DirectX vs OpenGL

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HeXen

Diamond Member
Dec 13, 2009
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They didn't move openGL enough to keep pace. It seemed 2.0b was all there was for many years as DX just kept improving. Only when DX10 was coming, I believe was about the time that Kronos group finally started getting 3.0 under way.
I never understood why they didn't keep pushing it like MS was DX and then wait until more recently to do so?

I suspect with SteamOS, some devs might go OpenGL to make porting easier perhaps?
 

lamedude

Golden Member
Jan 14, 2011
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sontin

Diamond Member
Sep 12, 2011
3,273
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106
Everyone keeps saying how OpenGL is better, but if it is so much better, why does almost every game made come on dx instead? There has to be a reason.

There was no gaming market outside of Windows. So there wasn't a reason to use OpenGL.

But with Android and iOS getting stronger every day it would be foolish to not support these plattforms. And there way to do it is to use OpenGL (ES).
 

HeXen

Diamond Member
Dec 13, 2009
7,838
39
91
There was no gaming market outside of Windows. So there wasn't a reason to use OpenGL.

But with Android and iOS getting stronger every day it would be foolish to not support these plattforms. And there way to do it is to use OpenGL (ES).

Was as in never? There was Mac and Amiga/Atari ST/Dos..etc Later on there were a number of OpenGL games that were Linux or Mac compatible as well as Windows. Most earlier Windows games had both OpenGL and DX in the options menu and some of course had Glide for those with Voodoo's.
The only reason I find is that DX became easier to work with for devs and OpenGL didn't go anywhere for a really long time. Glide died with 3dfx but was awesome API for it's time. Windows took to the top in computer sales thanks to 95 so that booted out everyone until Apple slowly rebuilt it's empire. ID games seemed to have made the most of OpenGL and really Doom 3 and Riddick was very advanced graphically for just using OpenGL 2.0
 

taltamir

Lifer
Mar 21, 2004
13,576
6
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Was as in never? There was Mac and Amiga/Atari ST/Dos..etc Later on there were a number of OpenGL games that were Linux or Mac compatible as well as Windows. Most earlier Windows games had both OpenGL and DX in the options menu and some of course had Glide for those with Voodoo's.

was as in "for about 20 years". You had consoles, or windows.
Linux and Mac never had a gaming market with insignificant market penetration and lack of directX. Yes a few games existed in that limbo, but that came from fans of the platforms and not from any desire to actually make a viable product