How DirectX 12 Ultimate supercharges graphics on Windows PCs and Xbox

DirectX 12 Ultimate serves as a force multiplier for the entire gaming ecosystem.

- BRAD CHACOS

Microsoft’s DirectX 12 Ultimate, a new version of the graphics technology underpinning both Windows and the Xbox Series X, seeks to bind the two platforms even closer together with an array of cutting-edge features. Better yet, you can now actually buy DX12 Ultimate hardware in the form of Nvidia GeForce RTX 30-series (go. pcworld.com/30se) graphics cards, AMD Radeon RX 6000-series (go.pcworld. com/60se) graphics cards, and of course the Xbox Series X (go.pcworld.com/xses).

Nvidia shared details of what to expect before Microsoft’s official presentation at GDC 2020 in March, and it’s easy to see why: Even though Microsoft’s next-gen console is powered by AMD (go.pcworld.com/pwra), DirectX 12 Ultimate enshrines several innovative technologies first introduced by GeForce RTX 20-series graphics cards as a new industry standard—one that now spans both PCs and consoles, earning it the “Ultimate” name.

“By unifying the graphics platform across PC and Xbox Series X, DX12 Ultimate serves as a force multiplier for the entire gaming ecosystem,” Microsoft’s announcement post (go.pcworld.com/mrps) from March says. “No longer do the cycles operate independently! Instead, they now combine synergistically: when Xbox Series X releases, there will already be many millions of DX12 Ultimate PC graphics cards in the world with the same feature set, catalyzing a rapid adoption of new features, and when the Xbox Series X brings a wave of new console gamers, the PC will likewise benefit from this vast surge of new DX12 Ultimate capable hardware! The result? An adrenaline shot to new feature adoption, groundbreaking graphics in the hands of gamers more quickly than ever before.”