Capcom is first on the DX10 bandwagon with their demo release of Lost Planet – Extreme Condition The demo comes in two different options, a DX10 version for Vista users with DX10 equipped video cards, and a DX9 version for those holding the line with Windows XP.
With the introduction of DX10 based games it is Microsoft’s hope that the migration to Vista will finally begin in earnest. By limiting DX10 to Vista only the plan was to force users who didn’t feel the need to upgrade their OS to make the leap. If other publishers carry on the trend of releasing two different flavours of game titles however that shift may be delayed.
A Capcom developer stated that
both versions will contain the exact same content (i.e., no differences in the gameplay)
So if gameplay isn’t affected then the only reason to upgrade to Vista and a DX10 based video card is to achieve an advance in visuals. Now I’m not one to say that I don’t enjoy a visually stunning game. Oblivion and Far Cry are two examples of titles that should only be experienced at their highest graphical settings. However, there are still millions of people that still play CS 1.6 to this day.
I’m curious to see how long the trend of release both a DX9 and a DX10 version of games continues, and if Microsoft at some point with seek to cajole publishers to standardize on a DX10 version only.
I F’n hate that game. The last level is a total curveball that forces you to play in a way that’s ENTIRELY different from what you’ve been doing for freakin’ 1357813 levels.
I’ve played the DX9 version under Vista and it runs pretty terribly on my 3800+ X2 and X1900XT. Supposedly the DX10 version runs even worse on a system equipped with an 8800GTS and a better processor. Hopefully, now that ATI can actually optimize for the game (since they hadn’t seen it up until now), the performance will improve before the final release.