Support NeoGAF

[Laptop1991]

As a PC gamer, some of their videos have proved useful to me, RDR 2 for starters and The Control one, you never know what kind of port the PC is going to get, so DF videos have helped me at times.

 

[Shai-Tan]

Probably shouldn't bump hate threads full of dumbasses talking about "bias" but... They have done more technical articles in print e.g.

Tech Interview: Metro Exodus, ray tracing and the 4A Engine's open world upgrades

Tomorrow's technology today

www.eurogamer.net

Videos aren't aimed at the same audience. Asking for that would be like complaining that commentators on UFC or boxing events aren't doing technical break downs. They're presenting graphics technology as it is relevant to gamers.

 

[godhandiscen]

They are informative if you have multiple consoles or are undecided on a game. I care a lot about framerate and they have helped me in the past.

 

[Karuyag]

In my opinion:

Digital Foundry videos are waaayy too long. They tend to talk endlessly about a topic and sometimes goes in circles. I'm not a fan of the non-scripted chat videos they make. Mainly cuz of the reason mentioned.

I tend to skip Richard's videos because I find them boring and not as informative as actual tech reviews. He's the biggest offender of talking endlessly (read: babbling).

Tom's videos are the so sterile. His tone and delivery is so monotone and uninteresting. I don't know why it's hard for me to watch his videos. My suggestion: he needs to sound happier, like have a personality, and maybe try a different format.

I actually prefer Alex when he's not scripted, because he talks more naturally during those videos. On scripted ones, his soft spoken tone sounds unnatural. I do like that he gives enough depth to his videos, showing visual differences between settings.

John I think does the best video edits out of all of them. His videos are the most interesting. He goes into alot of depth without going too far with the babbling. Don't get me wrong, he makes long-ass videos too. But at least he does enough to keep my attention.

All in all, I miss the old digital foundry videos where they actually didn't talk. Where they had text describing the effects which actually did alot better at making the point. I think they should review their format, and work on being more concise with their info. Also, maybe include more visuals and text in their videos and have a clearer structure. It also helps to show a little personality.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

Because they have pretty damn good analysis (and their retro gaming stuff is very good). Pretty simple.

Just because they have opinions you don't like for whatever reason doesn't mean your own personal hang-ups with them is something everyone else has to abide by.

 

[Exanthus]

You can't be serious right now? Are you going to actually deny the existence of the infamous and utterly pathetic Xbox Discord Group? Are you going to deny the amount of discord chat leaks and screenshots and whistleblowers and posts and banned members with multiple alts?

As far as DF goes, they have been infiltrated with something known as bias and for a journalist like DF, that shit will destroy a significant part of their credibility when it comes to reporting objective analysis.

-_-

 

[supernova8]

They have good analysis, great production quality and I wouldn't be surprised if their RE3Remake video was a driving factor in Capcom fixing the broken XSX version.

 

[recursive]

Why do people no longer care when Sony no longer has the most powerful console? Do we remember the PS4 v One comparisons non stop getting spammed here at the time? No? Okay.

That was probably because it came on the heels of the last gen where DF blew a losd over 360 having 10 more Ps than ps3 pretty consistently.

 

[JimboJones]

They are consistently better at the job they do in comparison to the other channels people keep mentioning.

 

[xrnzaaas]

I don't watch all of their videos, but for example they saved me from buying PS4 Control on day 1. I waited for the performance patch and only bought the game after seeing the improvements in their second video.

They've also recently done a good job pointing out the performance issues in console versions of Ion Fury. The way the game ran before the latest patch would've been a dealbreaker for many people.

 

[FranXico]

I don't post often on forums these days (anywhere) but I did want to say thank you for the mostly kind words. Obviously this stuff isn't for everyone but it's something I'm passionate about and love producing videos on. That's really all it is. I'm happy at least some other people enjoy it enough that I can do it. Especially the retro videos.

I don't want to tell people what to buy or not - I mostly focus on what I find interesting or important in a game. Not everyone is going to care or agree and that's OK. I just love games and I love talking about them.

Are you planning something special for Command & Conquer Remastered?

 

[hyperbertha]

Get rid of the Alex guy and they can claim non biased.

 

[Great Hair]

I don't post often on forums these days (anywhere) but I did want to say thank you for the mostly kind words. Obviously this stuff isn't for everyone but it's something I'm passionate about and love producing videos on. That's really all it is. I'm happy at least some other people enjoy it enough that I can do it. Especially the retro videos.

