Will on non-DX9 Supporting Video Card run a DX9 App?

[BadThad]

Strange question, but I'm wondering if a non-DX9 card such as the GeForce4 will still be able to run DX9 games? I suspect that a DX9 game will still play, but just not show all the features DX9 is capable of. Anyone have any idea of this?

 

[Matthias99]

Most DX9 games will run in a DX8 mode on non-supporting hardware. HL2 and Doom3 will both do this. At some point in the future, yes, games will *require* DX9 support in hardware (much like most current games now require Hardware T&L and will not run on cards like a Riva TNT2). But I think we're at least a year away from that.

 

[McArra]

Exatly. It will have a DX6/7/8 or whatever mode for non-DX9 capable cards.

Edit: Of course it will have this special modes just a time, till most people have DX9 hard.

 

[MichaelZ]

FFS. Doom 3 is open GL like all other id soft games.

 

[modedepe]

Originally posted by: badthad
Strange question, but I'm wondering if a non-DX9 card such as the GeForce4 will still be able to run DX9 games? I suspect that a DX9 game will still play, but just not show all the features DX9 is capable of. Anyone have any idea of this?

You are exactly correct that it will play but without the dx9 effects.

 

[nRollo]

Only if you give Gabe a Hostess Fruit Pie.

 

[BadThad]

Originally posted by: modedepe

Originally posted by: badthad
Strange question, but I'm wondering if a non-DX9 card such as the GeForce4 will still be able to run DX9 games? I suspect that a DX9 game will still play, but just not show all the features DX9 is capable of. Anyone have any idea of this?

You are exactly correct that it will play but without the dx9 effects.

Yes, that's what I figured. I can't imagine all the developers eliminating the majority of the installed base of non-DX9 cards. That would just be plain stupid. I'd imagine that <80% of the installed video cards DON'T support DX9. Who would develop a game and leave them out?

Over the years I've found out that DX is pretty compatible with everything, it really must be. I still play DX5 games on a DX9 system, no problems.

Thanks for the responses and any more responses would be appreciated! AT ROCKS!

 

[Genx87]

I would actually be willing to bet the installed base is more like 90-95% of the cards are not DX9 compliant. If we didnt have the 5200s the base would probably be closer to 98%.

It will take quite some time for people to move to DX9 cards. I wouldnt expect DX9 cards to really start taking a large chunk of the installed base until after Doom3 and HL2 are released.

 

[Matthias99]

Well... that may change somewhat in the future. DirectX has gone through, what, about 1 major version per year so far? DX1 came out with Win95, so it was being written 8-9 years ago. This means everything *has* to be backwards-compatible, since you only get a new line of graphics cards every 12-24 months, and you can't stop supporting old games and game engines every year. This also leads to the phenomenon where all the games on the market are a full generation behind DirectX -- basically every game released this year (except for a few, such as TR:AOD, Max Payne 2, and Halo) has been a DX8.1 game. We're just now getting to see DX9 technology in action. Developers have to write to the lowest common denominator at some level, so with a short generation time you end up having to support much older video cards for a long time or risk problems -- lots of people bought BF1942 only to find it wouldn't run on their TNT2 (which is a DX7 part!)

MS has said they want to stick with DX9 (with slight expansions, such as adding support for PS/VS 3.0 and probably more HLSL stuff) for the forseeable future. Most likely we won't see DX10 until Longhorn ships, if even then. I think they've finally gotten the API to a point where it has all the features people have been asking for, and shader technology is extensible enough that today's (and probably tomorrow's) cards can't really use it to its full potential. It makes little sense to put out a new version now. So we may see more of a "standardization" to DX9 than with some of the previous incarnations, as there is a fairly large jump between 8 and 9, and there will likely be an even larger one between 9 and 10. Comparitively, DX5-7 are very, very similar -- they add some neat features like multitexturing, but few graphics cards at the time were able to take advantage of them.

If pixel/vertex shaders are really the wave of the future, then expect that within a year or two you'll start seeing games that *require* DX9 support in hardware. Companies will provide a DX8 path for a while, but frankly, games that get much more graphically intense than Doom3 and HL2 will most likely not work on anything below a GeForceFX or RADEON 9XXX-series card. There are too many shader effects that you just can't replicate in DX8.

 

[Genx87]

I think games like HL2 probably dont even use very long shader programs and in the future games will make those titles look like childs play. But when that comes along expect todays 5900 and 9800 Pros to be washed up has beens. They probably wont be able to run those games at 15 frames per second.

