DF Direct Weekly 193: Game Awards Tech Analysis
The Game Awards 2024 Tech Review
This episode of Digital Foundry Direct Weekly takes an in-depth look at the most significant game reveals from The Game Awards 2024, focusing on their visual fidelity, technical achievements, and potential performance challenges.
Major Title Reveals
• The Witcher 4: The team discusses the cinematic trailer, noting it was pre-rendered on unannounced NVIDIA hardware. While the visuals are stunning, they highlight similarities to Hellblade 2 and question how CD Projekt Red will scale this fidelity to consoles.
• The Heretic Prophet (Naughty Dog): The team analyzes the sci-fi reveal, praising its pristine image quality and ray tracing potential, while remaining cautious about whether these results are achievable in real-time on current hardware.
• Split Fiction: Hailed as a standout, this co-op title impresses with its creative split-screen implementation and commitment to gameplay-focused presentation, moving beyond passive trailer consumption.
• Elden Ring: Night Reign: Despite excitement for the gameplay, the team notes technical concerns, pointing to the decision to support aging hardware (PS4/Xbox One) and the engine's historical performance jank.
• Mafia: The Old Country: Hangar 13's shift to Unreal Engine 5 is discussed, with the team impressed by the cinematic fidelity, though they note a lack of substantial gameplay exhibition.
Hardware & Industry Topics
"The move to discontinue Blu-ray players by companies like LG and Samsung signals a concerning trend for the future of physical media ownership and game preservation."
• PS5 Pro Performance Patches: The team evaluates the latest patches for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and Star Wars Outlaws, recommending the use of FSR over the currently disappointing PSSR implementation.
• Physical Media Decline: A broader discussion on the loss of physical media support, the hurdles with existing hardware, and the implications for game and film preservation.
• Intel Arc B580 Analysis: The team breaks down the value of Intel's new GPU, debating its role as a budget-friendly competitor while addressing the technical challenges the company faces in silicon efficiency.