I don't want to tell people what to buy or not - I mostly focus on what I find interesting or important in a game. Not everyone is going to care or agree and that's OK. I just love games and I love talking about them.

You should have a retro channel of your own and upload some 20 min episodes of games you own and few will follow.

 

[The Hamburglar]

They're basically paid Xbox shills at this point.

 

[H4ze]

I watch their videos for entertainment, they are putting a lot of work into them and I think they are very sympathic, who are you to say otherwise.

Honestly, fuck off OP

 

[Entroyp]

DF makes really really good content if you're into tech stuff. That being said, IMO they're starting to show a slight bias, however it doesn't matter to me that much.

 

[PlayerPurple]

DF are definitely at their best when they stick strictly to tech/performance analysis and relevant side series like Tech Focus. It also can't be ignored that their visual editing and presentation options (4K/HDR) are spectacular.

That said, my main criticism is that the channel seems a bit bloated. The analyses tend to drag on in length due to the presenters being more opinionated than necessary. And every time I see a DF Retro or DF Direct, I feel like I might've stumbled onto a different channel by accident. They're not bad...but they're not what I signed up for, either.

That's why I largely prefer VG Tech in this regard: their focus on just providing data makes their vids much more easily digestible. They're the ones I stay subbed to because I always know what I'm getting, though I'll still YT search DF when I need something meatier.

 

[anthraticus]

Never heard of them

 

[diffusionx]

You can't be serious right now? Are you going to actually deny the existence of the infamous and utterly pathetic Xbox Discord Group? Are you going to deny the amount of discord chat leaks and screenshots and whistleblowers and posts and banned members with multiple alts?

As far as DF goes, they have been infiltrated with something known as bias and for a journalist like DF, that shit will destroy a significant part of their credibility when it comes to reporting objective analysis.

Their technical analyses are objective. "This game runs at XYZ, etc.". To the best of my knowledge, they've never claimed a Xbox game is doing something it is not with malicious or deceitful intent. What the fanboys get mad at are when they claim it does not make a big difference in-game, which is a subjective opinion. it's ok to disagree with that, but they also provide footage and zoomed in pictures. So I don't see the problem.

 

[LordKasual]

Because they're good at what they do

what the hell is thread, we found a reason to dislike DF now???????

I think we've spent too much time inside, people are getting way too twitchy around here

 

[manfestival]

I remember I used watch a ton of their content but there was some content that they released some time ago. I do not recall how long ago but definitely over a year ago that made me go ???? and it seemed like a decline compared to their old content. I am sure if someone asked me what that was in the time that had passed. I would be able to link the video and etc but digital foundry was never a top priority of YT content for me

 

[Ban Puncher]

DF do good work and D dark10x is a top bloke.

 

[JareBear: Remastered]

Because they're good at what they do

what the hell is thread, we found a reason to dislike DF now???????

I think we've spent too much time inside, people are getting way too twitchy around here

There's been some pretty loud anti-DF voices on here for awhile, especially if Alex the guy in the video. Not saying it is a majority, far from it. And, those people are entitled to feel that way, not saying they are wrong, just sayin' the DF hate boner isn't new.

 

[Coolwhhip]

Because they're good at what they do

what the hell is thread, we found a reason to dislike DF now???????

I think we've spent too much time inside, people are getting way too twitchy around here

Opinions?! On a forum?! WHAT????!!!!!!!!!

 

[eastwood333]

Get rid of the Alex guy and they can claim non biased.

How is he biased exactly?

 

[eastwood333]

Opinions?! On a forum?! WHAT????!!!!!!!!!

Because there hasn't been any credible evidence of them being biased for one. So it's not surprising that people are dumbfounded that people are implying as such.

I know why

 

[Fbh]

I like them for the general info. Resolution, framerate and all of that. They seem to test most big games around the time of release so it's a good source to see the difference between various versions when deciding which on to pick up (if at all). Like Control went from me being interested in it to "wait for steep sale" after seeing the horrible performance on Ps4.

As most things on youtube though, I think they could provide the same information in like half the time.

 

[TriSuit666]

I'll say this: Richard Leadbetter is to my mind, one of the very few Journalists in the industry to have had a career long enough to say he's seen and done it all - I would take anything he says over some of the crap other outlets put out.

