DirectX 11 Games, Videos, Benchmarking…
I have had my XFX HD5850 GPU for a few days and decided to write a quick post on Directx 11.
Direct X 11 is supposed to be the next thing in gaming and video experience out there (didn’t they say the same thing about Direct X 10.1?). Anyway, Direct X 11 comes automatically with Windows 7 and will be able to render all older versions of DX as well. No worries if you are playing DirectX 9 games.
Direct X 11, according to Microsoft, has 3 main features that really make it great. Tessellation (for smoother curves), Multi-Threading (takes advantage of multiple Core CPU’s) and Direct Compute (accelerating everyday tasks, both gaming and non-gaming).
Today, there are very few games that actually take advantage of Direct X 11, which is why it is not very mainstream and which is why Nvidia probably hasn’t released a Direct X 11 GPU yet (ATI is the best 
anyway).
So far I haven’t really said anything interesting…stick with me and we’ll get to the fun stuff. I am going to give you the names of some games that currently use DX11, provide you with some cool Directx 11 pictures, a benchmarking tool and a Directx 11 vs Directx 10 comparison video.
Direct X 11 Games
As I said previously, there are not many Direct X 11 capable games, but below you can find a list of some current or future games that will take advantage of this API.
1. Dirt 2: I have tested this game and I must say. The graphics are unbelievable. Everything is sooo realistic looking and the game play is really smooth. Haven’t tried it using a lower DX version, but it is unlike anything else. Definitely check out the Dirt 2 demo, if you have not.
2. Battle Forge – I haven’t tested this game yet, because it is not my style of games, but it looks cool.
3. Batman Arkaham Asylum - I am not 100% sure on this one, but the Microsoft website gives the impression that this game does use Direct X 11. Either way, it is a really cool game. I got it for free from Zipzoomfly.com (because they are awesome).
4. Alien Vs Predator: Just coming out, this game looks fantastic. And with Direct X11 it is going to be HOT! Will check it out soon.
5. Crysis 2 – I have heard some rumors that EA is working on Crysis 2, which I am sure will be using the new Direct X 11 API.
6. EA Formula 1: Not a big F1 fan, but I will check this one out because it is going to look amazing.
Well, there are definitely more games out there, but I wanted to give you a quick taste of what kind of Direct X 11 games are out there.
DirectX 11 vs. Direct x 10
Here are some pictures I have found online so that you can see some of the differences between Directx 10 and Directx 11. Some people say there is no difference…those people are smoking God knows what..
DirectX 11 Benchmarking Tool
I recently found a pretty sweet Benchmarking tool for Direct X 11. It is made by Unigine Corp and it is based on their proprietary engine known as “heaven”. Not only does this Direct X 11 Benchmarking tool have some pretty dam cool scenery to look at, but it will allow you to fall back to DirectX 10 and 9 so that you can see the true difference between the different APIs.
To download, just search the term “Direct X 11 Benchmarking Tool” and you will get a site right away with the download. I do not like hosting these myself.
DirectX 11 Vs DirectX 10 Video
Below you can find a video on the Unigine Corp Benchmarking tool if you rather do that than downloading it and running it yourself.z
Direct X 11 Video
Lastly I wanted to show a quick video I found on youtube where a guy goes through and actually shows you the differences in textures between DX11 and DX10 using the Unigine benchmarking tool. It is so freaking unbelievable. Everything just pops out to life. It is beautiful.
DX 11 Conclusions
From what I have seen in the videos, the benchmarking tool and the games I have played myself, there is no question in my mind that Directx 11 is freaking awesome. I can not wait for more DX11 capable games to come out so I can test them out.
Please let me know your thoughts on DirectX 11. Thanks!
