DirectX 11.2 for Windows 8.1 and Xbox One only

[csbin]

DX 11.2 supports the following features:

- Tiled Resources
- HLSL shader linking
- Inbox HLSL compiler
- GPU overlay support
- DirectX tiled resources
- Direct3D low-latency presentation API
- DXGI Trim API and map default buffer
- Frame buffer scaling
- Multithreading with SurfaceImageSource
- Interactive Microsoft DirectX composition of XAML visual elements
- Direct2D batching with SurfaceImageSource


Radeon HD 8000 support DX11.2？

 

[MTDEW]

I believe it has since been confirmed that it is not exclusive to the Xbox One console.
Link

UPDATE: This article initially stated that DirectX 11.2 is an "exclusive to Xbox One & Windows 8.1". However, it has since been brought to our attention that the technology may also be available on other next-gen consoles.

 

[Fastx]

New features are being included in the service pack feature upgrade known as Windows 8.1, including a new set of extensions for DirectX. DirectX 11.2 adds some new features, some of which are already supported on newer AMD hardware (see here). NVIDIA's preview driver doesn't detail which cards support which driver model and feature level.

Read the list of extensions at Microsoft. NVIDIA's 700 series is currently launching using the same Kepler architecture designs from the 600 series, which supports DirectX 11.0 in hardware with a few 11.1 extensions supported through software.

AMD have full DirectX 11.1 hardware support in the Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture based products. With Volcanic Islands expected Q4 2013, up to 6 months ahead of NVIDIA's Maxwell arch, it appears AMD are well ahead in the feature support race and will likely have full DirectX 11.2 hardware before NVIDIA go beyond 11.0.

http://www.rage3d.com/index.php?cat=75#newsid34002149

 

[Carfax83]

I thought all of these enhancements were software and did not demand hardware support?

 

[Red Hawk]

Well that was a quick turnaround between D3D11.1 and D3D11.2. If 11.2 specifically requires hardware support which 11.1 compliant hardware doesn't have, then bummer. I was hoping that my 7870 would support the latest D3D features for at least a couple years.

 

[DarkKnightDude]

"one of the new features touted is called “tiled resources”. This will allow video cards to use system ram to improve texture detail. It’s all very technical, but in other words, it will make things pretty, or something like that."

Isn't this old already? Not sure.

 

[cmdrdredd]

I'm not worried at all about Nvidia supporting these features. Then again, until there is working examples of this all being used somewhere, just printing a 11.2 on the box and adding in support really doesn't impress me either.

 

[Red Hawk]

I'm not worried at all about Nvidia supporting these features. Then again, until there is working examples of this all being used somewhere, just printing a 11.2 on the box and adding in support really doesn't impress me either.

Developers will only start making use of hardware features if there's a sufficient amount of users out their who can actually experience it. Hardware support has to come before software support, and Nvidia is not helping by lagging in that.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Developers will only start making use of hardware features if there's a sufficient amount of users out their who can actually experience it. Hardware support has to come before software support, and Nvidia is not helping by lagging in that.

Lagging how? It's not even released yet and when it is nothing will use it. Then later when there are new cards available there may begin to be some games using these features. How it always was.

 

[Carfax83]

Lagging how? It's not even released yet and when it is nothing will use it. Then later when there are new cards available there may begin to be some games using these features. How it always was.

All this is assuming these features require hardware support in the first place. They could just as well be further software refinements to the DX11 API.

 

[Carfax83]

Here's a video from a Microsoft rep about DX 11.2. The tiled resources is a software feature, so that's a good indication that many (if not all) of the new DX 11.2 features may not require hardware support.

I might go ahead and download the Windows 8.1 preview..

 

[mikeymikec]

Microsoft continues to unload round after round into its foot.

 

[BallaTheFeared]

Microsoft continues to unload round after round into its foot.

How so?

 

[zlatan]

DX 11.2 supports the following features:

- Tiled Resources
- HLSL shader linking
- Inbox HLSL compiler
- GPU overlay support
- DirectX tiled resources
- Direct3D low-latency presentation API
- DXGI Trim API and map default buffer
- Frame buffer scaling
- Multithreading with SurfaceImageSource
- Interactive Microsoft DirectX composition of XAML visual elements
- Direct2D batching with SurfaceImageSource

The new features don't need new hardware, just a driver update. Basically any DX11/11.1 GPU have or will have support for these.
The Tiled Resources is the only essential update, but it's an optional feature. Also it has two implementation. A tier1 for the masses, so this can be supported with any DX11 GPU, and there is a much faster tier2 option for the GCN Radeons.

 

[motsm]

How so?

I would assume he's talking about Windows 8 exclusivity.

 

[Carfax83]

A tier1 for the masses, so this can be supported with any DX11 GPU, and there is a much faster tier2 option for the GCN Radeons.

So tier2 is exclusive to GCN Radeons, does that count for desktop cards as well, or is it just the APUs?

If it includes desktop cards, that's bullshit

 

[Carfax83]

I would assume he's talking about Windows 8 exclusivity.

I'm inclined to agree with him, and I have Windows 8. There is no reason for these features to be exclusive to Windows 8.1 other than for marketing or promotion..

 

[Will Robinson]

You will know if its important or not when both f1sherman and Notty start posting rebuttals in this thread.