That being said, some of the DF output can be and is behind the curve of other outlets, especially in the aping of sites like Gamers Nexus, or Hardware Unboxed, which do far better analysis, and in the DF Retro stuff until very recently has lagged far behind ohter YT'ers and podcasts in terms of content - that's not to knock anyone, but let's be honest, every man and his dog is doing let's builds using crappy old tech found on ebay at the moment, it's practically a bloody meme.

 

[TUROK]

Honestly, that's sort of what inspired this thread...it was the Phil Spencer tweet about them doing "good work." What work, exactly? They're foot fetish guys, but instead of the feet, it's checkerboard rendering and SSAO.

Translation: "I'm butthurt because they're not fellating my chunk of plastic and silicon of choice."

NeoGAF's still NeoGAF. Shocking.

 

[Chiggs]

Translation: "I'm butthurt because they're not fellating my chunk of plastic and silicon of choice."

NeoGAF's still NeoGAF. Shocking.

Not sure how you got that from that particular post. If Sony had tweeted at them recently, praising their "work," the same critiques would apply. I'll state it again since many have ignored it, or are having problems comprehending it:

• None of the DF guys have technical backgrounds; they're just enthusiasts.
• Most of DF's fans/supporters couldn't even tell if they were right or wrong with their analysis or benchmarks, since many are completely non-technical fanboys who just want to use the videos as ammunition.

I think it's hilarious to be accused as a fanboy from someone who is defending the unaccredited arms dealer of the entire fucking video game fanboy world.

 

[Spokker]

I remember a specific instance when Eurogamer proper was going on about how sexist and embarrassing Dead or Alive is while Digital Foundry was measuring the frame rate for all the titty fighting action.

I wonder if they would ever refuse to do a technical review of a game because Eurogamer deemed the game too offensive.

Obviously they did a video on Dead or Alive because it's a mainstream title despite Eurogamer's objection to its content, so there is an implicit understanding that their readers are interested in such an embarrassing game. Does that make their readers embarrassing?

 

[93xfan]

Because people literally can't tell if one version of a game looks better than another without it. Seriously. It's dumb.

A ton of people can play half a game and think it looks fine, then see a DF video that says it has resolution or framerate issues, then they suddenly can't play the game anymore.

And, of course, console war ammo.

more they don't have both versions to test with, or they want to make sure performance is stable before they buy, etc.

Not dumb at all. What's dumb is people whining about it when they could easily ignore it.

Also don't I see you posting about the capabilities of next gen? Maybe I'm mistaken, but if so, then you agree with Digital Foundry and these types of comparisons.

 

[93xfan]

Digital Foundry is great. I have realized that those who don't like them tend to be people who didn't agree with them when saying one version is better than the other version because it simply didn't line up with their personal preference.

exactly. It's always the people that come to threads and stress just how much they don't care and say no one will notice any differences. They use catch phrases like "pixel counting" and "I just care about the gameplay."

But where are they? Playing those games they love?

No. They're here. Desperately trying to push a narrative that no one notices the differences.

 

[Vawn]

But where are they? Playing those games they love?

No. They're here. Desperately trying to push a narrative that no one notices the differences.

Is there a worse argument than this? "You are wrong because you are here posting instead of playing games right now." How does that same logic not apply to your own argument?

 

[SleepDoctor]

What was the point of this thread? To drag df through the mud some more? As it wasn't enough how much you guys bashed him when a video doesn't coincide with your opinion.

Don't like his videos, don't watch them. No need to make a thread to shit on what they do.

 

[Shmunter]

I remember a specific instance when Eurogamer proper was going on about how sexist and embarrassing Dead or Alive is while Digital Foundry was measuring the frame rate for all the titty fighting action.

I wonder if they would ever refuse to do a technical review of a game because Eurogamer deemed the game too offensive.

Obviously they did a video on Dead or Alive because it's a mainstream title despite Eurogamer's objection to its content, so there is an implicit understanding that their readers are interested in such an embarrassing game. Does that make their readers embarrassing?

Ion Fury comes to mind. The reeraaa authoritarian's recently berated poor John over analysing the game. If DF didn't carry the clout they have, they'd have been cancelled over it by now. It's clearly wrong, but once the mob gets a target, no holds barred.

 

[diffusionx]

I remember a specific instance when Eurogamer proper was going on about how sexist and embarrassing Dead or Alive is while Digital Foundry was measuring the frame rate for all the titty fighting action.

