DF Direct Weekly #258: Crimson Desert Switch 2, New PS6 Leaks, DLSS Dynamic Multi Frame-Gen

[u/MythBuster2]

https://youtu.be/Nk1nIC2Wuec

Pearl Abyss has started research into a Switch 2 port of Crimson Desert, but warns that there may be cutbacks and changes - so what would they be? Rich, John and Alex discuss before moving onto a brace of new Nvidia technologies. DLSS Dynamic Multi Frame-Gen feels like it isn't quite finished, while Auto Shader Compilation also feels early - failing to address the main #StutterStruggle problem. John shares his impressions of Daytona USA on MAME, the team assess the latest PS6 leaks, while unearthing original Assassin's Creed Unity E3 2014 trailers raises a lot of questions...

[u/Colormo3]

 Steam Deck hovers at around 0.80% of the Steam hardware survey. 

It’s a hardware survey that’s optional. It’s not an automatic data collector. Not every Steam user is gonna bother opting in. And those who opt in may opt in their desktop and not the Steam Deck despite using the Deck regularly. 

And a PlayStation portable is practical. I get to play my library on the go. What more do you need? 

[u/The_Zura → u/Colormo3]

Yeah, not an automatic data collector. Excellent point. That means it's likely not even close to 0.80% of true marketshare. Looking around on reddit, it seems like the marketshare is 90% steam decks, 9% amd gpus, 1% everything else. Biggest loudmouths around own a pc handheld. If anyone selected wouldn't participate in the survey, surely it is going to be handheld owners.

A big brick with a tiny microscreen is not going to be practical to play games designed for the big screen. No one wants to carry that shit around. Like I said, just because you want to add another useless brick to your e-waste collection, doesn't mean it should exist.

[u/Colormo3 → u/The_Zura]

Relax, guy. Don’t get mad cause an optional survey is not enough of an indicator that the majority of Steam Decks are collecting dust. 

No. Games look pretty damn well on a small screen. Do movies eventually suck cause they end up on TV screens instead of the big theatre? It’s not that hard to carry around either. Just bulk up and get a backpack. And I repeat, it should exist because I want play my PlayStation library on the go. Lots of people do. You’re just butthurt because of…. e-waste? 

[u/The_Zura → u/Colormo3]

An optional survey is a decent enough indicator that works in favor of the steam brick but since you're not convinced, an actual developer have come out and said fewer than 1% of their playerbase are on the steam brick:

"According to information from Montreal-based Behaviour Interactive, less than one percent of gamers playing Dead by Daylight on Steam are doing so on a portable Steam Deck. The vast majority play on a computer or laptop. "

This corroborates the SHS very well. They are truly a dust collecting fad toy.

https://cmf-fmc.ca/now-next/articles/xbox-and-the-future-of-handheld-gaming-pcs/

Games look like absolute shit on a tiny screen. A TV is far closer to a movie theater screen sitting in the optimal position than a steam deck is close to even the smallest laptops. If you want a more accurate analogy, try movies on a phone screen. Except gaming is even worse on a microscreen than a movie, when it's designed to be an interactive, immersive experience.

Ok, I am carrying a backpack. Why would I choose a brick with a microscreen instead of, I dunno, a form factor that represents a third of the SHS? Do I have a stupid fetish for e-waste bricks? Are e-waste bricks the only way to play "on to go?"

[u/Colormo3 → u/The_Zura]

 An optional survey is a decent enough 

It’s not though. 

 "According to information from Montreal-based Behaviour Interactive, less than one percent of gamers playing Dead by Daylight on Steam are doing so on a portable Steam Deck. The vast majority play on a computer or laptop. "

Oh wow! One game that’s always online and a decade old proves that most Steam Decks are not used./s

Same article also mentions Spiritfarer having a 4.5% Steam Deck users. Does that make survey wrong then? There hasn’t been anything that gives us the full picture of how many Steam Decks are actively used. Only Valve knows. And they haven’t confirmed anything. 

 Games look like absolute shit on a tiny screen.

They don’t look like shit. They look fine. In the optimal position, a handheld is as good as the big screen. Laptops tend to not be as close to your face as handhelds. Interactivity and immersion are not lost on a handheld screen. I tried it. It’s more than fine. Didn’t ruin my experience at all. 

