Digital Foundry Direct Weekly DF Direct Weekly #228: Elden Ring/FF7R Switch 2! #StutterStruggle Fixed? Valve Console Specs!
Aug 25, 2025
The hosts dive into reactions from Gamescom, discussing the Switch 2 ports of Elden Ring and Final Fantasy 7 Remake, which garnered polarized responses. They express optimism about a new Microsoft fix for stuttering issues in games. Speculations swirl around a new Valve console and its intriguing specs. The panel critiques the technical challenges in console development while exploring gameplay highlights from titles like Kirby Air Riders. Excitement builds for upcoming releases and the evolving landscape of gaming technology.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
FF7 Remake Shines On Switch 2
- John Linneman played Final Fantasy VII Remake on Switch 2 in handheld and found it visually superb and stable at 30 FPS.
- He judged it possibly between the PS4 and PS5 versions and suspected DLSS or similar upscaling was used.
Elden Ring Port Suffering CPU Limits
- John Linneman observed Elden Ring's Switch 2 demo ran well below acceptable performance and appeared 'unacceptable' for shipping.
- He attributed part of the problem to the game's CPU-bound engine and an ARM conversion being an early port.
Cloud Shader Compilation Could End PC Stutter
- Alex Battaglia explained Microsoft's cloud shader delivery concept to precompile shaders and ship them to PCs to eliminate in-game shader stutter.
- He argued cloud compilation reduces redundant local work and could largely remove shader-related stuttering across varied hardware.