In this 223rd edition of Digital Foundry Direct Weekly, the team dives into several key gaming and technology updates. The highlight begins with Cyberpunk 2077’s 2.3 update, which introduced variable refresh rate (VRR) support on consoles. Testing revealed that while the Xbox Series X version struggled with VRR implementation, the PlayStation 5 Professional model showed significant performance improvements, reaching frame rates up to 80-90 FPS in performance mode. However, ray tracing features on consoles remain limited, primarily offering local light shadows rather than the more demanding sun shadows, which impacts visual fidelity.
Next, the discussion shifts to Space Marine 2 Warhammer 40k, which recently gained ray-traced ambient occlusion (RTAO). Although this addition is GPU-heavy and slightly reduces frame rates, the visual improvements are subtle due to the game’s heavy use of unshadowed lights and fake lighting techniques. The team notes that while RTAO adds more realistic shading in some areas, it doesn’t fully resolve lighting issues like light leaks or floating objects. Performance inconsistencies and shader compilation hitches have improved since launch but still persist in some areas, making the game demanding and occasionally unstable on PC.
The conversation then moves to Nintendo Switch 2 and the recent release of Donkey Kong Bonanza. The game originally started development for the original Switch but was transitioned to Switch 2, allowing for much richer visuals and 60 FPS gameplay. Despite some performance drops in specific scenarios, the game is praised for its level design and polish. The hosts also discuss the challenges of communicating performance issues in reviews, noting that occasional frame rate dips are sometimes unavoidable but can be smoothed out with VRR technology. Additionally, the team explores how Nintendo’s decision to alter the USB-C dock protocol for Switch 2 has led to compatibility issues with third-party docks, though some affordable alternatives like the Suic Dock have emerged.
A fascinating technical deep dive follows on Hitman World of Assassination running on Switch 2, where changing the system menu’s resolution dynamically affects in-game performance. Lowering the output from 4K to 720p significantly boosts frame rates, sometimes doubling performance in GPU-heavy areas. The team suspects the game uses DLSS-like upscaling at higher resolutions, which introduces a performance cost. This dynamic resolution adjustment is unusual, as most games only check resolution settings at boot, and raises questions about why such a feature isn’t more commonly exposed in game settings.
Finally, the episode covers a range of topics including the impressive new Super Nintendo cartridge version of Doom, which runs at a stable 20 FPS thanks to innovative engineering using a Raspberry Pi to emulate the Super FX chip. They also investigate a shader compilation bug affecting AMD’s RDNA4 GPUs in Unreal Engine 4 ray tracing games, causing severe frame drops. The episode concludes with a Q&A discussing emerging texture compression technologies, the future of CPU performance scaling in gaming, and the viability of ray tracing on Switch 2. The hosts also share some lighthearted moments about pizza preferences, rounding out a comprehensive and technical discussion on current gaming hardware and software developments.
