Digital Foundry Direct Weekly 206: PC Ports & Tech News
The Future of Windows Gaming
Recent leaks regarding a Microsoft front-end update show potential integration of Steam games directly into the Xbox UI. The consensus is that while this is a necessary step for Microsoft, simply creating a launcher is not enough. To truly succeed, Microsoft must provide a seamless experience, including patch management, beta branch access, and unified controller support that rivals or exceeds Steam's Big Picture mode.
Challenges in Cross-Store Integration
• Microsoft is essentially playing catch-up to Valve's existing SteamOS ecosystem.
• Creating a "one-stop shop" requires more than a basic shell; it requires low-level interoperability between stores.
• The success of handheld initiatives (like a potential "Project Canon" device) will hinge on how radically Microsoft is willing to open its walled garden.
Technical Deep Dive: Assassin's Creed Shadows
The "Mac Port" Disaster
Oliver McKenzie shares findings from the macOS version of Assassin's Creed Shadows, which shows abysmal performance on high-end M-series chips.
"Instead of getting 60 FPS, even with the very fastest hardware, people couldn't do 60 FPS in this game. That just seems bizarre."
Despite the sophisticated architecture, the game fails to leverage hardware consistently, likely due to a lack of native support for features like mesh shaders on older chips, leading to inefficient emulation.
Engine Analysis
Alex Battaglia defends the use of the proprietary Anvil engine over Unreal, noting that custom games offer fewer expected technical "mysteries."
• The game features impressive RTGI (Ray Tracing Global Illumination) that stands as a major leap forward from legacy techniques.
• The team clarifies that current RTGI implementations in the game are significantly more advanced than Software Lumen.
Industry APIs and Future Tech
DXR 1.2 Update
Microsoft has announced DXR 1.2, standardizing features that NVIDIA has been championing for years, specifically Opacity Micro Maps (OMM) and Shader Execution Reordering (SER).
• AMD's lack of immediate quote or commitment to these standards remains a point of concern for cross-vendor compatibility.
• The team argues that Microsoft, as the API standard-bearer, must be more proactive in establishing these cross-vendor technologies before the market becomes fractured by proprietary solutions.
Porting Quality Expectations: The Last of Us Part II
Reflecting on the recommended specs for The Last of Us Part II, concerns remain about the performance cost of modern ports. The team highlights the struggle of ensuring 8GB VRAM hardware can handle high settings without significant performance degradation.