DF Direct Weekly: MacBook Pro Tech, God of War on PC & Witcher 3 Next-Gen Update
Apple's New MacBook Pro Silicon
The team discusses the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, emphasizing their move toward SoC (System on a Chip) architecture reminiscent of game consoles. The performance and efficiency gains are noted as industry-disruptive, though it is clarified that these machines currently offer poor gaming compatibility, limiting their impact on the gaming sector despite their impressive throughput.
Sony's Shift to PC Gaming
The discussion focuses on the recent announcement of God of War coming to PC.
• The team analyzes technical benefits like unlocked framerates and DLSS.
• The strategy behind porting to PC is explored, with the consensus that partnering with studios like Nixxes will likely lead to more frequent and timely PC releases.
"The PC is going to be essential to realizing this stated strategy."
Witcher 3 Next-Gen Delay
CD Projekt Red confirmed a delay for the next-gen updates for The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077.
• Alex and John discuss the potential benefits of bringing ray tracing to the Witcher 3.
• They express relief that the studio is taking more time to ensure a stable release rather than rushing a subpar product, learning from previous experiences.
Steam Deck & Half-Life 2
Valve has quietly updated Half-Life 2 to support Vulkan, likely as part of the preparations for the Steam Deck launch. The discussion touches on Valve's unique marketing approach, which involves seeding hardware to developers to demonstrate capability across the Steam catalog.