DirectX ray tracing (DXR): An early version of ray tracing introduced in games like Fortnite and Battlefield V. Most titles that support ray tracing do so through DXR (though Vulkan has its own ray tracing support, as well).

Here are all of the additional features in DirectX 12 Ultimate: Microsoft describes it as “additive” to DirectX 12, bringing features like ray tracing and variable rate shading to Windows and Xbox consoles. The most recent version of DirectX is DirectX 12 Ultimate, which is available on Windows 10, Windows 11, and Xbox Series X/S.

It’s exclusive to Windows, however, while open-source APIs like Vulkan provide cross-platform support. Graphics APIs also enable features like hardware-accelerated ray tracing, and they can boost performance through various optimizations.ĭirectX isn’t the only graphics API, but it’s the main one you’ll encounter.

APIs like DirectX are standardized, which allows your AMD or Nvidia drivers to do everything regardless of what graphics card you have. In years past, game developers would need to write drivers for multiple graphics cards. Turns out DirectStorage isn’t killing frame rates in Forspoken after allĪMD Ryzen 5 7600X vs. Returnal PC: best settings, ray tracing, Steam Deck, and more

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