Can DX10 card emulate DX9 card?

[DragonAvenger]

Hi friends


I have a noob question.

Can a DX10 Card emulate (or run only) a game DX9 (HL2) for easy backward compatibity?

It's Possible on G80/R600 hardware?

why?




Best regards..

 

[Geo]

Yes.

Why?

Because MS said so.

 

[DragonAvenger]

Yes.

Why?

Because MS said so.

Do you have a link????

 

[digitalwanderer]

Yes.

 

[Subtlesnake]

I wonder what the performance of the R600 will be like under DirecX 9.

 

[Geo]

I wonder what the performance of the R600 will be like under DirecX 9.

Given that DX10 is Vista-only, what do you suppose sales would be like of DX10 cards if they aren't faster at DX9 than current generation DX9 cards?

 

[Geo]

Do you have a link????

Well, here's a quick one: http://www.gamespot.com/news/6146634.html The thing to remember about Vista is the UI is DX9. You can't be a Vista card in the first place if you aren't DX9.

 

[DragonAvenger]

Well, here's a quick one: http://www.gamespot.com/news/6146634.html The thing to remember about Vista is the UI is DX9. You can't be a Vista card in the first place if you aren't DX9.

Great

I thought, so

WGF1.0 = DX9 only = All hardware DX9
WGF2.0 = WGF 1.0 + DX10 = All hardware DX10



Best Regards

 

[RejZoR]

You're asking the same as if you'd ask whether DX7 game will work on DX9 graphic card.
Of course it will. Making it DX10 only would be a stupid thing to do.

 

[JHoxley]

Thread's been answered it seems... but just for the hell of it: The D3D9/D3D10 thing is more about D3D9 hardware NOT being compatable going forwards, rather than new/future hardware being backwards compatable...

WGF1.0 = DX9 only = All hardware DX9
WGF2.0 = WGF 1.0 + DX10 = All hardware DX10

Just a quick note... the "Windows Graphics Foundation" naming got dropped a while back... I've still got official docs that use the terms, but the official line I heard was that it was no longer current and wouldn't be the final name.

"DirectX 9 Extensions for Vista" ("D3D9.L" is an internal codename) and "Direct3D 10" are the current equivalents.

Cheers,
Jack

 

[Geo]

"DirectX 9 Extensions for Vista" ("D3D9.L" is an internal codename)

Well, Jack, maybe you can answer a question for me then. How high a mountain is that "L"? Will early DX9 cards qualify? 9700Pro, say?

 

[Demirug]

Well, Jack, maybe you can answer a question for me then. How high a mountain is that "L"? Will early DX9 cards qualify? 9700Pro, say?

AFAIK the mountain is a new Vista driver model driver.

 

[Geo]

AFAIK the mountain is a new Vista driver model driver.

So you're saying it's up to the IHV whether to make that investment or not. . .nothing inherent in hardware limitations for early DX9 implementations?

Do we know how far back ATI's Vista beta drivers are reaching? How about NVs?

I have a feeling the answer is going to be Xxxx/GF6, tho would of course be happy to be surprised. . .

Edit: Ah. https://support.ati.com/ics/support/KBAnswer.asp?questionID=21587 Looks pretty much "all DX9" to me.

EditII: And our friends in green: http://www.nvidia.com/page/technology_vista_home.html Nice to see a lot of GFFX in there. . .but, umm. . .5800 is conspicuous by its absence from that list. Wassup wit dat?

 

[SugarCoat]

5800? whats that?


its in their vista driver support list

http://www.nvidia.com/object/winvista_x64_supported_87.45.html

if it has DX9 it supports the LDDM, at least in features. D3D9.L or DX9.L cards is just going to be a basic classification for what cards support the LDDM.

 

[Geo]

Nice, thanks. I never quite got the "L" thing before today; I was hunting for a substance distinction that isn't there --basically it just means writing a Longhorn. . .err, Vista, driver for your DX9 card.

How's that Vista GUI benchmark coming along, Demirug?

 

[JHoxley]

Well, Jack, maybe you can answer a question for me then. How high a mountain is that "L"? Will early DX9 cards qualify? 9700Pro, say?

The big difference is obviously the new "WDDM" driver model, but there are actual changes to the API as well. I'm pretty sure applications that currently use 9.0c will get transparently remapped via 9Ex, but if you specifically write for 9Ex then you actually get a different device with some different features (no "lost device" and you can use shared resource handles iirc).

Nice, thanks. I never quite got the "L" thing before today; I was hunting for a substance distinction that isn't there --basically it just means writing a Longhorn. . .err, Vista, driver for your DX9 card.

I made a reference to it being called 9.L in my D3D10 article and got an email from one of the developers I know saying that it wasn't the proper name to use

Jack

 

[Subtlesnake]

Given that DX10 is Vista-only, what do you suppose sales would be like of DX10 cards if they aren't faster at DX9 than current generation DX9 cards?

Well, then that would be equivalent an updated version of the X1900 XTX from a consumers perspective, so I'd imagine it would achieve decent sales, with the DirectX 10 support acting as a driver (as opposed to faster performance).

But it depends on Nvidia’s DirectX 9 performance, too.

 

[Geo]

Brent over at [H], with the assitance of a bunch of new (week old) ATI slides, takes a crack at the DX10 pinata. . .

http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTA0NSwxLCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA==

The marketing/communication evidence is starting to build a bit that ATI is ramping up the DX10 evangelization. . .

Edit:

ATI is working closely with Microsoft to make sure the DirectX 10 API and their GPU programmability is accessible to game developers. It is very close to all being in the hands of the game content developers now.

Hmm. "all" is "very close to being in the hands"? Hmm.

Man, I can hear teeth grinding in Santa Clara over this piece. While there is a bit of nod towards not absolutely requiring a unified architecture for DX10 in the piece. . . clearly the author is working deeply within the paradigm of the source material offered. . .

 

[Jawed]

Nice clear article - even if it does read like an advertorial.

Jawed

 

[JHoxley]

fwiw, that slide deck is available for download as part of the GameDev.net coverage. Strikes me as a far easier way of reading through the presentation than all of those individual images

Jack