DirectX 11.1 not coming to Windows 7
The new features of DirectX 11.1, including vendor-neutral stereoscopic display support, are to be limited to Windows 8.
Designed to enhance, rather than replace, DirectX 11, DirectX 11.1 introduces a wealth of new features including portions of the XNA framework being added in, better cooperation between Direct3D, Direct2D and DirectCompute GPU acceleration models, a new software rasteriser dubbed WARP, the performance-boosting Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) 1.2 and a new vendor-neutral system for supporting stereoscopic displays for true-3D applications.
While it's only really the latter that affects how things appear to the end-user - and even then only if they're interested in 3D gaming but don't have a compatible Nvidia or AMD graphics chip supporting proprietary 3D display modes - it's still a worthwhile upgrade, and one of the features of Windows 8 Microsoft likes to trot out at launch events and press conferences.
It's also, it seems, going to remain a Windows 8 exclusive.
Answering a developer's question about the WARP software rasteriser, Microsoft's Daniel Moth confessed in a post that developers wishing to use WARP will be limited to Windows 8. 'DirectX 11.1 is part of Windows 8, just like DirectX 11 was part of Windows 7,' Moth claimed. 'DirectX 11 was made available for Vista, but at this point there is no plan for DirectX 11.1 to be made available on Windows 7.'
While Moth admitted that that could change in future - 'I personally am still crossing my fingers [for a Windows 7 release], but not as tightly as I did a few months ago,' he claimed - it looks like, for now, gamers after the latest and greatest DirectX features will be saddled with Windows 8 and all the changes that brings.
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Discuss in the forums ReplyAs consoles are the real drivers of game development, the only way DX11.1 would see any major adoption sooner is if next-gen XBox and Playstation adopted it as their API. Which they wont because it's too new to have influenced the hardware decisions that will have already been made.
Basically, DX11.1 is the new DX10.
And how many good DX11 exclusive games came out since it's introduction? How many DX10 exclusive? (Crysis 1??).
Since then still we still get DX9 games that look awesome, and with mods even better. Skyrim with HD Mods on is a good example of DX9 tech!!!!!!!
That as an aside - DX12 will be where it's all at, which will probably come with windows9, which is something win7 users might consider worth upgrading too.
Windows8 is necessary only to microsoft to help bridge the gap between current desktop MS products, tablets and smartphones, it's not necessary for yhr public to do anymore than watch how the concept develops to an all encompassing "eco-system" that people and enterprises will want - like DX11.1 istelf, win8 will be a short lived OS (not as short as winME though lol).
Pros
Boot Time, its shiney and pretty and its cheap.
cons
legacy software cant load from the metro UI directly, it reverts back to the desktop before launching an App. Eg in wow if you click the icon on the Metro UI, it'll switch back to desktop then load the launcher...hopefully as the OS matures and legacy games are updated the metro UI will be the sole place you have to use....
It sounds like ive been brainwashed by microsoft but im running this on an rMBP.......
Off the top of my head i can name only a few direct x 10 exclusive titles, ( Halo 2, BF3 ) there about the only 2 games that dont have a direct x 9 exe, direct x 11 uptake is even smaller.
As a developer you would be mad to remove 40-45% of your sales potential by simply locking it to direct x 10 and above exlusive.
The next gen of consoles are unlikely to help with direct x implementation as all consoles are coded to hardware. Microsoft has gone too far ahead of the game this time with its direct x 11.1 exlusive if direct x 11 was widespread and 11.1 actually offered something then there might be a reason for it. As it is direct x 9 is widespread and will stay that way till microsofts windows xp is no longer supported by the developer community. ( Most likely sometime around 2015)
Keep pushing people to a direction they don't like going and you're only going to make alternatives like Linux and OSX look less bad.
Yeah, and 11 was a minor jump from 10 which was a minor jump from 9 :D
It probably does more under the surface but I can play games in DX11 and they don't look anything special to me, even some DX9 games look lovely. I get the impression that nobody makes the most out of each one, it seemed like DX11 came along before more than a dozen or so games were even making use of 10, and even that was only for a few fps here and there and a few prettier smoke plumes.
Basically, I give one big meh to dx in general. My eye candy in gaming has more to do with good devs and artists than it does MS's underlying hyped tech.
Hopefully more and more game developers will realize this and start using them to build the games, instead of starting with DirectX and then port to OpenGL if they have enough share/funding.
If this happens DirectX will face its doom.
Releasing that software on Ubuntu/Linux would be better because you could still choose the best hardware configuration for your needs (and it would be a lot cheaper and efficient).
But it's been doing that since forever. Like I said, I already have some great looking dx9 games. They can keep increasing the number all they want but unless it some day provides a revolutionary jump in quality, it's not enough to make me upgrade my windows.
Good luck with that - let's check back in in, oh, 15 years and see how that's worked out for you.
on topic - meh, it could be 20 years before I run out of perfectly lovely dx9 games. I think I own a grand total of 1 dx11 game, which also has a dx9 exe (Civ 5).
Ive been using Full release Win 8 since Friday.... Its not THAT confusing!
I've installed a free app called Classic Shell which gives me the Start button back.
To be honest, you forget that the Metro UI is there.
Have to say when more more native Win8 apps come around Im looking forward to using the Metro side more.
"I dont find W8 "that confusing", I installed a program to "unconfuse" it." :)
As for DX11.1 exclusivity, its an error from Microsoft. It should make sure the largest user base had the newest DX version.
PS:
I'm here to join them. F**k Windows 8.
Oh yeah and despite being £25 I'm still able to resist win8. And I have used cp/rp/rtm.
Still in doubt if will purchase W8 from an old XP license till Jan/31, though. Bought ME and Vista, makes sense to get this one too.
Saying that I would upgrade from XP in a heartbeat. depends what you need from the XP machine though? I'd stick a linux distro on it if suitable. I'm going to stick with 7 until the next release. Also keeping an eye on the linux gaming front with steam as hopefully the scene will change dramatically in the two or so years it will take for Windows 9.
In my view, that's probably the only viable alternative in the long run, because if the Windows RT concept proves successful, Microsoft will do Windows 9 metro only, or with a limited desktop mode like Windows RT, so that they guaranty apps revenue and that you use Microsoft Office and IE in desktop mode. Since the enthusiast geeks/gamers are a minority, we can protest what ever we want, and it won't do anything: the average (blind) consumer will be happy on a walled garden, less efficient OS.
Can't see that happening. There are just too many native windows business programs to go 'metro' only. They would have to separate the business OS from the consumer OS and I just don't think that would be a smart business move. I don't even think Balmer would be that stupid. Although saying that he is constantly surprising me with his decisions. There really are too many variables with OS's in the near future to make an accurate guess as to where it will be in a few years time.
Indeed, but he's the one that said "we need to be more like Apple".
Possibly the best time would be when next gen consoles appear and have dx11 capable graphics.
I know what people are saying about wanting to keep on playing older legacy games etc - but if people hold onto them with such affection, then keep a legacy pc to play them on... similar to what I did with my old consoles and some much loved games there.