14 DAY TRIAL // Moving from Windows XP to Windows Vista, Microsoft has chosen an interesting tactic in terms of the graphics technology built into the operating system. It evolved DirectX 9.x to DirectX 10, but made accessing the new graphics technology exclusive to Vista. The Redmond company chose to ignore over 80% of the operating system market, the share of Windows XP, as a strategy to leverage DirectX 10 in order to drive the adoption of Windows Vista. According to statistics from Microsoft, Windows is a gaming platform with an install base of over 200 million. 10 million gamers have already upgraded to Vista in the operating system's first six months on the market, revealed the Redmond company. And the figure is quite consistent considering that Microsoft only shipped 60 million Vista licenses altogether in the first six months.
Still, there are those, especially members of the gaming industry that fail to look at DirectX 10 or Windows Vista with kind eyes. GSC Game World is just such an example, the creators of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. believing that the new graphics technology in Vista is nothing more than a waste of time for developers.
"DX10 is undoubtedly richer and more flexible compared to DX9, the graphics quality achieved through the time of its existence is so high that the innovations which can be integrated into games within a rather short time would simply be insignificant and not worth the energy, time and money invested", commented Igor Lobanchikov, a GSC graphics programmer as cited by CVG.
The issue that publishers and developers of games have with Windows Vista and DirectX 10 is the limited install base. At just over 6% of the operating system market, Vista gamers are a niche preventing DirectX exclusive content. This aspect forces the gaming industry to continue focusing on Windows XP and DirectX 9.x. "Microsoft's decision to release DX10 for Windows Vista only has served to narrow what is already a rather narrow market of potential clients," Lobanchikov added.