DF Direct Weekly #128: Switch 2 Zelda/Matrix Demos, Jedi Survivor 60fps Patch, RX 7800 XT Launch

A packed week of news as John, Rich and Oliver discuss the shock Switch 2 tech demo leaks - what should we expect from the system in the wake of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The Matrix Awakens leaks? Meanwhile, John's excited about Daytona 2's upcoming arrival via emulation, while Oliver shares initial impressions on the new Star Wars Jedi: Survivor patch that improves the 60fps performance mode. Rich shares RX 7800 XT impressions, while it quickly emerges that corrective lenses are the unsung heroes of the whole Digital Foundry enterprise.

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0:00:00 Introduction
0:00:42 News 01: Next-gen Switch demoed with BOTW, Matrix Awakens
0:23:30 News 02: Daytona USA 2 re-release incoming!
0:32:51 News 03: Paid, DRM-laden DLSS 3 Starfield mod cracked
0:40:40 News 04: Jedi: Survivor patch improves performance mode
0:52:15 News 05: AMD releases RX 7700 XT, RX 7800 XT GPUs
1:14:16 News 06: Interviewer asks: why didn’t Todd Howard optimize Starfield on PC?
1:21:51 Supporter Q1: Will the Switch successor rely on the same cartridges as Switch 1?
1:25:57 Supporter Q2: Will Nintendo do “next-gen” patches for existing Switch games?
1:29:31 Supporter Q3: Do you think Nintendo could use a discrete dock-only GPU for the new Switch?
1:33:21 Supporter Q4: Why hasn’t Bethesda switched to Id Tech for all their games?
1:37:40 Supporter Q5: Have you considered reporting GPU wattage when benchmarking PC games?
1:40:12 Supporter Q6: Can Rich and John tell us about their history with eyeglasses?

[modestyblaise]

Oliver’s so excited by Switch 2 he’s gone and built himself a giant GameCube to live in. Gotta love Oliver.

[jpmudkip]

DLSS (or hell, even just DLAA) on the Switch is a big enough upgrade as is. having good (consistent) anti-aliasing capabilities on Switch titles is a big deal, and that’s discounting the upscaling benefits. If DLSS could be enabled for backwards compatible games, that would be HUGE

[millrrs]

8:07 Thanks Rich for putting expectations in their place. People are over the top believing in everything they read.

[chrisv]

I was born in the 80s so I was definitely there as a kid in the 90s arcade scene. Sega's Model 1, 2 and 3 arcade boards were always ahead of the time. I remember being wowed by my Sega Saturn but the arcade machines were definitely a whole generation or two ahead of consoles at the time. Daytona, Virtua Fighter, Virtua Cop, Virtua On, Fighting Vipers, House of the Dead, Jurassic Park, Sega Bass Fishing, Crazy Taxi, etc were amazing games.

[MadViking]

Rich's analytical prowess is quite impressive. The way he can disjoint and unconstruct complex topics and put them back together in a more realistic way, say for example, industry hearsay, shows his old-school journalistic roots. It seems he is always looking for the evidence first, and putting things into more realistic perspective based on what is found. Also, his business-side knowledge is very solid, and complements his opinions and arguments. I also like how he says "I don't know" when he doesn't, rather than trying to "be right". The dynamics with the younger enthusiastic team, who buy the hype easier, and Rich are great to watch as well, as it reflects well on all types of audiences. Fantastic content, great discussion!!

[LE_NOMAD]

You gotta love it when Rich brings everyone back to reality.

[carbonfibercarpet]

I’m pretty new to this channel but it’s quickly becoming one of my favourites. I’m not exactly the most techy guy but it’s so interesting to hear you guys discuss it.

[kalafalas]

Jedi survivor Patch 7 on PS5 included VRR support as well - and as far as I can tell it includes LFC on quality mode, which clears up the tearing which was my final gripe with the visuals. I’m loving it!

[ia]

Starfield not even being mentioned in FSR3 promo material tells me AMD was really serious about not using it below 60ish FPS, which is notoriously hard to maintain in Starfield with average hardware. It must fall apart near the 30ish FPS mark locked by Bethesda on consoles for them to reject such a tempting flow boost.

[CasepbX]

AM3 games looked so incredible back in the day I still love how they look. I was a 10 year old who only really ever played the SNES and seeing Scud Race and Daytona USA was nuts to me.

[MedalionDS]

You can tell how skeptical they are...and rightfully so, that this is Nintendo we're talking about... scale back, and further scale back your expectations

[AlexAnteroLammikko]

Definitely do the T239 chip video. At this point its almost more than a rumor but a likely reality or at the very least very comparable to something that would be possible assuming a launch next year. So its would be a very good topic.

[pshearduk]

Rich the voice, the optimism, the knowledge

[Cwiiis]

So glad John mentioned SCUD Race - It's a travesty that that's remained in the arcades for such a long time, absolutely stunning game...

[NintenJon]

Oh man. I’m right there with John when it comes to Sega. They keep stopping short of remaking their Saturn and Dreamcast titles. I’d love to see modern remakes of games like Burning Rangers, Phantasy Star Online, Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, and Space Channel 5.

[cosmosofinfinity]

I'm just surprised the Matrix Awakens demo would still be being used considering it got taken down the stores presumably for copyright/licensing issues

[peshkybee]

We got Ollie again this week! Always great to hear from him

[Thicc_Boyo]

Any modders putting DRM on their mods should get bent. Last time a modder charged money for a graphics mod they put malware on it to remotely wipe users' machines. Modders can't be trusted with something like DRM, not when so many modders in the past have done extremely stupid things for things as petty as their egos.

[Neoxon]

The Switch 2 is likely working smarter rather than harder thanks to Nvidia’s better RT cores, more efficient ARM hardware than the x86 handheld PCs, & DLSS.

[chrisbullock]

The one thing I appreciate from Richard Sanity and good old Common Sense" too the conversation. Just because something can, doesn't mean its going to look like you imagine it in your brain. LOL