DirectX 10 To Be Vista Only

New version will not support Windows XP due to OS limitations, or so Microsoft is saying.

Hope you weren’t planning to get geared up for DirectX 10 and stick with Windows XP. Microsoft has announcedthat DirectX 10 will be available for Windows Vista only. Those consumers who were hoping to rush out and purchase hardware compatible with the new version will find themselves plunking down evenmore cash for a version of Vista now to be able to take full advantage of their hardware. Microsoft says that the reason for no XP support is due to limitations within the OS such as driver models.

“With up to six times the performance of earlier versions of DirectX and support for massively more complex and intense environments, DirectX 10 will debut exclusively on Windows Vista.”

DirectX 10 will also apparently be able to run older DirectX 9-based games faster and more efficiently with better enhancements. The new version of DirectX is supposed to offer superior performance with gaming and will help newer games take advantage of new hardware from companies like ATI and nVidia. No official release date has been set for DirectX 10.