Not again Microsoft
With DirectX 11.2, Microsoft is going to release another update of their graphics API. In the past the software giant tried to kill two birds with one stone, when releasing a new version of DirectX. This time, Microsoft wants to bundle DirectX 11.2 exclusively to Windows 8.1.
In the past Microsoft decided to go this path several times already. As a reason they always mention that the new driver model is not compatible to the older operating system anymore. With this step especially enthusiasts, who want to enjoy the latest graphics, are forced to migrate to the latest version of Windows. Maybe you do remember what happend when Microsoft first introduced DirectX 10. The company mentioned that (the beloved) Windows XP is limited to DirectX 9.0c and enthusiasts as well as gamers will have to migrate to (the aweful) Windows Vista to enjoy the latest and greatest in graphics. These days the same thing is happening again: if gamers and enthusiasts want to enjoy DirectX 11.2 they will have to migrate to Windows 8.1. Since Windows 7 is quite a decent operating system for an enthusiast to work with and Windows 8 is hell in the shape of an operating system, this is especially annoying. Sure, we're all hoping that the fact, that Microsoft reintegrated the start button into Windows 8.1 will take away some of the pain we all felt with Windows 8, but still, why can't they leave the choice to their customers. Obviously the reason is making money, but taking descisions like this one while the global PC market is going through very tough times, will upset quite a few users. These users will start to ask themselves if it's spending thousands of Dollars for the latest and greates hardware is still worth it all, since you have to work with an OS that is just crap to enjoy the latest and greatest features.
Source: Microsoft
In the past Microsoft decided to go this path several times already. As a reason they always mention that the new driver model is not compatible to the older operating system anymore. With this step especially enthusiasts, who want to enjoy the latest graphics, are forced to migrate to the latest version of Windows. Maybe you do remember what happend when Microsoft first introduced DirectX 10. The company mentioned that (the beloved) Windows XP is limited to DirectX 9.0c and enthusiasts as well as gamers will have to migrate to (the aweful) Windows Vista to enjoy the latest and greatest in graphics. These days the same thing is happening again: if gamers and enthusiasts want to enjoy DirectX 11.2 they will have to migrate to Windows 8.1. Since Windows 7 is quite a decent operating system for an enthusiast to work with and Windows 8 is hell in the shape of an operating system, this is especially annoying. Sure, we're all hoping that the fact, that Microsoft reintegrated the start button into Windows 8.1 will take away some of the pain we all felt with Windows 8, but still, why can't they leave the choice to their customers. Obviously the reason is making money, but taking descisions like this one while the global PC market is going through very tough times, will upset quite a few users. These users will start to ask themselves if it's spending thousands of Dollars for the latest and greates hardware is still worth it all, since you have to work with an OS that is just crap to enjoy the latest and greatest features.
Specifications DirectX 11.2
- HLSL shader linking
- Inbox HLSL compiler
- GPU overlay support
- DirectX tiled resources
- Direct3D low-latency presentation API
- DXGI Trim API and map default buffer
- Frame buffer scaling
- Multithreading with SurfaceImageSource
- Interactive Microsoft DirectX composition of XAML visual elements
- Direct2D batching with SurfaceImageSource
Source: Microsoft
News by Luca Rocchi and Marc Büchel - German Translation by Paul Görnhardt - Italian Translation by Francesco Daghini
Previous article - Next article
comments powered by Disqus
comments powered by Disqus