Microsoft's DirectX 11.1 has new features that include native support for stereoscopic 3D effects, but in a move that is becoming increasingly familiar to Windows game developers, it's only supported in the latest OS.
A heads-up to any developers looking forward to the new features Microsoft is introducing with DirectX 11.1: your players won't be seeing them unless they're running Windows 8. As is being widely reported on the internet this week, Microsoft developer Daniel Moth offhandedly revealed that the DirectX 11.1 API shipping with Windows 8 will not be retrofitted for any prior operating systems, including Windows 7. It's the latest chapter in a familiar story for Windows game developers, who by now are growing accustomed to Microsoft using the latest DirectX as an incentive for its users to upgrade to its latest OS. DirectX 10 was exclusive to the newly-introduced Vista when it launched in 2006. DirectX 11.1 is mainly a performance upgrade, though one significant addition is native support for stereoscopic 3D effects. A full overview of new features introduced in Direct3D 11.1 is available here.
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