DirectX 11 is now available for Windows Vista users through a new Platform Update for Windows Vista available automatically through the Windows Update function.
Essentially, what Vista SP2 users will be getting is the latest iteration of the DirectX platform. DirectX 11 is in no way a single component. It is, however, a sum of technologies packaged together.
What Does DirectX 11 Contain
The Platform Update for Windows Vista Beta offers the complete new DirectX package, allowing end users and developers to take advantage of components such as DirectWrite, Direct2D, Direct3D 11, Direct3D 10 Level 9, and DXGI 1.1. In addition, the download will also deliver Windows Graphics, Imaging, and XPS Library updates to the Windows Imaging Components, XPS Print API, and the XPS Rasterization Service. Following the integration of the Platform Update for Windows Vista Beta, customers will have the same DirectX technologies on Windows Vista as in Windows 7.
How To Download DirectX 11
– Click Start , Click All Programs, and then click Windows Update.
– In the navigation pane, click Check for updates.
– When updates are found, click View available updates.
– Select the update package that you want, and then click Install.
* Take note that if you haven’t upgrade to Windows Vista SP2, you will first need to do that through windows update or direct download from Microsoft.
Misc Comments
– With two versions of Windows (Windows 7 and Windows Vista) now supporting DirectX11, let’s hope more game developers will embrace using the API in their games than they did with DirectX10.
– Windows 7 comes with DirectX 11 by default. Read this if you’re thinking of upgrading windows vista to windows 7.
– Windows XP users will most likely miss out all the fun with DirectX. There’s not even an official release of DirectX10 for Windows XP! (although there are people who hacked it, I never bother trying them anyway).
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