We are at the dawn of a whole new slew of games based on DX9. I personally cant wait to see how games progress over the next 5 years. Think where we were 5 years ago. HL was out and that was top of the line in terms of graphics.

Fun exciting times in the computer industry

 

[Insomniak]

Developers aren't so retarded as to make their games only render on the top line leading edge hardware. I fully plan to play Half Life 2 on my GeForce 4 Ti. Don't sweat it - you'll be fine.

 

[BadThad]

Originally posted by: Matthias99
Well... that may change somewhat in the future. DirectX has gone through, what, about 1 major version per year so far? DX1 came out with Win95, so it was being written 8-9 years ago. This means everything *has* to be backwards-compatible, since you only get a new line of graphics cards every 12-24 months, and you can't stop supporting old games and game engines every year. This also leads to the phenomenon where all the games on the market are a full generation behind DirectX -- basically every game released this year (except for a few, such as TR:AOD, Max Payne 2, and Halo) has been a DX8.1 game. We're just now getting to see DX9 technology in action. Developers have to write to the lowest common denominator at some level, so with a short generation time you end up having to support much older video cards for a long time or risk problems -- lots of people bought BF1942 only to find it wouldn't run on their TNT2 (which is a DX7 part!)

MS has said they want to stick with DX9 (with slight expansions, such as adding support for PS/VS 3.0 and probably more HLSL stuff) for the forseeable future. Most likely we won't see DX10 until Longhorn ships, if even then. I think they've finally gotten the API to a point where it has all the features people have been asking for, and shader technology is extensible enough that today's (and probably tomorrow's) cards can't really use it to its full potential. It makes little sense to put out a new version now. So we may see more of a "standardization" to DX9 than with some of the previous incarnations, as there is a fairly large jump between 8 and 9, and there will likely be an even larger one between 9 and 10. Comparitively, DX5-7 are very, very similar -- they add some neat features like multitexturing, but few graphics cards at the time were able to take advantage of them.

If pixel/vertex shaders are really the wave of the future, then expect that within a year or two you'll start seeing games that *require* DX9 support in hardware. Companies will provide a DX8 path for a while, but frankly, games that get much more graphically intense than Doom3 and HL2 will most likely not work on anything below a GeForceFX or RADEON 9XXX-series card. There are too many shader effects that you just can't replicate in DX8.

Well written and I think you're spot on.

 

[cisco]

need for speed underground requires DX9 (I'm pretty sure) I installed it and it made me install DX9 when I had DX8.1 already.
this industry is bent on making this years hardware & software absolete as quickly as possible so we have to buy the newest technology. I'm presently running Geforce DDRs , Gfrc 2s, Gefcre 3s, (2) gfce 4s, and now one gfcr FX 5200, was gonna but another 3 from a trader & thought I better read a little first.
all my vodoo 5s 3s & tnts are in a drawer now, till I put them in non gaming systems or sell them.
thanks for posting this thread.Lets get all the facts here so we can not waste money on soon to be absolete stuff.

 

[Jeff7181]

DX9 games just require that DX9 is installed, not that DX9 hardware is present. But for DX9 shaders and whatnot, you need DX9 hardware.

 

[The Green Bean]

jus reading through this, and am wondering when DX10 is due to come out?

 

[Pete]

FYI, DirectX and Direct3D are not the same thing. DX encompasses D3D and sound and input (keyboard/mouse/joystick/etc.), whereas D3D is an API just for 3D. So a "DX9" game doesn't necessarily mean a "D3D9" game (Max Payne 2 is DX9 but only D3D8, IIRC). Also, as others have said, devs will include paths for earlier versions of D3D for a while yet. And "DX10" (the name may change) will probably debut with Longhorn, in 2005.

 

[BFG10K]

As long as the GPU meets the minimum requirements for the game (i.e most games require at least DirectX 7 compliance at a minimum) and as long as the drivers are DirectX 9 compatible then it'll run but you'll get reduced image quality and/or reduced performance as a result.

 

[BenSkywalker]

for a few, such as TR:AOD, Max Payne 2, and Halo

MaxPayne doesn't use any DX9 specific features at all, they actually only have one 1.4 level shader in the whole game.

MS has said they want to stick with DX9 (with slight expansions, such as adding support for PS/VS 3.0 and probably more HLSL stuff) for the forseeable future.

PS/VS 3.0 has been part of DX9 all along, no need to update to add the features(this is somewhat important as it means that we won't be having to wait for any DX upgrades when the next gen of parts is ready).