DirectX Developer Blog

DirectStorage is coming to PC

Andrew Yeung - MSFTSeptember 1, 2020Sep 1, 202009/1/20

Earlier this year, Microsoft showed the world how the Xbox Series X, with its portfolio of technology innovations, will introduce a new era of no-compromise gameplay. Alongside the actual console announcements, we unveiled the Xbox Velocity Architecture, a key part of how the Xbox Series X will deliver next generation gaming experiences. We...

New in DirectX— Feature Level 12_2

Claire AndrewsAugust 27, 2020Aug 27, 202008/27/20

What’s a feature level? If you’re a game developer who has spent any amount of time with computer hardware, or perhaps a computer game which simulates working with it, you will know that graphics cards are not all the same. There’s differentiation. Differentiation not only of overall performance characteristics, but the kinds of ...

Hardware Accelerated GPU Scheduling

Steve PronovostJune 30, 2020Jun 30, 202006/30/20

Abstract You may have noticed a mysterious new optional feature called Hardware Accelerated GPU Scheduling appear in the advanced graphics settings page with the Windows 10 May 2020 update. The purpose of this blog is to give some background on this new feature and how we are introducing it. It is intended for folks curious about Windows ...

Iterating on Variable Rate Shading in Gears Tactics

Jacques van RhynMay 26, 2020May 26, 202005/26/20

Gears Tactics is the very first game to ship with support for DirectX 12 Variable Rate Shading (VRS), one of the major features in DirectX 12 Ultimate. VRS let Gears Tactics achieve large performance gains – up to 18.9% (!) – on a wide range of hardware with a minimal impact on visual quality. Check out this guest post where Jacob ...

DirectX ❤ Linux

Steve PronovostMay 19, 2020May 19, 202005/19/20

Overview of the upcoming support for DX12, NVIDIA CUDA, OpenGL and OpenCL acceleration in the Windows Subsystem for Linux.

In the works: OpenCL™ and OpenGL® mapping layers to DirectX

Angela JiangMarch 24, 2020Mar 24, 202003/24/20

Building on our previous work with the D3D12 Translation Layer library as well as the D3D11On12 and D3D9On12 mapping layers, we’re happy to share that we are working on two new projects: OpenCL and OpenGL mapping layers to D3D12.

DirectX 12 Ultimate Getting Started Guide

Jacques van RhynMarch 19, 2020Mar 19, 202003/19/20

So, you’re a developer sold on the next-gen features in DirectX 12 Ultimate? Look no further than this little guide! 1) OS The complete set of DirectX 12 Ultimate features is be available in the next retail version of Windows 10, version 2004 (also called the Windows 10 May 2020 Update). As of 5/27, you can get this version of ...

Announcing DirectX 12 Ultimate

Shawn HargreavesMarch 19, 2020Mar 19, 202003/19/20

It is time for DirectX to evolve once again. From the team that has brought PC and Console gamers the latest in graphics innovation for nearly 25 years, we are beyond pleased to bring gamers DirectX 12 Ultimate, the culmination of the best graphics technology we’ve ever introduced in an unprecedented alignment between ...

DirectX Developer Day Schedule

Shawn HargreavesMarch 18, 2020Mar 18, 202003/18/20

Tomorrow (3/19) is DirectX Developer Day! Join the Microsoft DirectX team, along with partners AMD and NVIDIA, for a series of talks and demos covering the future of gaming graphics: Streaming will start at 10:00 AM PDT. Whether you’re a game developer, graphics enthusiast or just curious about ...

Announcing DirectX Developer Day

Claire AndrewsMarch 17, 2020Mar 17, 202003/17/20

GDC may have been postponed, but we aren't going to let that prevent us from bringing the next generation of graphics innovation to the world. Join us this Thursday, March 19, for a virtual DirectX Developer Day on Mixer! The Microsoft DirectX team, along with partners from AMD and NVIDIA, will be streaming a series of talks covering how we...