Markus Maki
Newcomer
I think DX9 (VS2.0/PS2.0) will be "the" standard - similar to DX6 multitexturing that most games still use (and perhaps DX7 HW T&L).
Of course there will be newer and cooler things, but all indications, including the fact that Longhorn requires DX9 features for the cooler graphics, point towards us being with VS2.0 and PS2.0 for a long time.
The big question is that if you buy a DX9 based card now, how well will the resource management side work in Longhorn. Or do the manufacturers have to get some experience to really get things working properly?
But the things that Longhorn will require are pretty difficult to handle - memory management and GPU resource management of multiple simultaneous 3D apps. Getting this to work with dozens of apps, video overlays etc... lots of work ahead for the driver teams.
And with this I also see a growing need for 256MB video cards
Just my two cents.
Of course there will be newer and cooler things, but all indications, including the fact that Longhorn requires DX9 features for the cooler graphics, point towards us being with VS2.0 and PS2.0 for a long time.
The big question is that if you buy a DX9 based card now, how well will the resource management side work in Longhorn. Or do the manufacturers have to get some experience to really get things working properly?
But the things that Longhorn will require are pretty difficult to handle - memory management and GPU resource management of multiple simultaneous 3D apps. Getting this to work with dozens of apps, video overlays etc... lots of work ahead for the driver teams.
And with this I also see a growing need for 256MB video cards
Just my two cents.
