Hardcore PC gaming has been on a bit of a standstill these past few years. The rise in power and proliferation of gaming consoles and mobile devices has meant most of the attention is being focused on these two fronts.
But as the creator and force behind DirectX, Redmond has finally implemented a number of changes that enhance graphics performance on Windows 8.1 in general and PC games in particular.
DirectX 11.2 is the latest version of the package, and Microsoft explains that apps and games based on this new technology will not only look a tad enhanced but also perform better — while at the same time eating less memory.
In a blog post, Microsoft says that this not only applies to desktop PCs, but also for laptops and tablets:
“Graphics performance is an important aspect of overall system performance, and for Windows 8.1 DirectX 11.2 includes some great improvements. DirectX 11.2 runs leaner and faster than previous DirectX versions. With these performance optimizations both everyday tasks in Windows and apps like DirectX games will perform better and consume less memory.”
The company then goes into some technical details on some of the new features exclusive to DirectX 11.2 like tiled resources that results in better visual quality:
“HLSL shader linking to reduce game footprint and speed up level loading times, and low-latency presentation for more responsive gameplay experiences.”
These are some welcome new changes in a somewhat stagnant field, and should go a fair distance in ensuring an increase in performance and quality of newer games and software that make use of the latest version of DirectX.
Now, these new technologies may take a little while to really penetrate in all genres of video games, but it promises to be a delightful experience when it does.
All Comments
I’m confused. Which consoles have risen in power the last few years?
Well, the PS2s and Dreamcasts of the past years were a few leagues behind what the PC offered in terms of processing and visual back then. There was real innovation going on back then on computers, both hardware and software.
That has slowed down quite a bit, no real grounds are being broken these days, at least not like back then. And at the same time Xbox 360 and PS3, when released, offered a much closer experience to the average PC hardware.
Xbox One and PS4 are not terribly groundbreaking in this regard, though they are a fair bit powerful, even if a generation or two behind what Nvidia and ATI are paddling for PC graphics these days.
But consoles and mobile devices surely have most of the attention these days, in my opinion, surely they do. That and casual gaming has really come into its own!
Consoles are moving faster