I wonder if they would ever refuse to do a technical review of a game because Eurogamer deemed the game too offensive.

Obviously they did a video on Dead or Alive because it's a mainstream title despite Eurogamer's objection to its content, so there is an implicit understanding that their readers are interested in such an embarrassing game. Does that make their readers embarrassing?

EG's editorial standards and writing have fallen off a cliff the past 3 or 4 years, while DF has improved in both areas steadily. DF doesn't usually weigh in on game quality, but when they do, I take their word over EG's.

I wonder what % of EG's traffic DF is responsible for these days.

 

[93xfan]

Is there a worse argument than this? "You are wrong because you are here posting instead of playing games right now." How does that same logic not apply to your own argument?

I care about the tech inside of consoles. It may sway me. I'm openly admitting it.

You pretend not to care when convenient. Then you have comments like, "People are slowly starting to realize that they've done messed up underestimating the power of PlayStation"
and
"PS5 is just a better engineered machine. Cerny is a genius."

It doesn't sound like you believe in your comment from this thread of "Because people literally can't tell if one version of a game looks better than another without it. Seriously. It's dumb."

If you do, then can I quote this next time you talk about power differences in another thread?

 

[-YFC-]

I'll say this: Richard Leadbetter is to my mind, one of the very few Journalists in the industry to have had a career long enough to say he's seen and done it all - I would take anything he says over some of the crap other outlets put out.

That being said, some of the DF output can be and is behind the curve of other outlets, especially in the aping of sites like Gamers Nexus, or Hardware Unboxed, which do far better analysis, and in the DF Retro stuff until very recently has lagged far behind ohter YT'ers and podcasts in terms of content - that's not to knock anyone, but let's be honest, every man and his dog is doing let's builds using crappy old tech found on ebay at the moment, it's practically a bloody meme.

But they make very different content from DF. DF is more about technical analysis videos about video games, their pc centric cpu/gpu reviews are not what DF is about. They still have those kinds of videos but it's not what DF is about. DF is about 3A games and techical reviews/analysis of those game. That's their core content. And gamers nexus is much more pc components focused.

 

[gamerforever]

I always tell people, tech channels are about a standard and consistency, you can't measure different games with different sticks based on who the developer is. What's good for the goose is good for the gander....

There's no need to go into specifics on various forms of bias in DF's videos over the years, mistakes made that favor XBOX are pretty consistent, for example, saying the grass was better in Grid on XBOX, when anybody watching saw that was not so, or saying SSAO on XBOX One was better than HBAO on PS4. Or the time in the PS3 days when the PS3 version which looked better than 360 was flipped over and represented as 360 screens.

In truth, no one wants DF to go under, people want DF to do better, cut out the bias and the obvious "mistakes", stop pandering to console wars for hits. Go deeper into the technicals, have a keener eye for details.....TBH, if I just want hard stats, there is no better source right now than VGtech, their data is more accurate and covers a larger sample of gameplay. DF interjects opinion most times rather than facts into the discussion and as have been said before, even misinterprets the objective data you can clearly see on the screen when they talk. Was it a mistake that a DF staff member did not know that Sea of Thieves was 900p on XBONES, too many of these mistakes are XBOX favored. Including apologetic analyses when they are dealing with weaker hardware in XBONES and Switch.

So we went from "games are a world away on 360 at +40P", to 900p vs 1080p is negligible this gen. We went from "does resolution really matter" articles to when XBONEX arrived, they proceeded to "Full Phat 4K gloating", we didn't get FULL HD gloating on PS4 in 2013 did we, all we got was an article on if resolution really matters. We went from the smoother FPS in Witcher 3 or AC unity on XBONES being the holy grail to countless games on PS4-PRO having higher framerates over XBONEX, less tearing as being called about par, or where they favored the XBOX versions with worse framerate on account of a higher resolution, but if an XBONES game has a 1 FPS frame advantage over PS4, even with lower rez in 2013 it was a conclusive win for XBONES, it would be repeated ad infinitum as a definitive and smoother way to play throughout the article. FYI, DF agreed heavily with Phil when he said "framerate is king" early on in the parite era, when XBOX had a few titles that had a better framerate. Then for the majority of titles where PS4 led on resolution+framerate+effects. It was all about "it looks good on all consoles, the experience is the same", basically apologetic analyses.....

