Hi Ari, Thanks for the post. This was a very good one, and I am glad to here the news. It is something posative in favor of vista.
Ari wrote: > I've eventually found some articles. Have selected some interesting parts > below. > However, one feature that hasn't racked up many column inches is the new > version > of Microsoft's graphics API (application program Interface), DirectX 10. > All > current games and hardware use DirectX 9c, but with Vista comes a whole new > API. > Unlike previous versions, DirectX 10 (or Windows Graphic Foundation as it > was > known at one point) will be totally new and therefore have limited - if > any - > backwards compatibility with the current crop of DirectX 9 cards. > Microsoft has > stated that DirectX 9 will be supported side-by-side to an extent with a new > version 9L, but it won't have the same power as cards operating fully with > DirectX 10. > still look good, PC gaming can only > compete if it has an overhaul, which DirectX 10 should provide. One of the > biggest criticisms of PC gaming is that games can look so different > depending on > the hardware you have installed. By unifying some of the underlying > technologies in the hardware and the software that the games are written on, > this should change for the better. > > The audio stack in Vista is completely new. Microsoft moved sound card > drivers > out of the kernel, which means they can't crash the whole PC. This choice > has > improved performance enough that rewriting the stack - in 32-bit floating > point > operations rather than 16-bit integers - didn't slow it down. Gone are the > incomprehensible sliders of the XP sound controls; these are replaced by > volume > controls for your speakers, phone line, microphone, line in and CD audio. > And > there's a huge improvement if you ever use headphones with your PC; the new > OS > lets you choose the volume level for each application separately, which > means > that you can turn your music up without being deafened by system sounds. > Better for gaming? > > Windows XP is the gamer's OS. Forget consoles, forget pocket gaming > systems: XP > is where it's at. With XP's dominant position in the gaming world, Vista's > going to have to go a long way to improve on XP. However, with the release > of > RC1 the signs are good. > > Starting with the basics, Vista comes with an expanded suite of built-in > games. > The familiar faces are all there, but they've been given a makeover and now > use > Vista's new graphics tools. New games include smoothly animated Mah Jong > tiles > and an educational game for children. There's nothing revolutionary, but > the > new look and feel and additional titles make Vista's out-of-the-box gaming > experience more than equal to XP's. The new Games Explorer should show the > majority of games you've installed, making them easier to find and launch. > Ari > _______________________________________________ Gamers mailing list .. [email protected] To unsubscribe send E-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can visit http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org to make any subscription changes via the web.
