Microsoft DirectX august 2006 redist

Microsoft released a new version of the DirectX redistributable package this month (along, of course, with the DirectX SDK, along with a quick “What’s new” section). This will most probably be the last major redist until DirectX10 comes out with Windows Vista later this year.

A few words about DirectX 10 now, for those of you who are not up to speed with this… First of all, through one bold move, Microsoft has decided that it will not support the already too “old” DirectX 9, not to mention DirectX 8 or any of the previous versions. Also, the new DirectX will not be named Windows Graphic Foundation (WGF) as it was initially planned, and so it will remain at the old name, as in DirectX 10.

The DirectX 10 API will have completely new and faster dynamic link libraries (DLLs) and is supposed to run much faster. The company decided to cut the backward compatibility with DirectX 9, 8, 7 and lower in this API but there will be a way to use games programmed for those APIs. Microsoft will enable support for DX 9 or lower games through a software layer, meaning it might run slower. The company did this to make the next API faster, and at the same time will take some burden of the CPU runtime. At the same time, DirectX 10 will have support for Shaders beyond Shaders, model 4.0.

2006
08/24
CATEGORY
Coding
Downloads
Life
Microsoft
Vista
Windows
2 comments
  • Claudiu

    There will be no version for DirectX like 9, 8, 10, it will just be called DirectX. The technologies which are part of DirectX will have numbers/versions like Direct3D 10, DirectInput 9…

  • http://www.tudy.ro Tudy

    It’s always been like this (just go to Run… > dxdiag and check the file versions), and it’s definitely clear that not all the DirectX components will be at version 10 once Vista is released. Direct3D 10 will be among the ones that are “updated” first though.

    The August release of the DirectX SDK already contains some Direct3D 10 Technology Preview components that everyone can test. However, the samples and applications built with the Direct3D 10 Technology Preview in the August 2006 DirectX SDK require Windows Vista RC1 to run.

    Windows Vista RC1 will be available to MSDN subscribers during the following weeks.