Thing is, you don't go from being a 60fps junkie to being so apologetic for a platform that you tell me "Ryse was smooth and it never fell into the teens" when your own video showed otherwise. Tom Morgan had a aneurysm when a bloater fight fell to 50fps in TLOUR, but he is fine with XBONEX games with lower than low settings still falling below 30fps with tearing, you see, consistency in how you judge these titles is what matters......If DF always favored resolution, I'd be fine, if they always favored framerate I'd be fine, if resolution+effects+better framerates was always a world away and not negligible differences I'd be fine, but clearly that isn't so.

So it will be interesting what type of faceoffs we get next gen, personally I think DF had more formidable competition last gen in Lens of Truth. Not taking anything from NXgamer and Vgtech as I find their work superior, but lens of truth had much more of a presence against DF beyond the better analysis. NX and Vg does better work, but their presence/reach is not as good as Lens....Yet it cannot be understated the good work they are doing. Just look at how accurate, consistent and expanded Vgtech's pixel counting and frame data is. Also look at the last analysis done by both DF and NXgamer on LOU2. Whilst Leadbetter and company spent time taking digs at Vita, or saying LOU2's IQ is not as good without any comparison or reference points in that video. NX gave us a screen by screen breakdown of the improvements on LOU2's first trailer vs the final game, which is a marked improvement. These are the ATD details that you want in an analysis. People see what you are saying, without uttering things which nobody can corroborate "through visual form" in your video, less time on useless jokes on Vita or PS3's version of Bayonetta and more visual cues that explains what you are saying about the game in question. You watch these videos back to back and clearly, you will learn so much more from NX's video. These are the little things that needs to be improved, but more so the blatant bias and lack of a specific and consistent measuring stick for all faceoffs....

Post of the year

 

[SUPERGGK]

I find them useful as they help me know if there isn't a major performance issue with a game. I also watch their videos to find the ps4 pro enhancements. But I feel that their videos are too spoilery sometimes, so I only watch the parts that I want to know about and skip the rest of the video.

 

[Frederic]

I think NeoGAF has a love–hate relationship with Digital Foundry.
On 15th of November 2013 people started to fall in LOVE with DF.
then - a few years later - on the 7th of November 2017 people started to HATE DF since then and called them "biased".
And this hate and that people will call them "biased" will still go on and will go through the roof some day in Holiday 2020.

 

[Frederic]

I always tell people, tech channels are about a standard and consistency, you can't measure different games with different sticks based on who the developer is. What's good for the goose is good for the gander....

There's no need to go into specifics on various forms of bias in DF's videos over the years, mistakes made that favor XBOX are pretty consistent, for example, saying the grass was better in Grid on XBOX, when anybody watching saw that was not so, or saying SSAO on XBOX One was better than HBAO on PS4. Or the time in the PS3 days when the PS3 version which looked better than 360 was flipped over and represented as 360 screens.

In truth, no one wants DF to go under, people want DF to do better, cut out the bias and the obvious "mistakes", stop pandering to console wars for hits. Go deeper into the technicals, have a keener eye for details.....TBH, if I just want hard stats, there is no better source right now than VGtech, their data is more accurate and covers a larger sample of gameplay. DF interjects opinion most times rather than facts into the discussion and as have been said before, even misinterprets the objective data you can clearly see on the screen when they talk. Was it a mistake that a DF staff member did not know that Sea of Thieves was 900p on XBONES, too many of these mistakes are XBOX favored. Including apologetic analyses when they are dealing with weaker hardware in XBONES and Switch.

So we went from "games are a world away on 360 at +40P", to 900p vs 1080p is negligible this gen. We went from "does resolution really matter" articles to when XBONEX arrived, they proceeded to "Full Phat 4K gloating", we didn't get FULL HD gloating on PS4 in 2013 did we, all we got was an article on if resolution really matters. We went from the smoother FPS in Witcher 3 or AC unity on XBONES being the holy grail to countless games on PS4-PRO having higher framerates over XBONEX, less tearing as being called about par, or where they favored the XBOX versions with worse framerate on account of a higher resolution, but if an XBONES game has a 1 FPS frame advantage over PS4, even with lower rez in 2013 it was a conclusive win for XBONES, it would be repeated ad infinitum as a definitive and smoother way to play throughout the article. FYI, DF agreed heavily with Phil when he said "framerate is king" early on in the parite era, when XBOX had a few titles that had a better framerate. Then for the majority of titles where PS4 led on resolution+framerate+effects. It was all about "it looks good on all consoles, the experience is the same", basically apologetic analyses.....

