


Earlier versions include DirectX 11, 10, 9, and 8, but Windows 11 has always come with DirectX 12 preinstalled. The latest version may patch issues in the version you have installed, allowing you to have a bug-free experience.Īs of February 2023, the latest DirectX version is 12. You may also want to update DirectX if you have an issue with your PC, particularly graphics-related problems. Since DirectX plays a role in all kinds of multimedia functions, an updated version of DirectX can also improve your experience in things like watching videos. You can expect improvements in FPS and animations in your games. This new version meant a substantial change to how new video games were conceived although it soon became outdated in 2009 with the arrival of DirectX 11, and obviously even more so in 2015 with the release of DirectX 12 for Xbox One and Windows 10.The main reason to update DirectX is that a newer version enhances the gaming experience on your Windows 11 PC.

It corrected some limitations and flaws present in the previous version, DirectX 9, as well as the performance problems caused by certain processes that generated bottlenecks when it came to processing data, as well as introducing some new features: DirectCompute, which is a language and instructions library to manage all the process threads especially designed for multi-core processors.Īnd in 2006, DirectX 10 was released for Windows Vista, although it was also later adopted by Windows 7.DirectSetup to simplify the installation of DirectX components and elements.DirectShow to play sound and video with network transparency.DirectSound for the playback and recording of audio.DirectInput to process data from the keyboard, mouse, and other controllers and peripherals such as gamepads and joysticks.Direct Graphics to draw images in two dimensions and represent images in 3D.Direct3D for the processing and coding of three-dimensional graphics.It comes along with the following list of APIs for developers and coders: One of these changes affected the way we understood the multimedia environment of a PC which become richer in all senses.Īnd to boost it, Microsoft decided to release DirectX, a collection of APIs focused on simplifying the work of developers in everything that has to do with videos and video games. Windows 95 meant a great change in many aspects of Microsoft's operating systems, replacing the traditional MS-DOS command console with a graphical interface that made computers much more popular (an interface that was already available on Mac or OS/2).
