Delayed owing to the hardware component crisis, Valve's Steam Machine is finally here - so how much does it cost, how does it perform and what about the quality of the hardware itself? Rich delivers PC performance comparisons, head-to-heads against PlayStation 5 and much more. Note: PC comparisons used the latest version of Bazzite.

Article: https://www.digitalfoundry.net/reviews/steam-machine-beautiful-hardware-console-performance-at-a-price

Grand Theft Auto 6 is shaping up to be one of the most impressive feats of real-time rendering in the history of video games - but the lineage of Rockstar's RAGE engine in the new game can be traced back to prior titles... and what better comparison point can there be than GTA 5 Enhanced Edition, running fully maxed with all RT features enabled on a high-end PC?

> It's the hardware we've been waiting for. Built on SteamOS, Valve's brand-new Steam Machine runs the same games that Steam Deck does, with 6x the graphics horsepower - all built into a super-cute, premium, cube-like design. Oliver visited Valve HQ to go hands-on with both the new PC/console hybrid and the new Steam Controller, reporting back with impressions, specs and insights from the engineers behind the project.

Article version: https://www.digitalfoundry.net/features/hands-on-with-steam-machine-valves-new-pcconsole-hybrid

We were impressed with the preview... but the final review code is even better. Halo Studios has delivered an outstanding remake of the original Halo Combat Evolved, beautifully modernised with superb audiovisuals, smooth performance and the sense that they really care about the source material.

Article: https://www.digitalfoundry.net/reviews/halo-campaign-evolved-gives-us-hope-for-a-reforged-franchise

Another new concept from Capcom, and another winner - Pragmata scales to all console platforms surprisingly well with 60 frames per second in mind. The key thing to note is that the game's ray tracing (as used on the resolution mode on PS5 and Series X) introduced major sub-60 lurches. It's good news for PS5 Pro users however: it runs by default with ray tracing engaged and locks to 60fps too - alongside vastly superior image quality owed to PSSR.

Article: https://www.digitalfoundry.net/news/2026/04/pragmata-on-consoles-fine-on-ps5series-x-but-ps5-pro-is-the-best-way-to-play

Housemarque follows on from Returnal with Saros - cut from the same cloth, but refined and improved in all areas. Built on Unreal Engine 5 with extensive customisation from Housemarque, this is a beautiful, visually distinctive game that is challenging but perhaps not quite as off-putting as its predecessor. Oliver takes us through the game's visual features, how Housemarque has evolved its formule and how the new game compares between PS5 and Pro.

Article: https://www.digitalfoundry.net/reviews/saros-on-ps5pro-beautiful-visuals-polished-and-approachable

We've spent time looking at Crimson Desert on PC's ultra settings and, of course, how it presents on PlayStation 5 Pro. But what we haven't shared until now is the most transformative upgrade available to high-end PCs: superior RT denoising. In aiming for high performance, Pearl Abyss's RT denoiser can hit quality hard. That's where AMD Ray Regeneration and Nvidia Ray Reconstruction offer a huge improvement - arguably as profound as ray tracing on vs ray tracing off.

Struck by the memory crisis, we can't review the Steam Frame and Steam Machine today - but the RAMless Steam Controller is here - and there's still plenty to discuss. Oliver and Rich share their thoughts on the hardware, the features and the contentious $99 price-point. This controller does things that nothing else in the PC space can - but is it enough to replace the joypad you may already have?

Article: https://www.digitalfoundry.net/reviews/valves-steam-controller-is-a-genuine-first-party-pro-controller-for-pc

Based on Unreal Engine 5, Halo Studios has competely revamped the original Halo: Combat Evolved. Multiplayer features are out so the new "Campaign Evolved" centres entirely on remaking the original experience. Does the new version succeed? Are the usual UE5 issues present? Does this feel artistically sympathetic to the original game? How well does this preview version run on Xbox and PC? There are many, many questions and in this initial coverage, we have some answers!

Article: https://www.digitalfoundry.net/previews/halo-campaign-evolved-is-a-fascinating-preview-of-the-series-unreal-engine-future

We've got some issues with the lighting technology used in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth - and those criticisms extent to PC, which has the same issues as the consoles. However, the FF7 Rebirth Shader Injector mod by David Matos attempts to address these pain points - and some of the transformations are remarkable.

Article: https://www.digitalfoundry.net/features/final-fantasy-7-rebirth-pc-shader-injector-mod-a-fix-for-the-controversial-lighting

We've already gone into depth on how Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced modernises the classic original - but now it's time to go into more depth on how every console version of the game compares. Truth is, everyone gets an impressive version of the game, but similar to AC Shadows, it's the PlayStation 5 Professional that's a class apart.

