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Time:
16:32 EST/21:32 GMT | News Source:
Press Release |
Posted By: Robert Stein |
ATI Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:ATYT - News; TSX:ATY - News) today continued its commitment to deliver the most advanced, high-quality graphics solutions with the release of a new beta software driver supporting Microsoft® DirectX® 9.0 Release Candidate 0 (RC0) application program interface (API). ATI's new driver, CATALYST(TM) Beta Release Candidate 0 (BRC0), provides the industry's first support for Microsoft DirectX 9.0 and enables end-users to take full advantage of the most current hardware and software features, creating a richer and more immersive 3D graphics experience.
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#1 By
1845 (12.254.162.111)
at
11/14/2002 6:57:42 PM
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boom, I'm sure they'll focus on 95% of the market (Microsoft Windows users) before the focus on 5% of the market (everything else).
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#2 By
5444 (143.166.83.132)
at
11/14/2002 7:48:21 PM
|
I wouldn't agree with that entirely.
while the programmable loop will work with dx8 games and even accelerate it.
The new High Level Programmable language for DX9 will more than likely see
a fairly quick acceptance of the technology.
One the High Level compilers will compile either to dx9 or dx8, or for that matter dx10 when it comes out in a couple of years.
So almost imediatly a company can move over to the HL language and code faster.
Compile for both dx8 and dx9, and offer all the features that they want.
I believe that that transition will be faster than the assembly language based DX8.
Not to mention any DX8 games in development could easily be transition to hlsl and
probably be completed faster.
El
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#3 By
2459 (24.233.39.98)
at
11/15/2002 4:48:14 AM
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#2 & 4 - There's a lot more to DX than just games (and even from a games perspective, it doesn't only concern 3D video acceleration). You're forgetting the media applications you use that can receive immediate benefits from DX 9 (NVDVD uses the updated media components for time scaling and multidisplay modes for example). Also, there's the managed framework that allows .NET apps access to DX features without using COM interop.
This post was edited by n4cer on Friday, November 15, 2002 at 04:56.
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#4 By
2459 (24.233.39.98)
at
11/15/2002 4:48:59 PM
|
I can't show you any commercial .NET apps that currently use DX 9, but it is only in the release candidate stage. I can tell you that such apps are currently being worked on, and have been since the beta began.
I really don't care about ATI's marketing. I'm just saying that there are valid reasons to use DX 9. Its existence is not purely hype, and that the gaming space is not the only thing providing validity for DX. Also, the availability of DX 9 drivers is not hype either because developers now have a fully accelerated platform for testing D3D and DShow apps that use DX 9-specific features. Just because an end user may derive little benefit from DX 9 or the drivers currently, that doesn't mean this is just hype. You have to start somewhere. It's like if during the .NET beta/initial public release, you said there is no point in supporting .NET because there are no cool commercial apps available for it. There are also bug fixes, etc., in DX 9 that can benefit current apps.
With that said, I will say that anyone not comfortable installing pre-release software should just wait for the final release which shouldn't be too far away.
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#5 By
5444 (208.180.140.124)
at
11/16/2002 12:55:16 AM
|
Tokyo,
When DX9 is officially released I know of at least 5 projects that will release that will be fully dx9 capable. If the hardware is available to use it.
one of them is the software package that N4CER talked about.
I Will say that there are a few gotchas programmers will have to worry about in the High Level Shader Languages. One is remembering that not every card will have branching in the
graphics loop.
With ATI releaseing a fairly low cost dx9 card (at the entry price that the 4200 was introduced at)
There will be two things that really drvie the HLSL, one is how good the compiler is in handleing the differences between a dx8 based shader and a dx9 based shader.
The second will be how much additional programming is required to take in account the differences. but this is far differenct the the differences that a programmer has to account for in programming a NT compatable program Then a win 32 bit compatable program for example.
I still say that if the compilers are good, that a High Level Shader Language will see the adoption of the shaders much faster than the assembly language based shaders. have proven with the Sever lack of DX8 based games even 2 years after the fact.
I would say that obviously with the DX programming that you have done that you have little to no experience with the HLSL. And notice that we are talking about 2 specific languages a high leve Pixel language and a High level Vertex Language.
The interesting thing is that DX9 will be the native format in the .net Framework in the Managed Direct X, and will be the basis of the New UI in Longhorn and the accelerated GDI +.
so in the longrun DX9 will become the must used Direct X in the history of it Existance. It will be the acceleration of the next OS. GDI+ .next will be based on top of it. It will also be the version available in managed classes for the .net framework.
so given that, over the next 4 to 8 months I could see DX9 cards being fully utilized. even over the dx9 on dx8 based cards.
Time will tell. as in all new graphics technologies it is usualy a year (because of concentration of graphics cards in use to determine if the software development cost is warrented) in other words I am paying my developers to develop and deliver a product that is going to see the highest rate of return, is 1% of the user community that has dx9 warrent that cost. no. especially if I have to write different shaders for dx8 cards thatn I do for dx9 cards.
So at least understand at least with the shader langauges. in dx9 this ain't your poppa's dx
El
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