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Why does anyone care what Digital Foundry says?

Chiggs

Chiggs

Gold Member
I honestly don't get it.

Outside of Richard Leadbetter, who has/had a respectable career as a journalist, I don't really see much technical expertise from the crew. As far as I'm aware, they're not professional developers, they don't have dev kits, and I generally feel they don't have the credentials to discuss, with any real merit, the things they discuss. They're basically Beyond3D fanboys who put together a YouTube channel and then Pied Piper'd a bunch of foaming-mouth zealots into the woods with them.

I remember Dark10X from the old NeoGAF days, and he seems like a decent enough guy, but he's basically an enthusiast who would gnash his teeth over 60fps. Alex, whose last name I don't know (or care to find), is generally terrible, and the stupid Crysis gag is getting long in the tooth. He also has zero screen presence and should probably just limit his dialogue as much as possible. His choice of clothing, especially his v-neck sweaters, is appalling, and I hope he finds a kind partner who will help dress him competently in the years to come.

More than happy to be shown why I'm wrong about these gents, but in a world where everyone decries the atrocities of console wars, I don't see a whole lot of light being shed on this organization that, for all intents and purposes, supplies the arms to each side.

Also, I wish they would all stop using the words "lavish, lush, rich and bespoke." They sound like morons, and I don't care if it's an inside joke.
 
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It's interesting to watch but I don't care either way.

I love me some good visuals and performance but not at all a graphics or performance whore.

I'll play games at any resolution or settings as long as it's playable.

And I have a pretty powerful PC that can do 4k60. And I still love to play Switch games!

Hell I still see the beauty in NES, N64, and PS1 games. I don't give a fuck.

Quality games come first, visuals and performance come second and third.
 
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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.
 
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They do seem to have a bitch fit these days anytime something dips for 2 seconds into 29 fps. I wonder how they even enjoy anything anymore. I have eye problems, so I can't tell the difference, and I am also not interested in their thoughts about sound quality channels like this and acg rant about because I am deaf with no inner ear in my left ear and nothing can fix that, so it's all pointless, if only for myself. It's because of my eyes and my hearing that I am not able to git gud at games that require real "skill" like stealth games and anything soulsborne, or platformers.
 
Chiggs said:
I honestly don't get it.

Outside of Richard Leadbetter, who has/had a respectable career as a journalist, I don't really see much technical expertise from the crew. As far as I'm aware, they're not professional developers; they don't have dev kits, and I generally feel they don't have the credentials to discuss, with any real merit, the things they discuss. They're basically Beyond3D fanboys who put together a YouTube channel and then Pied Piper'd a bunch of foaming-mouth zealots into the woods with them.

I remember Dark10X from the old NeoGAF days, and he seems like a decent enough guy, but he's basically an enthusiast who would gnash his teeth over 60fps. Alex, whose last name I don't know (or care to find), is generally terrible, and the stupid Crysis gag is getting long in the tooth. He also has zero screen presence and should probably just limit his dialogue as much as possible. His choice of clothing, especially his v-neck sweaters, is appalling, and I hope he finds a kind partner who will help dress him competently in the years to come.

More than happy to be shown why I'm wrong about these gents, but in a world where everyone decries the atrocities of console wars, I don't see a whole lot of light being shed on this organization that, for all intents and purposes, supplies the arms to each side.

Also, I wish they would all stop using the words "lavish, lush, rich and bespoke." They sound like morons, and I don't care if it's an inside joke.
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they make videos telling people how good or bad games run.

they do that well, sometimes they have some errors but usually they are very good in tearing down the technical makeup of a game.

their videos help in deciding which multiplatform port to buy, the help avoiding games that run like absolute shit...

so that's why, it's not that hard to figure out

and D dark10x 's retro videos especially are extremely interesting because ports back then always had really interesting little quirks, and that's fun for people that are interested in the tech side of gaming
 
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I watch them intermittently. I think they have found a niche and are doing what they can to capitalize on it. They are the only site that I know of that seems to focus on comparison videos. They go into a lot of detail about the differences between consoles, remakes and remasters for particular games. They never really venture too much into discussing the quality of the game itself.

it's a small area of focus that will never make them rich or achieve any major YouTube fame, but as group they seem rather harmless it's surprising they generate such a strong opinion from you.
 
My favorite game analysis videos. Not all their videos are bangers, but I watch the ones that interest me.

As far as caring about what they say, if you mean taking in the information they provide and using that to form thoughts, then okay. I enjoy the tech and I appreciate games that excel in that regard.
 
Savage but accurate.

I do like Dark10X, he's a nice chap but I don't find them balanced and I don't want to hear about PC's... or PC master race, that type of gaming will never appeal to me so it is irrelevant.
 
I really enjoy listening to their technical analysis and discussions regarding video games and related hardware. They do analysis in a way that no one else does, plus they cover both new stuff and retro stuff. You can also tell that they're passionate about what they do.
 
