DirectX 10.1

[Ghost-Ryder]

DirectX 10.1 Requires No New GPU.

But DirectX 10.1 Video Card Is Recommended




At SIGGRAPH 2007 conference Microsoft announced the details of the new DirectX updates (http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/video/display/20070815123340.html#) version 10.1. They pointed out that to ensure full support of DirectX 10.1 you need not only to install Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista, but you may also need to replace a graphics card. Contemporary graphics accelerators from Nvidia GeForce 8800 and AMD/ATI Radeon 2900 may not support all the new features added to Direct3D 10.1.

Next-Gen (http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6824&Itemid=2) web-site made certain things clear thanks to their phone interview with Microsoft's Sam Glassenberg, who said: "DirectX 10.1 fully supports DirectX 10 hardware (http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/video/display/20070815123340.html#). No hardware support is being removed. It's strictly a superset. It's basically an update to DirectX 10 that extends the hardware functionality slightly."
According to Sam Glassenberg, DirectX 10.1 will be fully compatible with all graphics cards supporting DirectX 10. He told that the current updates are very similar to those performed for DirectX 9 back in the days. All the company wants to do now is to increase the API life cycle. This statement was addressed to majority of worried gamers who got the impression that Microsoft announced GeForce 8800 and Radeon 2900 based graphics cards may become useless after the new updates have been pushed. However, Sam confirmed that existing graphics cards may still not be able to use all the new features of DirectX 10.1. At the same time he stress that applications designed specifically for DirectX 10.1 are very unlikely to appear, because overall, the updates aren’t that critical.
So, although DirectX 10.1 will support current DirectX 10 graphics hardware, today's DirectX 10 hardware will not be able to support all of the features of DirectX 10.1, which includes incremental improvements to 3D rendering quality.
However, the gamers who have already acquired contemporary DirectX 10 graphics accelerators shouldn’t be too upset. Upon developers (http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/video/display/20070815123340.html#)’ request, version 10.1 sets whatever was available in the previous releases as a standard. As for the innovations, among them are 32-bit floating-point operations (instead of 16-bit ones, used today by default) and obligatory support of 4x FSAA.

Source (http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/video/display/20070815123340.html)

[rudedog]

When we start seeing actual DX10 games then developers can deal with 10.1 LOL.

TBH, I don't think any dev will be supporting DX10.1 hardware for a very very long time, hell they are just now taking advantage of all those DX9 features.

[MajorWoody]

TBH, I don't think any dev will be supporting DX10.1 hardware for a very very long time, hell they are just now taking advantage of all those DX9 features.
Still feels like i wasted over $500 on my new 8800GTX :X

[Mike Nomad]

the gamers who have already acquired contemporary DirectX 10 graphics accelerators shouldn't be too upset. TOO UPSET?? They should be outraged!! Not 6 months and their 500.00 plus cards are already obsolete?? That's a crime! Plain and simple ...a crime!! Microsoft should ensure the new features are capable of being delivered via new drivers!

Once again, Microsoft puts the shaft to all the Gamers who went out and spent the BIG BUX buying DX10 capable Graphics/Video Cards. I notice there is no mention of the DX 10 capable card's drivers being upgradeable to handle the new features in DX10.1.

When does the milking of the "cash cow" users abate? The new features in DX10.1 should be driver enabled. Lately, Microsoft is so out of touch and seemingly into themselves that they appear to be unaware or incapable of considering the current state of the market or the consumer situations on a global basis. Its almost as if MS's marketing & PR people are in a "dream world".

[rudedog]

Morning guys.

again I don't think we will be seeing anything that will require DX10.1 so no worries by me, hell I just picked up a 8800GTX Ultra SC while I had the extra cash.

Our hardware will be obsolete way before we see 10.1 enhanced games. Hell maybe by then DX10.1 will support XP :eek:

[RaDioAcTivE]

TOO UPSET?? They should be outraged!! Not 6 months and their 500.00 plus cards are already obsolete?? That's a crime! Plain and simple ...a crime!! Microsoft should ensure the new features are capable of being delivered via new drivers!

Once again, Microsoft puts the shaft to all the Gamers who went out and spent the BIG BUX buying DX10 capable Graphics/Video Cards. I notice there is no mention of the DX 10 capable card's drivers being upgradeable to handle the new features in DX10.1.

When does the milking of the "cash cow" users abate? The new features in DX10.1 should be driver enabled. Lately, Microsoft is so out of touch and seemingly into themselves that they appear to be unaware or incapable of considering the current state of the market or the consumer situations on a global basis. Its almost as if MS's marketing & PR people are in a "dream world".

Hmmmm....sort of like a game developer that's in the news a lot these days.

[Mike Nomad]

When we start seeing actual DX10 games then developers can deal with 10.1 LOL.

TBH, I don't think any dev will be supporting DX10.1 hardware for a very very long time, hell they are just now taking advantage of all those DX9 features.


My point is simple though, the "PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE" marketing factor is now far too obvious and becoming a painful cudgel beating upon the users at seemingly more frequent intervals.

Its getting to be that no sooner is the hardware released, its made obsolete by software. Whether 10.1 is ever taken advantage of or not isn't the issue.

The issue is the fact the users ARE being repeatedly taken advantage of by arrogant stunts like this. I can easily see MS back in Anti-Trust Court. Both in the USA and EU.