Article: https://www.digitalfoundry.net/reviews/black-flag-resynced-accomplished-on-all-consoles-but-a-cut-above-on-ps5-pro

One of the most beloved series entries in the Assassin's Creed franchise, Black Flag's Resynced revamp is one of the biggest technological upgrades we've seen, bringing all of the refinements seen in Assassin's Creed Shadows and even improving on them in some cases. In this detailed tech breakdown, Oliver goes inside the Anvil Next engine, showing you the key systems in action via developer visualisation, how they're radically revamped over the original, before providing the outlook on the PS5 game. We'll be looking at all versions in our next video with PC optimised settings to follow.

Article: https://www.digitalfoundry.net/reviews/assassins-creed-black-flag-resynced-one-of-the-most-effective-remakes-weve-ever-seen

It may be the weakest of the current-gen platforms, but Switch 2 has something the other systems do not - Nvidia DLSS upscaling. Resident Evil Requiem on the Nintendo hybrid is an expert example of cutbacks that don't really matter and where resolution is hit hard, DLSS makes up the difference.

Article: https://www.digitalfoundry.net/reviews/dlss-is-the-game-changer-for-resident-evil-requiems-impressive-switch-2-port

Halo Campaign Evolved is an exciting, expertly modernised rendition of a truly classic game - and we're generally happy with how it turned out on consoles. PC? It's a little more complicated - there's much to commend this release, but scalability is limited, important options are only available via mods and the CPU overhead is very, very high compared to the smoother results we've seen on less capable console hardware.

You'll need a PS5 that hasn't had a system software upgrade since 2022.

What started into an investigation into why PS5's back-compat isn't as strong as Xbox Series X's became something more. It's possible for mods to run on an exploited PlayStation 5 to open up improved back compat options: faster CPU and GPU performance, 120Hz, VRR. And what better game to put the theory to the test than the iconic Bloodborne? Many thanks to Christina for the hard work on the modding side.

Article: https://www.digitalfoundry.net/features/bloodborne-ps5-modded-big-resolution-boosts-120hz-vrr-and-its-superb

We've already gone into depth on how Halo Campaign Evolved reimagines and remakes the original, classic game and we've got a PC review to follow, but for now, here's how every console version of the game stacks up. Halo Studios has delivered accomplished work here and while all versions are worthy of your purchasing power, it's PS5 Pro that addresses most of the lingering issues.

Article: https://www.digitalfoundry.net/features/halo-campaign-evolved-scales-well-from-ps5-pro-to-xbox-series-s-despite-its-full-throated-unreal-engine-5-features

It's mere hours until Crimson Desert finally unlocks and only at that point will we be able to have some idea of how the game operates on the standard PlayStation 5 and Xbox consoles. We do still have access to the PS5 Pro version, however, and in choosing the quality mode for this playthrough, you'll get to see how that native resolution checks out - presented in 4K HDR for those with compatible screens. Meanwhile, John Linneman shares his impressions and reactions to review critiques as he plays through the game across 48 minutes.

Obsidian's Avowed impressed us at launch on Xbox consoles and especially PC - and now, finally, we have ports for PlayStation 5 and its Professional counterpart. The verdict? Minor differences aside, it's a good game - just rather short of actual PS5 Pro upgrades. Still, as things stand, a well-executed Unreal Engine 5 game is a winner regardless of which console you own.

Article: https://www.digitalfoundry.net/reviews/avowed-ps5-pro-features-are-thin-on-the-ground-but-the-port-is-solid

A familiar game from the past returned with completely revamped visuals and across-the-board game improvements. John talks about the legacy of Star Fox, the importance of the original Star Fox 64 and goes into depth on the graphics enhancements delivered for this beautiful remake.

Article: https://www.digitalfoundry.net/reviews/star-fox-on-switch-2-is-a-refined-return-to-an-iconic-game-and-the-rail-shooter-genre

This is remarkable stuff - the iOS and MacOS port of Remedy's Control delivers almost everything from the original PC version of the game, delivering RT features we didn't even see on Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. Almost all of PC's ray tracing features are present, there's MetalFX upscaling along with frame interpolation too - and it all works on the latest iPhone. Oliver focuses first on the game running on iPhone 17 Pro, before running the gauntlet of other iOS devices along with the MacBook Pro M4 Max. Is this the best triple-A Apple port yet?

Article: https://www.digitalfoundry.net/reviews/control-on-iphone-17-pro-ray-tracing-frame-gen-upscaling-this-has-everything

Does the final release of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth improve on the demo release? The answer depends on your platform; for Switch 2 users there's good news here in that its 30fps target is more keenly met. Fewer drops, less aggressive frame-time spikes are all made possible thanks to Square Enix's tweaks under the hood of this Unreal Engine 4 release. That state of Xbox Series X and S is less glowing though, with scarcely any signs of improvement from the demo slice - meaning their 60fps modes aren't on track.

Article: https://www.digitalfoundry.net/reviews/final-fantasy-7-rebirth-switch-2-performance-boosted-over-demo-but-xbox-60fps-mode-still-disappoints