2077
13:06 Benchmark: Forza Horizon 5
14:41 Benchmark: God of War
15:50 Benchmark: Returnal
16:44 Benchmark: A Plague Tale Requiem
17:55 Benchmark: Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition
18:33 Benchmarks: Z1 Extreme vs Ryzen 7 6800U
19:23 9W Silent Mode - Significant Problems
21:08 Snapshot Comparisons vs PS4/PS5
23:00 Asus ROG Ally Battery Life vs Steam Deck
25:09 Turbo Mode Battery Life
26:09 The Wrap Up
29:55 And Now, The Conclusion

Digital Foundry - A Plague Tale Requiem - 60FPS Performance Tested - PS5 vs Xbox Series X

Tue, 23 May 2023 19:26:53 +0000

Launching with 30fps and 40fps quality modes, there was much wailing and anguish from console users hoping to experience the latest Plague Tale chapter at 'full fat' 60fps. It's taken months, but Asobo Studio has delivered - albeit with a range of cutbacks and compromises. Also of interest is a fully unlocked 120Hz performance mode. Tom Morgan has all of the details.

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Digital Foundry - The Last Of Us Part 1: Has Naughty Dog Fixed The PC Port?

Sat, 20 May 2023 11:02:13 +0000

One of the most disappointing PC launches of the year was the conversion of The Last of Us Part 1. Many patches have followed since we first looked at the game and many issues remain - particularly in terms of stutter, CPU and GPU utilisation. However, the good news is that at least the texture management problems have been comprehensively resolved - and a highly respectable experience is now possible for PC users with 8GB graphics cards.

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Digital Foundry - 'Too Big' For Steam Deck? TLOU Part 1, Hogwarts Legacy, Resident Evil 4 + More Tested!

Wed, 17 May 2023 20:57:11 +0000

Oliver's back with another in his regular analysis of the most demanding PC titles and the extent to which you can get a playable experience from them on Steam Deck. There's no holds barred here as the Valve handheld tries to take on nightmare games like The Last of Us Part 1, Hogwarts Legacy, Resident Evil 4, Dead Space Remake and even Redfall.

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Digital Foundry - Inside the Atari Jaguar with Rich Whitehouse

Wed, 17 May 2023 20:57:11 +0000

On this special DF Retro stream, we're joined by Rich Whitehouse to discuss the Atari Jaguar in-depth. Rich created the amazing BigPEmu (a version of which was used in Atari50) which emulates the Jag with stunning accuracy. Time to learn more about how this beast works!

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - DF Tech Review - Is It Really 'Too Big for Switch'...?

Tue, 16 May 2023 23:57:17 +0000

It's finally here - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom sees Nintendo at the very top of its game, delivering a game that builds and expands upon the original Breath of the Wild in many different dimensions... but is the scale of the ambition really 'too big for Switch'...? John Linneman has answers.

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Digital Foundry - Street Fighter 6 First Look: PS5 vs Xbox Series X/S vs PS4/Pro Demos Tested

Mon, 15 May 2023 21:34:16 +0000

Capcom transitions the Street Fighter franchise onto its excellent in-house RE Engine, so how does it look across consoles old and new? Tom checks out the recently released demo running on current and last-generation PlayStation consoles, plus there's a look at Xbox Series consoles too. Specs and performance may change with the final game - but this is how the game's shaping up via Capcom's own public-facing demo code.

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Digital Foundry - DF Direct Weekly #111: Zelda TOTK Reaction, Asus ROG Ally Hands-On, Plague Tale 60fps Patch!

Mon, 15 May 2023 21:34:16 +0000

One of the biggest - if not the biggest - games of 2023 launched this week. Nintendo's Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has recently a massively positive reaction. John discusses his review and shares more thoughts on the game, while digging more deeply into the eternal question - is it too big for Switch? Meanwhile, Rich drops in from time off to share his impressions with the Asus ROG Ally and A Plague Tale: Requiem gets a 60fps patch... but what does it actually do?

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00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:04 News 01: Tears of the Kingdom launches!
00:26:05 News 02: Sharp producing next-gen Switch LCD?
00:34:49 News 03: ASUS ROG Ally reviews drop + our impressions
00:50:20 News 04: A Plague Tale: Requiem gets 60fps patch
00:56:36 News 05: John gets a new CRT!
01:02:53 Supporter Q1: With low sales and poor software support, where does the PS VR2 go from here?
01:07:36 Supporter Q2: Could DF revisit some of the recent troubled PC ports and see how they run now after patches?
01:11:23 Supporter Q3: Why does DLSS 3 produce a smoother experience in games with high CPU load?
01:15:47 Supporter Q4: Developers like to blame specific PC configurations for user issues. Could DF emphasize that PC performance issues are often common to all configurations?

Digital Foundry - Control PC's Stealth Upgrade: HDR Support, Improved RT, Better DLSS!

Sun, 14 May 2023 12:21:59 +0000

Video mastered in HDR. Watch on an HDR screen/device for the best experience. Fatigued by the crisis state of PC gaming? Here's a genuine pick-me-up. Remedy's Control was always a fantastic PC game - but behind the scenes, Remedy team member Filippo Tarpini has been working on mods that make the experience even better, with full HDR support, improved fidelity in ray tracing along with the addition of a more recent version of DLSS - and full resolution DLAA support too. It's brilliant stuff, as Alex reports.

