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Games developers are predicting that PC gaming is set to surge in popularity thanks to DirectX 10, which provides graphics of a caliber consoles are unable to match.
Despite the fact there are only a handful of compatible titles currently available, game developers who have been using DirectX 10 believe the sheer power of the technology will quickly attract hardcore gamers away from consoles and onto PCs, according to Associated Press.
Apart from making games look better, DirectX 10 also improves performance by simplifying how the graphics cards process video information and displays it on the screen. If such a surge in popularity for PC gaming does occur, retailers can expect sales of high end PCs and graphics cards to rise accordingly.
"What we tried to achieve with the graphics is something that we called magical realism,” said Jorgen Tharaldsen, product director for Funcom, which is developing Age of Conan: Hyborian. "With DX10 we can just add a lot more bells and whistles. We can start pushing graphics to the stage where it almost looks realistic."
Meanwhile Bill Roper from Flagship Studios (currently working on action adventure game Hellgate: London) said he wasn’t concerned that not everyone has Vista or a DX10-capable graphics card yet.
"As with every new technology, the hardcore lead the way and the masses catch up," he said. "Not everyone that has an iPod or a DVD player went out and bought theirs on day one. As with previous operating system and hardware advances, the more products that support it and can show the tangible benefits of upgrading, the more widespread the adoption."
