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You Will Get DirectX 11.2 Only With Windows 8.1

Posted by timothy on from the that's-awfully-imperative-sounding dept.

SmartAboutThings writes "Microsoft has just announced the next version of DirectX, 11.2, on its website. But the real 'problem' is that it is going to be exclusive to Windows 8.1 and next generation consoles — Xbox One and Play Station 4. This is not news, as DirectX 11.1 was exclusive to Windows 7 & 8. But is this going to help Microsoft convince people to ugprade or will make them angry?"

9 of 403 comments (clear)

  1. Playstation 4? by p.g.king · · Score: 4, Interesting

    "...is going to be exclusive to Windows 8.1 and next generation consoles — Xbox One and Play Station 4." When did Microsoft start developing for Playstation 4?

  2. DirectX on the Playstation? by am+2k · · Score: 3, Interesting

    What? Where did that come from?

  3. Angry by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Interesting

    My ChromeBook is fast, my older HP running Ubuntu is fast. My new high-end HP running Win 7-64 with 32GB RAM takes 5 minutes to boot...

    I use Windows 32 or 64 for my industrial control software (will not run in emulators), and use faster, lighter OSs for web browsing.

    No reason to use Windows unless there is absolutely no other alternative...

    1. Re: Angry by ThreeKelvin · · Score: 3, Interesting

      If you're running control software similar to what I'm running, it's the cause. My computer went from incredible fast to really slow when I installed my plc and hmi development tools.

  4. Will make them angry? by rsmith-mac · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Undoubtedly it will make the some people angry.

    But for anyone that does Windows graphics development and knows something about the underlying system, it's not a big deal. We've known that adding some of these features to Direct3D would require making some changes to the underlying display driver stack (WDDM), which is why D3D 11.2 requires WDDM 1.3 drivers, and WDDM 1.3 requires Windows 8.1. Unless of course you want Microsoft backporting a new version of the display driver stack and breaking your old OSes...

    TL;DR: D3D 11.2 requiring Win8.1 can't be helped

  5. So it's going to be downvoted. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    So what does DirectX 11.1 and .2 do that's so important that people will abandon Windows 7?

    1. Re:So it's going to be downvoted. by gsgriffin · · Score: 5, Interesting

      While as a Windows OS users for' 20 years I don't LOVE 8, I do see where they are trying to head. No Windows 8 is not perfect, but it is the first OS that is trying to bridge the tablet/laptop gap. I'm currently typing on my Surface and love a lot, hate a little. My hope is that over the iterations, I will love more and hate less.

      The real game changer for me is that the keyboard is close to the screen and touching the screen for many things is a lot easier than keyboard shortcuts or using a mouse/touchpad. When I move to a laptop, I find myself touching the screen to try to do basic functions. I do wish all laptops came with a touch screen now and am understanding the direction of Win 8. For all of the failures and frustrations with 8, try to consider the direction they are heading and the potential awesomeness of small, portable, touch screen devices with real keyboards that allow for productivity and interactivity beyond the typical laptop and with most of what we like about tablets. My daughter's Lenovo Yoga is also perfect in this regards. My son's powerful Asus Win 8 laptop is a little frustrating...no touch screen.

      My point comes down to this, anyone reviewing Window 8 should do so with a touch screen. Never install in a desktop. If you are doing a gaming computer, wait for MS to find a better balance between desktop use of their OS and the portable design, which metro is intended for.

      --
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  6. Re:Will make them use standards. by jones_supa · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This. Why does every app have to ship their own DirectX runtime libraries? Can't they be included with Windows?

    How is the issue handled with OpenGL?

  7. Re: Mehh by ozmanjusri · · Score: 3, Interesting

    You will soon though.

    Or maybe not you, but most people who just want to get on with using their computers instead of tinkering with them.

    Android invades the desktop

    Summary: Computer makers are suddenly obsessed with putting a smartphone operating system on PCs. Here’s why it may not be such a crazy idea.
    John Morris

    Microsoft has spent a lot of time and effort trying to get Windows onto smartphones and tablets--so far without a whole lot to show for it. Now several PC companies are trying the opposite approach, taking the Android operating system and porting it to PCs.

    http://www.zdnet.com/android-invades-the-desktop-7000017286/

    --
    "I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."