Thing is, you don't go from being a 60fps junkie to being so apologetic for a platform that you tell me "Ryse was smooth and it never fell into the teens" when your own video showed otherwise. Tom Morgan had a aneurysm when a bloater fight fell to 50fps in TLOUR, but he is fine with XBONEX games with lower than low settings still falling below 30fps with tearing, you see, consistency in how you judge these titles is what matters......If DF always favored resolution, I'd be fine, if they always favored framerate I'd be fine, if resolution+effects+better framerates was always a world away and not negligible differences I'd be fine, but clearly that isn't so.

So it will be interesting what type of faceoffs we get next gen, personally I think DF had more formidable competition last gen in Lens of Truth. Not taking anything from NXgamer and Vgtech as I find their work superior, but lens of truth had much more of a presence against DF beyond the better analysis. NX and Vg does better work, but their presence/reach is not as good as Lens....Yet it cannot be understated the good work they are doing. Just look at how accurate, consistent and expanded Vgtech's pixel counting and frame data is. Also look at the last analysis done by both DF and NXgamer on LOU2. Whilst Leadbetter and company spent time taking digs at Vita, or saying LOU2's IQ is not as good without any comparison or reference points in that video. NX gave us a screen by screen breakdown of the improvements on LOU2's first trailer vs the final game, which is a marked improvement. These are the ATD details that you want in an analysis. People see what you are saying, without uttering things which nobody can corroborate "through visual form" in your video, less time on useless jokes on Vita or PS3's version of Bayonetta and more visual cues that explains what you are saying about the game in question. You watch these videos back to back and clearly, you will learn so much more from NX's video. These are the little things that needs to be improved, but more so the blatant bias and lack of a specific and consistent measuring stick for all faceoffs....

lol what a load of BS.

explain me ONE THING:

If DF is so biased towards XBOX and hate PlayStation:

why did mark Cerny go to them For an interview after PS5 road to PS5 GDC talk?
why didn't he go to NXGamer ? Any reason?
why would SONY give them an EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW (!) if they are so biased?

keep in mind, this was the first time they would publicity talk to someone in an interview in not-printed media about the PS5. Why would they do this with DF if they are so biased and so unprofessional?

 

[Futaleufu]

Their videos about current gaming are interesting and informative, DF retro is awesome.

 

[Spokker]

Ion Fury comes to mind. The reeraaa authoritarian's recently berated poor John over analysing the game. If DF didn't carry the clout they have, they'd have been cancelled over it by now. It's clearly wrong, but once the mob gets a target, no holds barred.

I remember that. They were gushing over the engine and the retro style. You would never think the game had a controversy.

I wouldn't be surprised if the DF guys lean left like everyone else in the games industry, but they seem to keep it out of their work.

 

[nickname_esco]

DF have been a breath of fresh air. Great to see mature, technical, well informed gaming content be so successful.

 

[93xfan]

DF have been a breath of fresh air. Great to see mature, technical, well informed gaming content be so successful.

I agree. Also love their retro stuff too!

 

[009EspadaSageJay]

There an easy to digest youtube channel that goes into all the technical bits of games,consoles and handhelds. There break down on stuff is almost second to none the DF retro stuff is top notch if your wondering about the technical aspects of what older games were achieving . There TV stuff is very good as well especially if you want a TV that is going to be used for nothing but console and pc gaming.

 

[Kokoloko85]

I wonder if its because they praise the PS5 compared to the xbox.....
Hurting alot of feeling recently?

Bet its the same people who were banging on about: "Who cares about ssd and faster loading time... its not gonna effect my games and graphics. 12.tfps for the win!!"

They do some good comparison videos and more

 

[Thirty7ven]

The question I've always had over DF being unbiased is who would Xbox (in the 360 era) have contracted to check the parity clauses they got publisher to sign? (presumably Ubisoft with AC were one of them) And then why wasn't there a public argument between DF and that contracted company about difference of opinions?

Is it plausible that DF were the company contracted to check the parity clause? Did xbox have a contract with another company that did that type of work to do the job, instead?

If it was DFs job; even if the PS3 version of games were better, so long as they said it was worse or the same they'd have no issue with their contract. I would assume.

I think parity clause just meant features? Or was it something else?

Digital Foundry did get MS money at the beginning. Through sponsors if I remember?

Either way, they just need Alex to clean his act.