DirectX 11.2 said to be a Windows 8.1 / Xbox One exclusive

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"><img height="334" src="http://static.techspot.com/images2/news/bigimage/2013-07-05-image-3.jpg" width="640" /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: none; text-align: justify;">Microsoft’s upcoming DirectX 11.2 update, first shown off at the company’s Build conference last month, promises to deliver a host of new features and performance improvements in games and apps. But according to <a href="http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/160076-directx-11-2-will-be-a-windows-8-1-and-xbox-one-exclusive-microsoft-dangles-the-upgrade-carrot" style="color: #05408f; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">reports</a>, the update is reportedly being limited to Windows 8.1 and next generation consoles like the Xbox One.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: none; text-align: justify;">This exclusivity isn’t something new, however, as Microsoft pulled a similar move when transitioning to DirectX 11.1 as that update requires the use of Windows 8. Before that, DirectX 10 was a Windows Vista exclusive which left Windows XP users high and dry.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: none; text-align: justify;">Perhaps this is one of Microsoft’s ways to help nudge Windows XP, Vista and 7 users toward upgrading to Redmond’s latest but whether or not it’ll work remains to be seen. Such requirements really did little to lead to the commercial success of Vista or Windows 8 but this time around, the timing is a bit different. Xbox One is just around the corner and if a number of games use it, perhaps it could take root better.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: none; text-align: justify;">DirectX 11.2 brings with it a new key feature known as Direct3D tiled resources. Microsoft’s Antoine Leblond demonstrated the feature during Build which essentially lets developers easily use GPU and system RAM to store textures. This can be used to pull high resolution assets into a scene without overburdening the graphics card. For consumers, it could ultimately lead to an unprecedented amount of detail that won’t appear fuzzy or blurred when viewed close up.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: none; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.techspot.com/news/53144-directx-112-said-to-be-a-windows-81-xbox-one-exclusive.html" target="_blank">Read More...</a></div></div>

DirectX 11.2 said to be a Windows 8.1 / Xbox One exclusive

Microsoft’s upcoming DirectX 11.2 update, first shown off at the company’s Build conference last month, promises to deliver a host of new fe...

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Weekend Open Forum: Chime in on Windows 8.1 Preview

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"><img height="300" src="http://static.techspot.com/images2/news/bigimage/2013-06-28-image-13.jpg" width="640" /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: none; text-align: justify;">Microsoft’s overhaul of <a class="vglnk" href="http://www.bizrate.com/windows-8/index__af_assettype_id--4__af_creative_id--3__af_id--[AFF-ID]__af_placement_id--[AFF-PLACEMENT-ID].html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #05408f; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Link added by VigLink"><span style="outline: none;">Windows </span><span style="outline: none;">8</span></a> is now live as Windows 8.1 Preview and can be <a href="http://www.techspot.com/downloads/6059-microsoft-windows-81.html" style="color: #05408f; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">downloaded</a> as an ISO file. The software update delivers a number of worthwhile changes like the ability to boot to desktop and better search following months of criticism from users around the globe.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: none; text-align: justify;">I haven’t tried it yet myself as I’m still primarily working with Windows 7 but at least a couple of my fellow TechSpot staffers are either already running the update or plan to do so in the near future.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: none; text-align: justify;">Granted this is just a beta and there are risks to be aware of, we still must ask – have you installed Windows 8.1 Preview yet or do you plan to? If so, what are your thoughts? Chime in below!</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: none; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.techspot.com/news/53081-weekend-open-forum-chime-in-on-windows-81-preview.html" target="_blank">Read More...</a></div></div>

Weekend Open Forum: Chime in on Windows 8.1 Preview

Microsoft’s overhaul of  Windows  8  is now live as Windows 8.1 Preview and can be  downloaded  as an ISO file. The software update delivers...

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Windows 8.1 offers plenty of Metro enhancements, but mostly forgets about the desktop

<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 16px; outline: none;">Formerly known as Windows Blue, Windows 8.1 is shaping up to be a sizeable update for Windows 8. However, if<a href="http://blogs.windows.com/windows/b/bloggingwindows/archive/2013/05/30/continuing-the-windows-8-vision-with-windows-8-1.aspx" style="color: #05408f; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Microsoft's blog post</a> is any indication, the service pack-like upgrade remains ostensibly focused on touchscreen users with nearly all of its changes pertaining to Windows 8's Metro user interface.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 16px; outline: none;"><img alt="" src="http://www.techspot.com/fileshost/newspics3/2013/start%20screen%20windows%208%20moving.jpg" style="max-width: 98%; outline: none;" /></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 16px; outline: none;">For users with an aversion to 8's Modern UI, the blog details few improvements exclusively conducive to keyboard and mouse usage: the addition of a start button (the "classic" start menu remains absent, however), configurable hot corners and the ability to "boot into alternate screens". One item not mentioned in the post but <a href="http://allthingsd.com/20130530/windows-8-1-will-feature-more-bing-more-personalization-and-a-boot-to-desktop-option/" style="color: #05408f; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">found elsewhere</a> indicates that users will finally be able to boot directly to the desktop, rather than be forcibly dumped into the Metro Start Screen upon log on.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 16px; outline: none;">Some Start Screen improvements ought to overlap with a better overall desktop experience though. Better Start Screen searching is one such enhancement; Windows 8 will now search for apps, settings <em style="outline: none;">and</em> files as opposed to just apps, settings <em style="outline: none;">or </em>files. The search also integrates Bing and web searching, which may or may not be a bonus, depending.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 16px; outline: none;">Additionally, the Start Screen should appear less jarring to desktop users switching between the two; by default, it now shares the same background as your desktop wallpaper. This may just be a psychovisual trick, but it does provide the <em style="outline: none;">illusion </em>of visual continuity -- the Metro Start Screen will no longer appear to cover up the entire desktop but incorporate it to some small degree. The screen will also be more customizable as well, with the addition of more colors and moving backgrounds.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 16px; outline: none;"><img alt="" src="http://www.techspot.com/fileshost/newspics3/2013/start%20screen%20windows%208.1.jpg" style="max-width: 98%; outline: none;" /></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 16px; outline: none;">Internet Explorer 11 will also be making its debut in Windows 8.1. Metro IE users will be able to adjust the appearance of IE11 (e.g. always show the address bar) while unlimited tabs and tab syncing are now built-in for your convenience.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 16px; outline: none;">Other Metro-ey changes include redesigned Calculator, Music, Store and Photo apps as well as better SkyDrive integration. Also, gone will be the need to fire up Control Panel to change most system configuration settings -- Microsoft says all the options found in Control Panel will now be available under Metro's PC Settings panel. This is a particularly nice addition for tablet users who previously needed to open Control Panel (i.e. dumping them to the desktop) to manage user privileges, change display settings, alter power options or perform a multitude of other system activities.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 16px; outline: none;"><a href="http://www.techspot.com/news/52737-windows-81-offers-plenty-of-metro-enhancements-but-mostly-forgets-about-the-desktop.html" target="_blank">Read More...</a></div>

Windows 8.1 offers plenty of Metro enhancements, but mostly forgets about the desktop

Formerly known as Windows Blue, Windows 8.1 is shaping up to be a sizeable update for Windows 8. However, if Microsoft's blog post  is a...

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