Gaming expert Tom Morgan discusses the arrival of TopSpin 2K25 and Paper Mario Switch. FSR3 frame generation tested on consoles, Hellblade 2 review reaction, IGN buys Gamer Network, Snapdragon X Elite launch, and more exciting topics covered.

Another massive episode kicks off with the team sharing initial hands-on impressions of Ghost of Tsushima's impressive PC ports, while big changes are PlayStation are discussed - along with the revelation that half of Sony's monthly active users are still on PS4. Grand Theft Auto 6 is pushed back to later in 2025, and there's the enticing possibility that the original Red Dead Redemption will FINALLY come to PC. Finally, John and Oliver have bought new TVs - and it's looking like a full-on OLED vs LCD shoot-out.0:00:00 Introduction0:00:56 News 01: Ghost of Tsushima PC impressions!0:16:05 News 02: Assassin’s Creed Shadows announced0:25:33 News 03: PlayStation news roundup!0:49:10 News 04: GTA 6 to arrive in fall 20250:55:22 News 05: Red Dead Redemption possibly coming to PC1:02:30 News 06: PO’ed remaster released1:12:13 News 07: John and Oliver’s new TVs!1:28:42 Supporter Q1: Will the changes to Xbox strategy reduce console competition?1:36:49 Supporter Q2: Does an Xbox-PC hybrid really make sense?1:43:49 Supporter Q3: Could Nvidia’s rumoured ARM handheld SoC wipe the floor with Nintendo and Valve?1:48:50 Supporter Q4: Are there gaming applications for OpenAI’s recently revealed AI tech?1:52:40 Supporter Q5: What are your most highly anticipated games for the rest of the year in terms of tech?1:56:21 Supporter Q6: How do you prefer to set up your PC displays when gaming?1:58:54 Supporter Q7: What are your thoughts on producing repeated videos on games that are delivered in a subpar state?2:04:25 Supporter Q8: What’s the latest gaming and tech news you’ve enjoyed? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Microsoft's studio closures spark concerns, Switch 2 details revealed, Asus ROG Ally X specs discussed, Sony backtracks on Helldivers 2 PC requirements, Ninja Theory unveils Hellblade 2 PC specs, Sand Land game released, future of Switch 2 connectivity questioned, debate on VRAM longevity, potential for larger RAM on next-gen consoles, mouse and keyboard support on consoles, updating older UE5 games, Intel vs. AMD GPU sales banter, favorite immersive sim games chat

The latest DF Direct Weekly sees Rich, Oliver and Alex at the mics (John returns in the next episode!) discussing Bethesda's unique approach to Starfield's upcoming display mode upgrades, while there's concern about the health of console gaming in the wake of poor AMD gaming revenue. Rich talks PS5 Pro GPU details - including caches, clock speeds and features - while the latest Switch 2 rumours and reports are assessed for their plausibility. There's genuine excitement over AMD's new Strix Point and Strix Halo APUs, while Alex goes into depth about all the path-tracing features now unearthed in Capcom RE Engine games. 0:00:00 Introduction0:01:41 News 01: Bethesda announces big Starfield update0:23:05 News 02: AMD sees massive gaming revenue decline0:40:14 News 03: New PS5 Pro GPU details!0:58:27 News 04: Switch 2 rumour roundup1:07:40 News 05: RTX Remix getting DLSS 3.5 Ray Reconstruction1:16:02 News 06: Resident Evil titles get path tracing!1:27:14 News 07: AMD Strix APUs pack great integrated GPU performance1:35:06 Supporter Q1: Could Nintendo games use DLSS 2 to reach 4K output on Switch 2?1:40:23 Supporter Q2: What features would you add to Switch 2, if you could pick anything?1:45:25 Supporter Q3: Could the potential merging of Xbox and PC development hurt Xbox?1:50:13 Supporter Q4: Could developers run a game’s logic at high rates to improve responsiveness, while keeping frame-rate untouched? 1:54:19 Supporter Q5: Gaming handhelds theoretically seem as fast as a Series S. Why are they slower in practice? 1:57:40 Supporter Q6: Could Valve build a viable console platform to compete with Sony?2:03:16 Supporter Q7: If you had to pick between #StutterStruggle and FSR 2 artifacts, which would you pick? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this 160th edition, it's Tom Morgan joining Rich and Alex to discuss the latest gaming and technology news. There's good news and bad news with Fallout 4's new 'next-gen' upgrade, Rich is impressed with Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora's new 40fps mode for PS5 and Series X, while Alex talks us through the latest path-tracing innovations revealed at GDC and GTC. Tom shares his impressions on Paper Mario for Nintendo Switch, Rich tests frame-gen on ROG Ally - and are Lords of the Fallen's tech issues resolved in the newly released patch 1.5?0:00:00 Introduction0:01:57 News 01: Fallout 4 gets mixed current-gen upgrade0:22:14 News 02: Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora gets 40fps mode0:38:07 News 03: Lords of the Fallen receives performance boost0:49:12 News 04: Alex dives deep into game tech1:11:56 News 05: ROG Ally updated with AFMF tech1:22:08 News 06: Paper Mario preview!1:29:31 Supporter Q1: Could frame gen be used to scale a game from 40fps to 120fps, and then decimate it to 60fps?1:34:07 Supporter Q2: Why are some Microsoft games exhibiting different settings on PS5 relative to Series X?1:42:49 Supporter Q3: Do you prefer Doom 1993 or Doom 2016?1:47:11 Supporter Q4: Is sampler feedback the Series S savior? And is the PS5 API better than Microsoft’s?1:53:07 Supporter Q5: Is the PS4’s continued developer support a problem for Sony?2:00:13 Supporter Q6: Could the Switch 2 have an image quality advantage over PC gaming handhelds?2:05:35 Supporter Q7: Are 13900K and 14900K processors really unstable?2:10:54 Supporter Q8: What would a Republic of Gamers look like? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PS5 Pro... ultra boost mode? Rich, Oliver and Alex discuss the possibilities of how Sony's new console can improve existing games, before moving on to discussion of Ghost of Tsushima's PC specs and the 'PlayStation Overlay'. The team mull over the highly attractive Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 trailer, Oliver tests emulation on Apple while Rich gets to grips with GeForce Now's G-Sync support. And as for Alex? How about a 20-minute monologue on Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora's remarkable tech disclosures?0:00:00 Introduction0:02:16 News 01: PS5 Pro to receive “ultra boost mode”0:15:50 News 02: Ghost of Tsushima PC requirements announced0:31:05 News 03: Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 revealed0:38:38 News 04: Avatar devs disclose game tech1:00:17 News 05: Hands-on with GeForce Now G-Sync1:09:56 News 06: Apple opens the emulator floodgates!1:18:45 Supporter Q1: What does a more PC-like console look like? Would it be worthwhile?1:28:25 Supporter Q2: How could a 5090 improve on today’s gaming experiences?1:36:16 Supporter Q3: Why can’t Nvidia obtain an x86 license and create x86 CPUs?1:40:38 Supporter Q4: Will The Last of Us Remastered get a PS5 Pro remaster?1:42:32 Supporter Q5: What are your most anticipated PS5 Pro patches to existing games?1:48:36 Supporter Q6: Will Sony release their exclusives on PC on the same day as PS5?1:55:07 Supporter Q7: Can FSR 3.1 save this console generation’s image quality?2:03:36 Supporter Q8: If DF released a console motherboard shirt, would Alex wear it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discussing Xbox's game preservation team, Fallout 4's upgrade, Star Wars Outlaws trailer breakdown, FSR 3 on consoles, and tackling supporter questions on console conveniences, CPU boosts, modern game authenticity, RT in upcoming games, potential Series S-matching handheld, and Switch 2 power relative to Steam Deck and Series S.