Get the mod here: https://community.pcgamingwiki.com/files/file/2581-control-hdrultrawidedlssrt-patch/

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Digital Foundry - Hogwarts Legacy Last-Gen - PS4/PS4 Pro/Xbox One/One X - DF Tech Review

Thu, 11 May 2023 11:36:11 +0000

Hogwarts Legacy is a demanding title across all current-gen systems - and even high-powered PCs. So did the last-gen consoles ever stand a chance of getting a decent rendition of the game? In the DF tech review, Oliver discovers that a wide range of cutbacks, nips and tucks have been made - but the experience holds together well overall considering how old the base technology is.

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DF Direct Weekly #110: PC Gaming in Crisis, Redfall Post Mortem, Man of Medan Switch at 24fps

Mon, 08 May 2023 23:10:58 +0000

DF Direct Weekly returns after a seismic week in gaming, with Oliver, John and Alex discussing the crisis state of PC gaming 'in the here and now', raking over the coals of the deeply disappointing Redfall release, while we had to take a look at Man of Medan on Switch, which targets a cinematic 24fps. Meanwhile, John clues us in on the latest Analogue Pocket firmware update.

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00:00:00 Introduction
00:00:58 News 01: PC gaming in crisis
00:24:12 News 02: Redfall reaction and follow-up
00:54:38 News 03: Man of Medan hits Switch at 24fps!
01:01:11 News 04: Analogue Pocket gets big firmware update
01:04:46 Supporter Q1: If a game developer is under the influence when implementing RTGI, could that be “baked” lighting?
01:05:37 Supporter Q2: Need for Speed (2015) still looks great today. What are some other early last-gen games that still look fantastic?
01:10:29 Supporter Q3: Could you tell the difference between DLSS 3 and regular rendering at high frame-rates?
01:14:05 Supporter Q4: Can we have an award ceremony for the worst PC ports of the year?
01:16:08 Supporter Q5: What are the possible incentives for publishers to release games in a decent state?
01:18:53 Supporter Q6: I’m worried that FF16, Starfield, and Zelda will release in a poor state. How can we make companies more aware of game issues?
01:22:47 Supporter Q7: Are Jedi Survivor’s image quality issues related to using an older version of FSR 2?
01:28:33 Supporter Q8: Do you prefer a higher resolution with less detail, or a lower resolution with more detail?

Digital Foundry - DF Retro: Gunbuster vs Wolfenstein 3D - How 1992 Revolutionised The FPS

Mon, 08 May 2023 23:10:49 +0000

Haven't heard of Gunbuster, or Operation Gunbuster? We're not surprised. It's an arcade shooter from 1992 released mere months after Wolfenstein 3D re-architected the first-person shooter on PC. The thing is... there's a lot of commonality here in terms of presentation, movement and control with the key difference coming down to technology. Gunbuster's entire presentation is based on sprites, a dead-end technology for the FPS revolution to come but in 1992? It was the Wild West and anything was possible.

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Digital Foundry - Redfall PC - DF Tech Review - Another Unacceptably Poor Port

Fri, 05 May 2023 23:00:09 +0000

We weren't too impressed with the Xbox version of Redfall, but the PC version has its own range of unacceptably poor issues - from traversal stutter to non-descript, non-helpful settings menus, to visual bugs and terrible CPU core utilisation. Support for all modern upscalers and some kind of shader precompilation pass help matters, but this is still far from the kind of quality we'd expect from a major triple-A release.

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Digital Foundry - Redfall Xbox Series X/S - DF Tech Review - Big Issues And Unfulfilled Potential

Thu, 04 May 2023 23:25:38 +0000

One of the most controversial of Xbox's first-party releases, it's safe to say that Redfall arrives with users with a wide range of problems that urgently need addressing - and beyond the technical problems, the game itself isn't up to Arkane's usual levels of quality.

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Digital Foundry #109: Star Wars Jedi Survivor Drama, MS/Acti Merger Blocked, ROG Ally Benched

Wed, 03 May 2023 14:08:08 +0000

This week the team discuss the arrival of Star Wars Jedi Survivor, share first impressions after EA delayed sending review code, then move onto 'The Power of the Cloud' seemingly blocking Microsoft's Activision acquisition. Rich shares a conversation he had with the Xbox Sustainability Team on improving in-game efficiency, while benchmarks finally emerge on the impressive looking Asus ROG Ally handheld.

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00:00:00 Introduction
00:00:45 News 01: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor impressions!
00:23:57 News 02: Microsoft Activision purchase hits roadblock
00:34:30 News 03: Microsoft pushes for Xbox energy sustainability
00:48:21 News 04: ASUS ROG Ally chips benchmarked
00:55:50 Supporter Q1: If RT becomes a big rendering focus, could future GPUs regress in rasterization performance?
01:00:36 Supporter Q2: Are 8GB GPUs DOOMED to muddy textures on PC?
01:07:33 Supporter Q3: How did Don feel about his first video?
01:11:15 Supporter Q4: Will you make a GTA V retro time capsule video when the title hits its 10th anniversary later this year?