Digital Foundry Direct Weekly DF Direct Weekly #245: Half-Life 3 Steam Machine Launch Game? Skyrim Switch 2 Lag Patch, Marathon!
Dec 22, 2025
Oliver McKenzie, a Freelance Digital Foundry contributor, drops by to dissect the latest gaming news. He discusses the intriguing possibility of Half-Life 3 as a Steam Machine launch title amidst hardware challenges. He also reviews the recent patch for Batman: Arkham Knight on Switch/Switch 2 that improves handheld performance but highlights ongoing issues. The conversation shifts to Skyrim's patch that reduces input lag at the cost of frame stability. Plus, there's buzz about Bungie's Marathon and the evolving landscape of handheld gaming.
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Half-Life 3 Tied To Steam Machine Uncertainty
- Rumours strongly tie Half-Life 3 to a Steam Machine launch, but the DRAM supply issues may be delaying hardware and announcement timing.
- John and Alex expect Valve could announce anytime, but supply constraints force pricing and timing compromises.
Valve Holds Power Over Timing
- Valve can delay Half-Life 3 indefinitely but risks losing the launch-window synergy with Steam Machine amid RAM shortages.
- The team sees Half-Life 3 selling regardless, so Valve faces choices: higher-priced hardware or staggered release.
HDR Revival For Half-Life 2
- John replayed Half-Life 2 with DXVK and Special K to get proper HDR and disable Valve's tone mapper.
- He found the 21-year-old game still gorgeous on a modern HDR monitor.