A wide range of Hellblade 2 previews emerged last week, but what have we learned about the game and is the dynamic resolution 30fps revelation in any way surprising? John, Rich and Alex share their thoughts while also sharing reactions to the latest chapter in the PS Portal hack story and Nightdive's POed remaster non-April fool. Alex shares news of his experiments with Intel's PresentMon 2.0 - and how it will change our PC games and hardware coverage - while there's intrigue and some level of excitement surrounding Intel's latest XeSS news.0:00:00 Introduction0:01:04 News 01: Hellblade 2 previews drop!0:26:53 News 02: PS Portal hack patched before release0:34:41 News 03: 90s FPS PO'ed getting Nightdive remaster0:41:07 News 04: C-Smash VRS hits Meta Quest0:52:03 News 05: Alex’s PresentMon experiments1:06:57 News 06: Campaign demands: stop killing games!1:16:19 News 07: Intel updates XeSS with revised modes1:22:04 Supporter Q1: Would it be more practical to target 1440p than 4K for performance modes?1:28:11 Supporter Q2: Dragon’s Dogma 2 has unimpressive NPC density, so why can’t it hit 60fps on consoles?1:35:17 Supporter Q3: Why do some developers implement incorrect 30fps frame-rate caps?1:43:36 Supporter Q4: Why isn’t low frame-rate compensation the default with 120Hz and VRR on PS5? 1:50:05 Supporter Q5: Could the PS5 Pro be powerful enough to run advanced path traced games?1:55:04 Supporter Q6: With Microsoft potentially opening Xbox to third parties, was the 3DO approach right all along? 2:01:21 Supporter Q7: Would it have been better to forgo the PS5 Pro and instead shorten this console generation? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This podcast delves into the potential changes in the Xbox platform, including integrating third-party stores, the prospect of an Xbox handheld, and the leaked photos of a white digital-only Series X. They also discuss game preservation, developers considering dropping Xbox support, CPU upgrades on consoles, and the use of Microsoft's cloud technology in future consoles.

Rich, John and Alex discuss the stunning Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra debut trailer, potentially big upgrades to FSR via its upcoming 3.1 upgrade, while Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's tweaked performance mode (via a new patch) is analysed. Have image quality concerns finally been addressed? Meanwhile, we attempt to draw a line under the whole PS5 Pro/GTA6 60fps situation, while John shares his experiences with Nvidia's AI-powered Covert Protocol demo. Can AI move beyond upscaling to provide new gameplay experiences?0:00:00 Introduction0:00:44 News 01: Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra stuns in debut trailer0:18:56 News 02: AMD announces FSR 3.10:30:52 News 03: Latest PS VR2 update enables PC access0:40:37 News 04: Could GTA 6 hit 60 FPS on PS5 Pro?0:57:46 News 05: Covert Protocol demo shows off AI characters1:10:17 News 06: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth gets new graphics options1:16:05 Supporter Q1: What should Microsoft and Sony do to differentiate their next-gen hardware?1:36:44 Supporter Q2: Why isn’t Microsoft making more out of their consoles’ machine learning capabilities?1:43:09 Supporter Q3: Should Sony invest in frame generation? Does PSSR suggest a lack of faith in AMD’s upscaling tech?1:49:24 Supporter Q4: Could backwards compatibility actually hold back Switch 2? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices