DirectX 11.2 will be exclusive for Windows 8.1 and Xbox One

Yesterday, Microsoft announced a new version of DirectX at number 11.2 and announced that it will work exclusively on Windows 8.1 and the next-generation Xbox One console. After the release of DirectX 11.1 only under Windows 8, this was to be expected, but still the question arises - will Microsoft convince its users to upgrade to the new version of their operating system, or will it just make them angry?

Indeed, despite the fact that the figure in the name has changed slightly, the new DirectX takes a step towards serious improvements.

During a speech at the Build developer conference, Microsoft talked about a new technology called Tiled Resources (“mosaic resources”). Tiled Resources allows you to use system (operational) memory for rendering high-quality textures. The company claims that the new technology will allow developers to "create games with an incredible amount of detail."


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The essence of the innovation: a special algorithm is able to scale the data using a small amount of physical memory of a video card while freeing up the memory of the GPU. A side effect is an increase in the consumption of RAM, which is usually used for other tasks. However, Microsoft promises that with proper use of this API, you can achieve significant performance improvements.



In addition, in Windows 8.1 it will be possible to do a separate compilation and binding of HLSL shaders. Developers will be able to create precompiled HLSL functions, pack them into libraries and concatenate as shaders during program execution. The HLSL compiler will become part of Windows 8.1 and all further versions of the system, so shaders can be used in your applications in the Windows Store.

From minor innovations: improved performance, tools for simplified access to the GPU. To realize all this wealth, you need to refer to the guides and examples that already exist on MSDN . Most of the announced features do not require hardware support in the video card.

It remains to add that updates of test drivers for GeForce and Radeon have been released already taking into account DirectX 11.2.

Slides from the conference
Sources: wind8apps.com , vr-zone.com