Microsoft introduced DirectX 12 Ultimate, the new version of its graphics API with which they want PC games and future Xbox Series X look as similar as possible. Hence, important innovations are integrated that developers can take advantage of to optimize a game regardless of which platform it goes to next.
DX12 Ultimate, Microsoft's future graphics
DirectX was released in 2014 and has been getting better with minor updates ever since. The new version that arrives now will not be a giant leap, but it will add enough improvements to ensure a better experience on both PC and the future Xbox Series X.
And it is that, this DirectX 12 Ultimate version that will be launched at the end of the year is focused on offering a series of innovations in software issues that will allow developers to be able to apply graphic advances such as Ray Tracing (ray tracing) to the games that arrive for the future Xbox Series X and PC with graphics from AMD and Nvidia.
Because that is the real purpose of this version, to help developers optimize their games and graphics applications regardless of the platform. Guaranteeing, for example, being able to use both that ray tracing that is starting to interest us so much and even other improvements such as Variable Rate Shading, Mesh Shaders and Sampler Feedback.
- Ray Tracing It is the ray tracing technology that improves the light effects and spares in the graphic representation
- Mesh Shader offers the ability to add more detail to objects
- Variable Rate Shading It is oriented to virtual reality, improving the vision of the point where you are looking and worsening the peripheral areas
- Feedback sampler to improve performance and texture loading
Therefore, when a user purchases new hardware displaying the DirectX 12 Ultimate logo or purchases the new console from microsoft you will be sure to enjoy all these improvements that will change the gaming experience and give meaning to the next generation of games.
Furthermore, both Nvidia and AMD have already confirmed that they will support to said version of Microsoft graphics APIs. The difference is that while more Nvidia GPUs will support DX12 Ultimate, only the latest AMD graphics will support it.
This is what Microsoft said in its developer page about the benefits that DirectX 12 Ultimate will bring:
DirectX12 Ultimate is essentially an enhancement that gives gamers the assurance that their hardware meets the requirements to support the most advanced features of next-generation games.
It is very important to note that DX12 Ultimate will not affect the game's compatibility with existing hardware that does not support all of these new features. In fact, next-gen games that use DX12 Ultimate features will continue to run on non-DX12 Ultimate hardware. Although you obviously won't enjoy the visual benefits of the new features, but you will be able to provide a better and more engaging gaming experience depending on the specifics of your hardware.
The PC ecosystem encompasses a wide variety of hardware and DX12 Ultimate makes it perform better without any negative effect on unsupported hardware.
In the following video NVIDIA demonstrates all the advantages that the new version will offer in its graphics. The results speak for themselves. So, there is a lot of desire to see everything that the games that we will see from the end of the year will contribute. Both those that will arrive for PC and for the Xbox Series X.