DirectX libraries are still essential for PC gaming. And not only because of its technical characteristics, but also because Microsoft controls the computer. And DirectX made it possible for Microsoft monopolize the PC game by including it in Windows operating systems as well as in its Xbox ecosystem.

Today we will inform you about what this interface means. application programming (API). Libraries used for developing multimedia and video applications, especially video games. Although there are other, more open, standardized specifications such as OpenGL and its promising latest version Vulkan, the dominance of Windows on the PC has meant that DirectX in reference to PC gamesand thus also in one of the most obvious characteristics where Windows surpasses other computer desktops such as OS X and Linux.

Where does DirectX come from?

As older users remember before Windows 95, PC gaming was often an ordeal involving the use of DOS and bootable floppies. For the purpose of providing games direct access to system hardwareyou must first boot into DOS and use special arguments in the config.sys and autoexec.bat configuration files.

Microsoft quickly realized that in order for the Windows operating system to become popular with gamers, it needed to provide a way for game developers to make their products had access to the same hardware resources in Windowsas in DOS.

The first version of DirectX was published for Windows 95 and NT 4.0 in June 1996. At first, adoption was slow, but soon DirectX became powerful. Some critics speculate that other interfaces, such as OpenGL, are more efficient in taking advantage of hardware, open royalty-free under a standard cross-platform API, and essentially not controlled by Microsoft and primarily limited to a single operating system. , Windows.

A debate that would go a long way, but is not relevant today. The reality is that the arrival of DirectX changed the PC gaming industry forever. Today, with Windows dominating 90 percent of PC desktops and its Xbox One console in use, its importance is far from in doubt.

DirectX 12, latest version

The latest version of these multimedia libraries was released by Microsoft in 2015 exclusively for Windows 10 and Xbox One. A promising revolution came to the market, especially in performance, by including specific optimization for better use of real system resources, primarily. on CPUs with more quad-core processing and multi-GPU configurations.

His result was not expected. Initial support was minimal, and while the situation has improved recently, benefits have come in bits and pieces. Not because of technical capacity, but because of its complexity for developers to exploit its full potential, the improvements were insignificant (except for specific games). Complexity has increased in the areas of memory management, multi-GPU, and the underlying technology required to enable asynchronous computing. In short, DirectX 12 has great potential on paper, but – so far – little practical result.

What version am I using?

You can easily see the version that is installed on your Windows computer, for example, using the system search or the “run” tool (right-click on the Start menu or using the keyboard shortcuts “Windows + R”) by entering the command “dxdiag”:

You get access to DirectX Diagnostic Tool In the “system” tab you will see the version of DirectX installed. In the “display” tab you will see additional information, the installed graphics card, the latest driver version or DX parameters that must be activated, such as DirectDraw, Direct3D or texture acceleration. Another note will let you know if there are any issues with the APIs.

Although this is the last version installed and the version that Windows will preferentially use in compatible games, It is not at all unusual that you have other versions installed as well. The explanation is that each game depends on a different version of DirectX. For example, if a developer wrote a game to use DirectX 11 update 40, only that version will work, not higher. Therefore, every time you install a new game, especially an older one, it is likely that a new version of the API will be installed. Libraries are located in C:\Windows\System32 or/and C:\Windows\SysWOW64.

How do I download and update DirectX?

Previously, DirectX had its own download and installation like any executable, but since Windows 8 Microsoft has included the API as part of the operating system.

• IN Windows 10 Only DirectX 12 works directly from Windows Update. «Settings> Update and security> Windows Update> Check for updates.
• Windows 8.1 It has support up to DirectX 11.2. As in Windows 10, there is no regular manual download and it updates in the same way.
• IN Windows 7the latest supported version of DirectX is 11.1. It is available with Windows 7 Service Pack 1 and specifically in Windows Update KB2670838. The update can be done manually or via Windows Update.
• Microsoft also maintains a dedicated download page where you can download older versions of the libraries.

Vulkan, a great alternative

Vulkan is a next-generation platform for developing video games and 3D graphics applications in general. Similar in purpose to Microsoft’s DirectX (or others such as Apple’s Metal), it provides a low-level approach to allow programmers to reduce hardware performance.

Vulkan is DirectX 12’s biggest competitor and excels beyond its technical qualities cross-platform support for different devices (consoles, computers, tablets, mobile phones, embedded…) and platforms (Linux, Android, OS X, Steam OS or all versions of Windows…), which is a big advantage over the latest Microsoft API , don’t forget exclusive for Windows 10 (and Xbox).

Another of its advantages is that it is an API licensed under open source which can be added to virtually any platform. Developers can code games in Vulkan so they can be easily ported between different platforms.

NVIDIA, AMD and Intel have Vulkan support in their graphics drivers for Windows and Linux. Valve’s Steam OS also has them, and even made its way to macOS and iOS despite Apple preferring to promote Metal for commercial reasons. Also important is Samsung’s commitment to Vulkan as a next-generation graphics API, and Google’s commitment to Android in general.

Starting with Vulkan 1.1, the use of Microsoft API HLSL shading and Direct3D memory layout was added natively. This support will make it easier move existing Direct3D code to Vulkanbecause they no longer have to rewrite all their shader programs. To support this support, Khronos has released a new version of SPIR-V 1.3 so that programs written for OpenCL can run on any GPU that has a Vulkan runtime.

This Vulkan is very interesting. Still, not to fool anyone, DirectX is still there essential to the development of the global game. If its features could be replicated, Microsoft’s dominance of the Windows desktop is unquestionable.