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they provide information on performance for games on individual or multiple platforms.. its verifiable information that people want to help make decision about what version to buy or just what they are paying for.. exactly what is the problem with that? perhaps you dont like some of the guys as individuals or some of the things they say, but you cant really argue that they dont provide valuable information.
 
I absolutely love DF guys. They're extremely technical people. John, Rich and that German dude. Their content is very unique and I have a hard time finding better technical analysis videos.
And also DF retro. That is just pure gold.
Why people care about what they say? Because they're very knowledgeable and tech savvy.
 
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MeatSafeMurderer said:
Now this is master baiting.
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Jt6GEII.jpg
 
I never cared about what Digital Foundry had to say, I care about the data and the results of what they have analysed.

What they think is of no consequence.
 
aerts1js said:
I like their videos, sure, maybe they aren't developers but they point out enough stuff that i wouldn't have generally noticed.
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it's interesting to see the small difference. But making it looks like it makes the game unplayable is stupid. Most of the things they point out are stuff I'm not noticing by myself.
01011001 said:
they make videos telling people how good or bad games run.

they do that well, sometimes they have some errors but usually they are very good in tearing down the technical makeup of a game.

their videos help in deciding which multiplatform port to buy, the help avoiding games that run like absolute shit...

so that's why, it's not that hard to figure out

and D dark10x 's retro videos especially are extremely interesting because ports back then always had really interesting little quirks, and that's fun for people that are interested in the tech side of gaming
Click to expand...
Yep, their retro video are great to watch.
 
Bryank75 said:
My main issue is that they seem to side heavily with Xbox.
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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.
 
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Chiggs said:
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.
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There's just this language they use every time to minimize what PS4 games are doing and then whenever an Xbox game does anything well at all they fall over themselves.... Sea of Thieves for instance, they sounded like they were going to orgasm about the water. They just sound excited about every mundane thing on Xbox.
 
I don't and for the past 5yrs or so have barely clicked on five of their videos or articles. But I do read if someone has posted the info in forums.
 
I've learned an amazing amount in a year from them, and been able to make very informed choices as a multi-console owner. That's incredibly valuable to me.

Why do people like DF? Because their content is fantastic. It's a pretty simple answer.

Unfortunately whichever fanbase has the weaker console at the moment, doesn't do well with rational, fuck-your-feelings analysis, and that tends to be the source of the axe grinding.

Whether it's Xbox fans becoming unhinged over the fact that they bought a clearly worse console with the Xbox One S, or PS fans not being able to accept that their $100 cheaper/available one year earlier console came with a power compromise, there's always going to be someone taking out reality on Digital Foundry.
 
They make the best technical gaming vids on the net imo. Love their stuff.
As for the 'they side with Microsoft' shite, no one had a problem in the pre OneX days when they said the vast majority of games were better on PS4. In fact their comparison threads on old Gaf used to be 30+ pages long. They were the go to tech guys on here.
Its just now with the OneX, and with them getting a couple of Xbox scoops, that they are 'Xbots'.
 
They do good work and don't pretend to be developers. They also have enough clout to reach out to devs for actual answers when they don't have them.

Their technical analysis is generally accurate and they seldom speak out of their depth and their editing and layman speak is good enough that the average person can understand the basics of graphics.

I don't believe it one bit when you question their credibility because even industry professionals have come out and praised their work going as far as to call them usually very accurate.

They do a great job for their niche.
 
Does anyone else put together better analysis videos with good capture footage at the rate that they do? I'm actually asking.
 
Stuart360 said:
They make the best technical gaming vids on the net imo. Love their stuff.
As for the 'they side with Microsoft' shite, no one had a problem in the pre OneX days when they said the vast majority of games were better on PS4. In fact their comparison threads on old Gaf used to be 30+ pages long. They were the go to tech guys on here.
Its just now with the OneX, and with them getting a couple of Xbox scoops, that they are 'Xbots'.
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Seriously. "They side with Xbox" is objectively BS. Prior to the upgraded consoles they almost invariably favored PS4. Now that the X1X is the king of the hill in the console space, they tend to "prefer" it simply because it runs and looks better than the PS4 Pro most of the time. They have no quarrels pointing out when it comes up short such as the RE3 performance pre-patch which was terrible.
 
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Most people don't have the equipment or expertise to do what they do. Why would you not want the objective truth about resolution or framerate per platform.
The objective facts only cause console warring if you make it so.

In some cases, they bring to light issues that force developers to make fixes, such as the poor performance of the Resident Evil Remake on the Xbox One X.

DF Retro is extremely informative for me, especially with respect to games that I have never played.

I also enjoy learning more about the various technologies that Alex covers, such as Variable Rate Shading, Vsync, Dynamoc resolution, Motion Blur, etc.

As a car guy, I see the testing they do as similar to the performance testing done by Road and Track or Car and Driver in terms of measuring 0-60, 1/4 mile, or Track Time. An objective 3rd party separate from the manufacturers is useful for reporting information to consumers.
 
