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DF Direct Weekly #234: Huge Game Pass Price Hike Causes Outrage, New PS5 Teardown
🕑 Added 2025-10-04 15:03:01 +0000 UTCThe latest DF Direct is dominated by discussion of Microsoft's gigantic price hikes for Game Pass - proof positive that the previous prices were unsustainable, or a greedy cash grab from Xbox? And who exactly wants the new content added to the top-end tier? Meanwhile, the team share their thoughts on the new Austin Evans PS5 teardown video, while Rich reports on a brace of native Steam Deck ports: Baldur's Gate 3 and Cronos. The former shows big improvements, but there's confusion surrounding Cronos. Meanwhile, John's back with plenty of stories from his latest visit to Japan.
0:00:00 Introduction
0:01:27 News 1: Game Pass hit by massive price hikes
0:32:39 News 2: New PS5 Slim disassembled, examined
0:43:54 News 3: Native Steam Deck versions of Cronos, Baldur’s Gate 3 arrive
0:55:52 News 4: New DualSense reportedly features replaceable battery
1:02:14 News 5: John reports back from Japan
1:22:04 Supporter Q1: What do you think of the Panzer Dragoon Zwei remake?
1:30:12 Supporter Q2: Will the PlayStation handheld produce better visual results than Strix Halo handhelds?
1:36:32 Supporter Q3: What lessons can PC handhelds take from Switch 2 and its DLSS?
1:48:04 Supporter Q4: How do you think the PS6 will be initially received?
1:54:04 Supporter Q5: Do Wii games look good on a flatscreen with a typical remastering treatment?
1:58:41 Supporter Q6: What did everyone’s retro PC setups look like?
Comments
SodaPop6548
John hit the nail on the head. I find it disappointing that Microsoft is having this slow death. I agree that we need Xbox and I don't want to see console gaming as we know it degrade or die. Makes me sad to think about.
SonOfFaith
There was a report that $300 million was lost due to COD's day one inclusion in the former tiers
Bulbous_Bow
I think Rich is spot on when he says Microsoft have pivoted strategies due to lack of growth. They’ve seen this year that even when first party studios are firing on all cylinders and day one COD is thrown into the bargain that subscriber numbers remain stagnant. Trying to rinse their existing player base for all they’ve got is the next most viable strategy. Another piece of the puzzle (as Colin Moriarty notes on Sacred Symbols) is Sony publicly reporting that they lost $85 million after Horizon Forbidden West was added to PS Plus. Imagine how much Microsoft calculate they’ve lost in revenue for every single first party game going to a stagnant game pass service, teaching their audience not to buy games in the process. Oliver also makes a good point about Game Pass only being profitable when excluding the cost of first party development (not to mention acquisition). It’s like if Netflix attempted to report earnings ignoring the literal billions it spends on developing #content and only included licensing fees for third party shows