Infraction issued for callout.
-- stahlhart

 

[mikeymikec]

I'm inclined to agree with him, and I have Windows 8. There is no reason for these features to be exclusive to Windows 8.1 other than for marketing or promotion..

Yup. Microsoft should be trying to strengthen its products and build customer confidence after their definite mis-step with Win8.

Instead, they've done this, and they're trying to gouge customers' wallets with their new Office licencing. My jaw dropped when a customer told me that they were sold Office 365 for ~£80 for a single year (albeit 5-user) subscription, when it used to be ~£85 for Home & Student retail licence 3-user licence which was also transferable. When I informed her that it was for a single year, she opted for LibreOffice (as the MSO packaging was still sealed and she can probably get a refund).

If MS is looking to close down their business and end with the worst possible reputation (factor in their mis-steps with XBox game licencing), they're going the right way about it.

The only noteworthy improvements they've made are to reverse some of their most serious mis-steps (another being their decision not to release IE10 for Win7).

They should be bug-fixing Windows, reversing some of the stupid decisions they've made wrt Metro and pretending that desktops/laptops are the same as tablets, bringing in some under-the-bonnet improvements, reinstating the Win7 Explorer UI and refining it, and doing some serious investment in improving DirectX so hardware running games using DirectX are always at the top in performance and reliability terms. More competitors are coming into the 'expensive gaming market' (ie. expensive consoles and computers), and they need to be ready for that. The last thing they need right now is for a competitor (say Apple or some Steam Linux box) to show the same game on the same hardware and settings running better than on Windows/Xbox.

They should also be improving DirectX in ways that encourage developers to not just produce console ports. Investing in DirectX is good for both their Xbox and PC gaming platforms.

 

[ShintaiDK]

Ballmer said, and I quote, "Rapid releases, rapid releases, rapid releases." A year from now and Windows 8.1 will also be obsolete. And people will talk about DX11.3 with another miniscule update.

 

[24601]

Yup. Microsoft should be trying to strengthen its products and build customer confidence after their definite mis-step with Win8.

Instead, they've done this, and they're trying to gouge customers' wallets with their new Office licencing. My jaw dropped when a customer told me that they were sold Office 365 for ~£80 for a single year (albeit 5-user) subscription, when it used to be ~£85 for Home & Student retail licence 3-user licence which was also transferable. When I informed her that it was for a single year, she opted for LibreOffice (as the MSO packaging was still sealed and she can probably get a refund).

If MS is looking to close down their business and end with the worst possible reputation (factor in their mis-steps with XBox game licencing), they're going the right way about it.

The only noteworthy improvements they've made are to reverse some of their most serious mis-steps (another being their decision not to release IE10 for Win7).

They should be bug-fixing Windows, reversing some of the stupid decisions they've made wrt Metro and pretending that desktops/laptops are the same as tablets, bringing in some under-the-bonnet improvements, reinstating the Win7 Explorer UI and refining it, and doing some serious investment in improving DirectX so hardware running games using DirectX are always at the top in performance and reliability terms. More competitors are coming into the 'expensive gaming market' (ie. expensive consoles and computers), and they need to be ready for that. The last thing they need right now is for a competitor (say Apple or some Steam Linux box) to show the same game on the same hardware and settings running better than on Windows/Xbox.

They should also be improving DirectX in ways that encourage developers to not just produce console ports. Investing in DirectX is good for both their Xbox and PC gaming platforms.

Microsoft gave up caring about desktops in exactly 2007. Too bad for us that this shift didn't change in any way since then.

Here's the sobering reminder of why.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_video_games_published_by_Microsoft_Studios

Everything after Windows Vista has just been holding patterns until their "Paradigm Shift" into Windows 8 (Top Down integration) for every device initiative kicked in.

 

[Spjut]

I'm inclined to agree with him, and I have Windows 8. There is no reason for these features to be exclusive to Windows 8.1 other than for marketing or promotion..

It probably means games will still use DX 11.0, since that's what the huge Win7 userbase supports. Just like how DX9 was around for so long due to XP.
Hopefully the consoles and their GCN-based GPUs will have a positive impact here.

DX11 support on Vista didn't stop Win7 from becoming a success either

 

[blackened23]

Microsoft continues to unload round after round into its foot.

Blah blah blah blah blah great, another lame reason to complain about microsoft. I thought that ceased being interesting, like, 10 years ago but APPARENTLY not.

This is nothing different than windows vista, windows XP, or windows 7 - which also required updating windows for the latest DX version. Of course, *anything* serves as reason to complain incessantly about MS these days - Maybe MS should be a not for profit organization, , nobody would ever whine then I guess.

 

[blackened23]

I'm inclined to agree with him, and I have Windows 8. There is no reason for these features to be exclusive to Windows 8.1 other than for marketing or promotion..

Windows 8.1 is also free for all Windows 8 owners.

 

[cmdrdredd]

So tier2 is exclusive to GCN Radeons, does that count for desktop cards as well, or is it just the APUs?

If it includes desktop cards, that's bullshit

Looked at this a bit and while I am not knowledgeable on the details of how it works, it appears there is no barrier for nvidia to implement the same thing in hardware directx is open in the sense that any manufacturer can design hardware that accommodates the feature set on windows. The thing is tho Kepler probably cannot and until the next major arch from nvidia, we will have a software solution. Nvidia has drivers available for windows 8.1 already.