Direct X10 and Vista - Compatibility

Simple answer: Yes

The necessary runtime depends on the new display driver model that is only available for Windows Vista. Additional you will need a new graphics adapter that is Direct3D compatible.

RalfKornmann at 2007-8-30 >

As the control panel does not depend on the driver model I am not surprised the use it for XP too. But the Direct3D 10 runtime is written against the new driver model and therefore it cannot work on Windows XP. I know that at this point the next question would be if it isn’t possible to write a runtime based on the old Windows XP driver model. Maybe but it would be much harder than with the new model. As the official support for Windows XP will end soon it’s simply too much work that needs to be put in a “dead” system.

RalfKornmann at 2007-8-30 >

Ralf Kornmann wrote:

deleted... As the official support for Windows XP will end soon it’s simply too much work that needs to be put in a “dead” system.

XP is far from "dead"!!! Yes, the "official support" for XP maybe nearing it's end, as it did with Windows 98 in the last millenium, but to say XP is "dead" is an out right lie, XP won't be dead for years to come!

Vista is the operating system that is "dead", it's the twin to Millenium Edition, anyone even remember that one?!? With XP SP3 coming out after the release of Vista, it's support isn't all that dead either, there technically is no reason outside of Microsoft deciding that if people want to play games based off of DX10, they will have to upgrade, just as they initially did for 98 users when XP was released. Eventually either Microsoft will break down and include an upgrade path to DX 10 for it's plethoria of XP users, or DX will fall by the wayside as people wait to eventually upgrade to Vista, if not the next iteration of Windows. Besides, there really aren't a lot of games out or on the near horizon which will be making use of much of DX10 anytime in the near future anyways, I really don't expect anything that can't be played on XP to be released in the next couple of years, and if people can't use DX 10 on XP, then developers won't be developing for it, at least not anytime soon. Sure there are, and always have been/will be, people out there that have to have the bleeding edge of everything and will stop at nothing to get it, even if it means sacrificing their privacy to do so.

There is way too large an installed base of people running the multiple flavors of XP still that aren't going to rush out, (if ever,) and purchase Vista, especially when they realize there is a back door in Vista that allows governments, and whomever else has the cash, to poke around inside your computer without you knowing about it and shut off your computer on the hardware level until they are able to confiscate your machine. Even those whom don't ever realize that that's a built in feature of Vista, there will most likely be other reasons why they won't want to upgrade as well. Such as the fact that the system requirements for Vista are so steep that even a two year old computer will likely barely, if at all, be able to run it.

Forget about the 32-bit computers altogether running it, especially if the user is wanting to use Vista's most touted of all features, 3-D Desktop! It will be several years before there is a cheap enough computer available for Vista to fully be realized on, and that long at least before a lot of XP users are going to even consider upgrading to a new operating system. I have already determined that as long as Windows is designed in a way that those with enough money can gain controlling access to my system without me knowing about it, I no longer will install it on any of my "production systems", and only in a test bed when running it in a virtual machine if and when I do decide to test it again.

DisabledTrucker at 2007-8-30 >

I am not expereienced. But I thought DX10 shaders are written in HLSL. Since DX9 also complie HLSL, why not just complie your HLSL code to DX10 and DX9 seperatly, and link the result code to appropreaite version based on the user setup in the game option screen?

Besides, this is DX9.0c era, I think most developer is working on DX9.0c instead of pushing DX10 when the library is not even finallized yet. Most of them are still using DX8.1 or DX9.0 anyway. IMO, a developer requires at least a year to play around DX10 to actually demostrate minor effects of DX10. For the first few DX10 games, it will probaably just run faster and easier to develope than DX9.0c games, but features very simular effects. Even DX10 Crysis, I consider it as a glorified DX9.0c game.

magicalclick at 2007-8-30 >