What is DirectX?

DirectX is a set of tools and software developed by Microsoft to help video games and multimedia applications work smoothly on Windows computers. It allows graphics, sound, and input devices to communicate effectively, making your games and other visual experiences look and feel better.

Programmers creating software for Windows use DirectX application programming interfaces (APIs), while sound and graphics card makers develop DirectX drivers for their hardware.

It offers a user-friendly way to access the underlying functions of the hardware using a high-level interface that connects to the Windows system’s hardware abstraction layer.

In late 1995, Microsoft introduced the first DirectX API to encourage game developers to bring their software to Windows. Before DirectX, PC games were mainly written in DOS to achieve real-time animation with fast screen updates. However, this required game companies to create specific drivers for various graphics cards, causing development difficulties. 

DirectX serves as a unified interface for Windows, enabling access to the graphics card’s frame buffer and advanced capabilities not available in the standard Windows GDI graphics interface. 

With DirectX’s introduction, graphics card manufacturers swiftly created drivers that exposed the hardware’s low-level functions to applications, enhancing their performance and capabilities.

By using the Hardware Emulation Layer (HEL), DirectX can simulate graphics functions through software that might not be inherently supported by the graphics card itself.

DirectX Versions

How To Check The DirectX Version Running on Your PC?

To find out the DirectX version on your computer, follow these steps:

• Open the Start menu.
• Click on Run.
• Type “dxdiag” and press Enter.
• In the System Information section, locate the DirectX Version number.
• Check for DirectX 12, GDI, video accelerator, and DirectSound details.