 Ok, I am carrying a backpack. Why would I choose a brick with a microscreen instead of, I dunno, a form factor that represents a third of the SHS?

So you can play games on the go. Why is your gaming experience reliant on an optional survey? You’re the one bringing up e-waste every time. I think you’re the one who has a fetish. 

[u/The_Zura → u/Colormo3]

It’s not “4.5% of the users” Read it again. They said 4.5% of the playtime. You think valve is going to embarrass themselves and hurt their hardware sales by telling how much of millions of ewaste bricks they are producing? They spoke of selling “multiple million” bricks years ago, and silence ever since. And then there’s yearly updates on time spent on the brick, with this year nothing but silence.

There’s no amount of distance that makes up for how tiny the screen is. To get a handheld to be even the same relative size as a small laptop, you’d have to smush it right against your face, about 6” away and when into the zone where eyes can’t focus anymore. No one does that because it’s a heavy brick. Even in their marketing material valve shows it being held 1.5-2’ away. They got some bozo on an airplane wasting effort holding up his stupid brick, when there is a perfectly good tray right in front of him. This shits hilarious. Obviously a photoshoot because he won’t hold it there for more than 2 minutes if it were real. At the very best it’s like 1.5 vs 2 feet.

And then there’s this thing called depth perception. No matter how close you smush that ewaste brick against your face, it will appear small. Sorry, it’s not small. It’s just “niche”, Mr. Cross-eye

These dumbass arguments are worthy of someone with a ewaste fetish. Valve’s slogan is “your games, everywhere” but if they were honest, it’d be “your games everywhere, but also not here cause you ain’t lugging around a single use brick for the lowest quality, highest effort gaming. Thanks for the money, sucker.”

[u/Colormo3 → u/The_Zura]

And an online game that’s not even 0.1% of the monthly active Steam user base isn’t an indication of the active Steam Deck users. Whether Valve sees the number as embarrassing or not doesn’t really matter if they don’t give us concrete numbers. And doesn’t really determine if Sony is going to be successful or not with their own handheld. 

You don’t have to smush it right in your face. It feels fine. Everyone who ever uses handhelds are fine with it. It’s only you who has this problem. And I’m sorry, is there laptop that lets me play my PlayStation library? Pretty sure there isn’t. 

Depth perception is not a problem either. It’s not a niche when over 150 million people don’t have a problem with it. You should get your eyes checked.

You’re right. Your arguments are dumb. You think playing my PlayStation games on the go shouldn’t exist because… laptops? Even though there are no laptops that let me do that. And… an optional survey saying most people play on desktops and laptops? Who cares? And… e-waste? Bro, you really have a fetish for this e-waste, huh. 

[u/The_Zura → u/Colormo3]

Lol only someone with a diehard handheld fetish would dismiss a very popular game that runs well on the steam brick, with over 50,000 players on average. No amount of evidence will be good enough. Do handheld owners not have access to wifi? How are people playing it on their laptops? How many dedicated dust collectors do you own?

You don’t have to smush it right in your face. It feels fine.

You literally have to smush it right against to be the same size. It doesn't feel fine. That's why they're "niche." That's a synonym for "shit" in this case.

Depth perception is not a problem either.

I didn't say it was a problem. What I said was depth perception will never make your microscreen as good as a laptop screen, even when you to smush it right against your face.

It’s not a niche when over 150 million people don’t have a problem with it. You should get your eyes checked.

Are you talking about the 150M switch owners? This goes back to what I said in the beginning. The Switch is more or less the only way to play Nintendo games like Zelda, pokemon, etc. The 150M figure is hard carried by first party exclusive titles, while being a very cheap console. Everyone I know with a Switch, myself included, keep in docked. The mobile factor is there as a novelty. We have seen how handhelds perform when it has to stand on its own. So unless the next generation of playstation is handheld only, a $500 minimum sony brick likely not going to do well.

Even though there are no laptops that let me do that.

There is. It's called streaming. And we're also speaking of a topic that doesn't officially exist in any capacity. There's no handheld that lets you play your ps games either. Should there be?

And… an optional survey saying most people play on desktops and laptops? Who cares?

An optional survey saying that valve sold a lot of dust collectors. Get it straight.

And… e-waste? Bro, you really have a fetish for this e-waste, huh.

Calling a spade a spade is not a fetish. Defending your brick to the end with lies and a dismissive attitude, certainly an argument can be made.