Digital Foundry Direct 169: FSR 3.1, Dead Rising, and Game Preservation
Overview
This episode of Digital Foundry Direct 169 covers a variety of technical developments, ranging from the latest upscaling technology to the increasingly concerning issue of game preservation in a digital-first industry. The team also dives into specific performance fixes and engine technicalities.
Key Topics
• AMD FSR 3.1 First Impressions: An early look at AMD's updated upscaler across Nixxes' PC ports. While it offers a qualitative improvement over FSR 2.2, the team observes that it still struggles with pixelated artifacts in motion compared to DLSS or XeSS.
• Dead Rising "Deluxe Remaster": A discussion on the upcoming Capcom release. The panel questions the naming convention for this title, as it appears to be a full asset-based overhaul rather than a standard remaster, effectively occupying the space of a remake.
• Dragon’s Dogma 2 Updates: A significant technical improvement is highlighted, particularly on the PlayStation 5, where new 120Hz/VRR support makes the game feel dramatically smoother and finally playable for those who were previously put off by its erratic frame pacing.
• Game Preservation and Delisting: A somber conversation regarding the delisting of Forza Horizon 4. The host emphasizes that digital-only ownership presents a major long-term risk for consumers, specifically due to third-party licensing issues and the inability to "own" content on locked-down consoles.
• Technical Deep Dives: The crew discusses the return of Sparse Grid Super Sampling Anti-Aliasing (SGSSAA) in Falcom’s Trails Through Daybreak and the persistent, annoying "50Hz tick-rate bug" that continues to plague many Unity-based games.
"The real problem here just comes down to DRM in the digital space. DRM-locked digital content—you lose access to it. Discs... you can trade it around; you can sell it; you can use it however the heck you want."
Notable Quotes
- On the necessity of technical critique: "The harshness of a critique for me is always kind of like how endemic the issue is and also the size of the team and the amount of money that they make."
Industry Criticism
- The panel expresses frustration with developers failing to implement standard quality-of-life features on PC, such as proper ultra-wide support or unlocked frame rates, noting that modders often achieve these results with minimal effort while major studios struggle.