Microsoft unlikely to make DirectX 11.1 work with Windows 7
updated 04:56 am EST, Wed November 14, 2012
Game API requires major changes to work with previous OS
DirectX 11.1 will work only with Windows 8 and not Windows 7, Microsoft has revealed. While DirectX 11 is usable on Windows 7 and needed some modifications to work with Windows Vista, the changes will not be added to DirectX 11.1 to make it compatible, instead forcing gamers to upgrade to the newer operating system.
A post on MSDN by developer Daniel Moth explained that the problem lies in part with an emulator called WARP, used as a CPU fallback for C++ AMP. Considered a component of Windows 8 and part of DirectX 11, it has been enhanced in version 11.1 to support a number of new features, and would need to be updated in Windows 7 and Vista for them to use DirectX 11.1. Moth states "at this point there is no plan for that to happen," with the decision set to be made by the Windows team. While unlikely to occur, Moth still hopes for it to take place: "I personally am still crossing my fingers, but not as tightly as I did a few months ago."
The updates to DirectX 11.1 will add a number of changes to the 3D graphics API, with Neowin spotting native support for stereoscopic 3D in Microsoft's feature list. The support will allow games using DirectX 11.1 to offer stereoscopic support with relatively little in the way of work for programmers to perform, no longer needing to add technology from outside sources, such as AMD's HD3D or NVIDIA's 3D Vision software.
