Gamescom Prep: Intel's New Benchmarking Tool & More
Gamescom 2023 Expectations
This episode of DF Direct Weekly serves as a preparation for the upcoming Gamescom show. The team discusses their expectations, noting that while the announcements may be somewhat muted, they are particularly eager to see:
• Alan Wake 2 on PC technologies, specifically regarding ray tracing.
• Potential Unreal Engine 5 showcases, including Stalker 2.
• New hardware from AMD, with speculation on potential Radeon announcements.
Intel Technology Briefing
The team reviews key insights from a recent briefing with Intel’s Tom Peterson, focusing on major advancements:
• DX11 Driver Overhaul: Intel has re-architected their DX11 driver to improve CPU efficiency, significantly benefiting lower-tier hardware like the Arc A750.
• PresentMon Toolset: Intel has released a new, advanced version of the open-source PresentMon tool. A standout feature is the GPU Busy metric, which allows users to accurately pinpoint whether they are CPU or GPU limited in real-time.
"GPU busy is potentially game changing in our understanding of how PC games work."
Industry News & Technical Analysis
• Xbox 360 Store: The impending closure of the Xbox 360 store highlights critical concerns regarding digital preservation and the reliance on third-party cracking to keep classic games accessible.
• Immortals of Aveum: Discussed as the first third-party title to utilize the full Unreal Engine 5 suite, including Nanite, Lumen, and Virtual Shadow Maps. The team highlights the game’s unique approach to performance evaluation via automated system tools.
• Bomb Rush Cyberpunk: Described as a spiritual successor to Jet Set Radio, earning high praise from the team for its stylistic choices, soundtrack, and fluid gameplay performance on PC.
Supporter Q&A
Topics included the necessity of upscaling technologies (like DLSS and FSR) in modern gaming. The team argued against the notion that these are "lazy developer hacks," positioning them instead as essential tools to enable high-fidelity ray tracing and complex path-traced graphics that wouldn't be viable otherwise.