Thugnificient said:
Seriously. "They side with Xbox" is objectively BS. Prior to the upgraded consoles they almost invariably favored PS4. Now that the X1X is the king of the hill in the console space, they tend to "prefer" it simply because it runs and looks better than the PS4 Pro most of the time. They have no quarrels pointing out when it comes up short such as the RE3 performance pre-patch which was terrible.
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I mean look at the way John was hounded off the forum, and sent close to the edge, from the resident Sony mafia, all because he didnt bash Gears 5 enough in his analasys. I mean thats when you realize how big the console war is to some users.
 
Stuart360 said:
I mean look at the way John was hounded off the forum, and sent close to the edge, from the resident Sony mafia, all because he didnt bash Gears 5 enough in his analasys. I mean thats when you realize how big the console war is to some users.
Click to expand...

It's aberrant behavior and needs to be harshly punished/socially rejected by the community itself, not just asking mods to do it.
 
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MiyazakiHatesKojima said:
Their motives aren't as neutral as they were before.
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Someone hit this guy with gold.

Its just not the same like this. Not the same.

On topic df is very biased one sided and this alex tool i feel doesnt belong here at all. For him its all about pc pc pc.
I like df retro which fuck knows what happened to it but these srupid filler videos of running old pc games on old hardware like the latest doom3 one are pointless and again just pc wanking from alex.
 
Bro, I play N64 for fun, you think I give a fuck if something is 58.6664477 fps, p sure some of the shit I play struggles to reach 6.0fps much less 60.

But I still find some of their videos fun even if I don't have frame rate autism like dark10x.
 
The framerate autism is something I can agree with.

Glad it's pointed out! But clearly, the DF crew have some much, much higher standards on framerates than your average person. Most people aren't going to find a three FPS drop disappointing, or even know it exists.
 
Remember Spider-Man's puddlegate? That shit was shut down when Digital Foundry made a video about it.


And what would happen if Digital Foundry didn't make videos about games performing badly after the game releases? Or what about Stadia promising 4K resolution, 60fps?

They're really beneficial to the gaming community, but it also brings out a lot of the fanboys. I'm waiting for them to deep into The Last of Us Part II because fanboys are saying the game has been downgraded graphically.
 
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I think most people just want their games to look and run competently. I myself have never cared about having "4K, high details, 60FPS at all costs". I just want something that looks and feels comfortable to play most of the time. DF's analyses can be interesting, but I don't look to them to determine a game's quality.
 
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Chiggs said:
I honestly don't get it.

Outside of Richard Leadbetter, who has/had a respectable career as a journalist, I don't really see much technical expertise from the crew. As far as I'm aware, they're not professional developers; they don't have dev kits, and I generally feel they don't have the credentials to discuss, with any real merit, the things they discuss. They're basically Beyond3D fanboys who put together a YouTube channel and then Pied Piper'd a bunch of foaming-mouth zealots into the woods with them.

I remember Dark10X from the old NeoGAF days, and he seems like a decent enough guy, but he's basically an enthusiast who would gnash his teeth over 60fps. Alex, whose last name I don't know (or care to find), is generally terrible, and the stupid Crysis gag is getting long in the tooth. He also has zero screen presence and should probably just limit his dialogue as much as possible. His choice of clothing, especially his v-neck sweaters, is appalling, and I hope he finds a kind partner who will help dress him competently in the years to come.

More than happy to be shown why I'm wrong about these gents, but in a world where everyone decries the atrocities of console wars, I don't see a whole lot of light being shed on this organization that, for all intents and purposes, supplies the arms to each side.

Also, I wish they would all stop using the words "lavish, lush, rich and bespoke." They sound like morons, and I don't care if it's an inside joke.
Click to expand...
LOL I love this rant!

I don't really watch their videos very much. I mean they're fine. They really love counting pixels and the fanboys love that shit. They'll let you know that game A is 4k scaled from 1800p and game B is 4k scaled form 1400p. People eat that shit up. I personally can't tell the difference, especially in motion. Really it's bullets for the console war arguments. They're not a bunch of dummies. They've studied up on stuff and have resources like dev's and engineers. But, They seem to focus on resolution, frame rate, stuff like that.

I enjoyed their insights on the PS5/SeriesX stuff. I go to them for the normal guy who's really into tech perspective. But, then I go and search for a dev/engineer perspective. Someone posted that "The Chorno" guy, I enjoyed his reaction and breakdown.
 
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Ceallach said:
Bro, I play N64 for fun, you think I give a fuck if something is 58.6664477 fps, p sure some of the shit I play struggles to reach 6.0fps much less 60.

But I still find some of their videos fun even if I don't have frame rate autism like dark10x.
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I want to see alex play through rtx red rock on ps2 and watch him getting brain aneurysm for every single frame per minute cuz that game oh man forget single digits it was just the number 1 digit for most part.
 
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Jtibh said:
I want to see alex play trhough rtx red rock on ps2 and watch him getting brain aneurysm for every single frame per minute cuz that game oh man forget single digits it was just the number 1 digit for most part.
Click to expand...

With the name, you could probably trick him into playing it.
 
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