Digital Foundry Direct Weekly DF Direct Weekly #231: Borderlands 4 Perf Issues, Nintendo Direct, PS6 BD Drive, GeForce Now 5080!
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Sep 15, 2025 Oliver McKenzie from Digital Foundry joins the discussion as the team dives into the performance issues plaguing Borderlands 4 on PC. They share highlights from Nintendo's latest Direct, celebrating Super Mario's 40th anniversary with exciting new titles. The conversation shifts to the impressive capabilities of GeForce Now's 5080 tier, alongside Microsoft's cloud gaming advancements. Cautious optimism surrounds the rumored PS6 with a detachable Blu-ray drive, sparking debate on future gaming innovations and console designs.
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Shader Compilation Hurts First-Time Play
- Borderlands 4 on PC shows pervasive shader compilation stutter during first encounters and cutscenes, hurting perceived polish.
- High-end CPUs mask but don't eliminate spikes, so many players on lower CPUs will see worse stutter.
UE5 Features Can Be Overkill
- Borderlands 4 uses heavy UE5 features (Software Lumen, VSMs, likely Nanite) that drive high GPU and CPU cost for limited visual gains.
- Turning down one quality step typically yields much better performance with similar visuals.
Nintendo Direct: More Ports Than New Mario
- Nintendo Direct announced Switch 2 upgrades for Super Mario Galaxy and native 4K for Super Mario Wonder on Switch 2.
- John and Rich noted it's mostly visual upgrades rather than brand-new core Mario entries.