Hey guys, I usually dont post here but I will today. I was scrounging around for some info on DX10 and noticed that DX11 was in the works for Windows 7. Now we all know that DX11 will be nothing more than a patch for DX10, BUT I came across a quote that disturbed me.
I am NO believer in the death of PC gaming and I wont restate the 20+ reasons as to why. Its quite obvious PC gaming will never die.Microsoft is cited as claiming DirectX 11 will be important for not only PCs but console platforms as well - possibly leading the way to a uniform ground between the entire gaming race, lowering development costs but making ports between PC and consoles ever more common.
http://technogra.ph/20080515/sections/e ... bandwagon/
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1 ... 336,00.asp
What disturbed me the most is how Microsofts plans to unify the PC and console camp. What this will do to pc gaming will drastically reduce the number of PC only games that attempt to push boundaries in the graphics world. By forcing the PC hardware to be tied on the same tier as consoles will reduce incentive to buy better graphics cards etc.
Consoles are no doubt fancy when they hit store shelves the first year they arrive, but quickly become outdated the following year. By making "cross platform" easier for developers, we will see less and less powerful looking games for the pc and just a bunch of Console games on the PC. What will be the point of being the better system if the API for DX11 is designed to just hold PCs back?
If Microsoft really only wants DX11 to flatten the market so that consoles determine how games look, can you really expect any more boundary breaker titles like Crysis? I dont think so. One thing will lead to the other. No games that push boundries means less demand for higher end pc hardware. It will become a vicous cycle that could truly destroy the purpose of PC gaming as we know it; a better overall gaming experience.
If my worries are truthful, than it seems the only bullet in the head of pc gaming will not be competition of consoles or price of PCs, but Microsoft themselves.