Choman
Saleem
Why Do We Still Use Direct3d?
Microsoft has always been a
behemoth in the computer industry and will continue doing so for years to
come. The corporation is a key player in
everything computer related. The long reach of Microsoft’s arm also goes into
the field of computer gaming and video games. Microsoft uses their own
Application Program Interface(API), called Direct3D. Direct3D is used to render
graphic extensive programs such as games. The direct competitor of Microsoft’s Direct3D
is an open-source free platform called OpenGL. OpenGL works on a variety of
platforms, including Windows, Mac OS, Linux, and even the Playstation 3.
Recently one of the pioneers of gaming, Valve, openly declared their distaste for the new Windows 8. Along with their declaration, Valve also encouraged other professional gaming studios to drop Direct3D and Microsoft software for OpenGL. Valve has been working on a Linux/Ubuntu port of their Source gaming engine. The results are groundbreaking. Valve games run alarmingly faster on Ubuntu 12.04 and OpenGL compared with Windows 7 and DirectX/Direct3D. The hardware used to conduct the tests were the exact same, the only factor changed was the software. The important point to take away is that Valve has been working on refining their Source engine on Windows for almost a decade, and just recently spent a few months working on a Linux port for their Source engine. One of Valve’s most successful Games, Left 4 Dead 2 ran %20 faster on Ubuntu and OpenGL. The increased performance in was due to the “underlying efficiency of the Linux kernel and OpenGL” compared to the Windows kernel.
Microsoft’s DirectX is the predominant API because of their monopolistic heft and pure marketing campaigns. The majority of game developers use DirectX, which leads to more DirectX games. Microsoft does an extremely fine job of keeping DirectX updated, documented, and having an abundance of DirectX tools. With the release of Windows Vista, the version of OpenGL incorporated with the new operating system was completely crippled. The result? Many developers were forced to switch to DirectX. Since Valve is one of the pioneers in the gaming industry, it is foreseeable to see many other developers joining Valve and going against Direct3D and Microsoft. Will OpenGL be the dominant API? History repeats itself. In the mid 1990’s, an alarming number of users dropped Microsoft Operating Systems for open-source and free operating systems.
Recently one of the pioneers of gaming, Valve, openly declared their distaste for the new Windows 8. Along with their declaration, Valve also encouraged other professional gaming studios to drop Direct3D and Microsoft software for OpenGL. Valve has been working on a Linux/Ubuntu port of their Source gaming engine. The results are groundbreaking. Valve games run alarmingly faster on Ubuntu 12.04 and OpenGL compared with Windows 7 and DirectX/Direct3D. The hardware used to conduct the tests were the exact same, the only factor changed was the software. The important point to take away is that Valve has been working on refining their Source engine on Windows for almost a decade, and just recently spent a few months working on a Linux port for their Source engine. One of Valve’s most successful Games, Left 4 Dead 2 ran %20 faster on Ubuntu and OpenGL. The increased performance in was due to the “underlying efficiency of the Linux kernel and OpenGL” compared to the Windows kernel.
Microsoft’s DirectX is the predominant API because of their monopolistic heft and pure marketing campaigns. The majority of game developers use DirectX, which leads to more DirectX games. Microsoft does an extremely fine job of keeping DirectX updated, documented, and having an abundance of DirectX tools. With the release of Windows Vista, the version of OpenGL incorporated with the new operating system was completely crippled. The result? Many developers were forced to switch to DirectX. Since Valve is one of the pioneers in the gaming industry, it is foreseeable to see many other developers joining Valve and going against Direct3D and Microsoft. Will OpenGL be the dominant API? History repeats itself. In the mid 1990’s, an alarming number of users dropped Microsoft Operating Systems for open-source and free operating systems.
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