DX10 Titles Preview

DX10 Titles Preview

Navneet Prakash, Feb 26, 2007 1700 hrs IST

Let's take a run-through of few games that are DX10 compatible and a few details of the same.

Expert Review

Let's face the fact; most gamers are men, so when I talk about gamers, I refer to men. What's the known fact about men and their toys? We want faster, bigger toys. We want more power, more speed, we are genetically inclined towards the quantity and size of a toy. So, don't be surprised to see gamers shelling out $500 for a graphic card and $ 600 for a console.

We need no persuasion to buy an expensive graphic card, but as a true gamer you need to get yourself a new graphic card. And the reason is that the latest batch of mind-boggling games can only be enjoyed with an exceptional graphic card, which is DX10 and SM (Shader Model) 4.0 compatible. In this feature, let's take a run-through of few games that are DX10 compatible and a few details of the same.

DirectX 10

DirectX is "Multimedia" related API or Application Programming Interface. An API is basically the code that a Computer System provides to another program to complete few tasks. To be more elaborate, remember those irritating times when you install a game and there is an error while executing? You call up your "Computer-Wiz" friend and he tells you to install the latest DirectX, and Voila! you start playing. Your system could always run the game but a few components were amiss, DirectX fills the void and you are able to play. This may not be technically sound explanation, but this should be good enough for a casual gamer.

We may be upset with companies like Microsoft for releasing so many patches and Updates, but in this ever-changing world of technology, one needs to be constantly updated. Hence we have Shader Model 4.0 that makes your hardware compatible and provides you with unmatched detail in your games. There are a few advantages and disadvantages with the new DX10.

Pros:
Compatibility to play Next-Gen titles on your PC
Up to 8 Times faster than DirectX 9
The incorporation of Shader Model 4.0

Cons:
Available only for Vista
Requires a minimum of the Geforce 8 Series graphic card that means many may have to wait months before they can enjoy DirectX 10 games
A very expensive affair considering the operating system and the GPU

But you can hate it or love it, sooner or later you are gonna use it, or you might just switch to a console instead. Although the Xbox 360 is a Microsoft Product, it will not support DX10 as its hardware is incompatible. Well, enough with the technicalities, lets jump to the games.