DirectX 10: The Future of PC Gaming

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2006/11/30/directx10_future_of_pc_gaming/1.html



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DIRECT X

Got my 8800 gtx so Bring it on

 

Tim, im not sure I understood all the big words in there but, DX10 = good?

 

My pc is well due an upgrade after christmas so I'm quite happy to get vista at the same time. I can see how that would be a total pain if you were unable or unwilling to upgrade to vista quite yet.

 

In very simple terms, DirectX 10 is great for developers which means they're (hopefully) going to make better games, which in turn makes gamers happy. The choice to implement standardised hardware requirements is only going to mean great things - think about the consoles.

I've condensed a lot into a short amount of space, but you should have seen the amount of material I started with.

 

YAY DX10=good!

I am in the same boat as will, so if march would kindly hurry up a bit, bring it on!

 

Yet another finely written artical, and I even managed to understand some of it!

Just to be a Noob, but with DX10 being Vista only, does that mean we're going to have a position where we won't be able to play with certain games if we don't upgrade.

I mean I always chose a PC over a console because of the compatibilty issues. Until Sony brought out the PS2 and said "PS1 games will work" I was never interested.

My PC can be upgraded, if and when I choose, and as I'm not choosing to upgrade to Vista (for the moment), how long before I can't play the latest games?

 

And what about us Linux users? Yet another blow to the face...

 

I don't think so, because it wouldn't be in the best interests of developers to develop a game solely for DirectX 10 - the install base on DirectX 9 hardware is massive and will be for some time. The only way I can foresee games being developed solely for DirectX 10 is if Microsoft (or someone else) throws a lot of money at the developer concerned.

In the future, I see DirectX 8 support dropping off sharply once DirectX 10 starts to gain traction. AFAIK, Crysis will have a 'fallback' SM2 (DX9) codepath and an SM4 (DX10) codepath. I'm not sure whether there's an SM3 (DX9c) codepath at the moment though.

 

What do you expect Microsoft to do? Developers are welcome to code in OpenGL and release a Linux version but don't expect Microsoft to start helping you, as none of the open source community would start helping Microsoft.

 

What does DX10 have over OpenGL?

 

There is not an Open GL equivalent to DX10 for starters

 

Tim,

I cant see how DX10 will make games better? I would be worried game developers would see how "pretty" they can make the game at the sacrifice of the gameplay.

Kimbie

 

Coding games in DirectX 10 is "easier" in essence, although I'll use that term lightly. It's easier to get right because the tools are better and there's virtually no need to worry about overheads either. However, it's still possible for a developer to 'get it wrong' if they don't exploit the API properly. Providing the developer stays smart and uses the tools/API properly, it should be easier to code games.

There is also no need for hardware-specific code paths like there is in DirectX 9 (because of the loose specifications and caps bits) - developers had to balance up a game's reach with the development costs. With DX10, there is one code path and that's because the specifications are very strict. It's more like the developers are developing for consoles (although not quite) because the graphics hardware has a consistent set of capabilities (performance scales with those capabilities). The specifications are set in stone and they're not open to manipulation - in order to be DirectX 10 compliant, you need to support all of the API's base specifications.

The great thing about that is that developers can spend more time (and money) on making better games, instead of spending that time (and money) working on multiple code paths for different hardware. I hope that this happens, because PC gaming will go down the pan if that doesn't happen in my opinion.

 

PC games development is dominated by D3D, but it's wise for developers to know how to use both. OpenGL will be supported under Windows Vista, but it's unclear whether the implementation will be as sound as it has been in the past. There are several options that can be taken - it's probably best not to bore you with the gruesome details though.

There are already tutorials out there with tips explaining how to make use of the Geometry Shader in GLSL (OpenGL's shader language), but I wonder whether it'll be possible to use the GS under Windows XP. I suspect that it's not possible, because I believe that the GS is only activated with WDDM - I may be wrong on that front though... It'll be interesting to see what happens in the long run though, especially with a fairly large community behind OpenGL.

 

To put it bluntly...everything.

 

Cant wait

 

braggart.

I'm glad supreme commander will have a DX10 mode.

/AND a Dx9 mode. still on 7800GTX.

 

If something gets developers excited, it can only be a great thing. Go DX10!

 

I don't recall too many CPU limited games but if someone makes a DX10 card in AGP could I run decent games on my K6/3+ ? (/joke)

So if DX10 can run more than one 3D session at a time does this mean we could see both outputs on a video card used for one 3D game? That alone would make DX10 a killer upgrade.

Edit: That's a LOT of info in the article (I feel a little like I'm back in school - but in a good - "hey look, I learning" - way).