Microsoft surprised the world today by adding DirectX 12 (DX12) support for its already ageing OS, Windows 7. The new will undoubtedly spark some joy for consumers who still use the operating system, but there is a catch to Microsoft’s sudden generosity.
According to the Redmond company’s official blog post, the DX12 API on Windows 7 will only be support with Blizzard’s MMORPG, World of Warcraft. In fact, Blizzard reportedly asked Microsoft to provide DX12 support to Windows 7 for a couple of reasons.
The first was due to the significant framerate improvements the API provided to the game on Windows 10. Secondly, the majority of the MMORPG’s player base still play the game on the older OS.
So, if you’re still running Windows 7 OS and play World of Warcraft, you’ll want to update your OS with the 8.1.5 patch. On a related note, Microsoft did state that it was also working with a few other game developers who wish to port their DX12-driven games over to Windows 7.
(Source: Microsoft Blog, The Verge)
