Le DirectX 11.1 arrive on Windows 7, but only partially. In recent days, a Microsoft employee had stated that the new libraries, integrated into Windows 8, would not be transposed to Windows 7. It was not completely true, and a sort of clarification has arrived in these hours on the Games for Windows blog.
"Windows 8 includes an update called DirectX 11.1 Runtime that supports Direct3D 11.1, updates Direct2D and DirectWrite, DXGI 1.2, and offers a revision of the Windows Imaging Component (WIC)," wrote Chuck Walbourn of the Microsoft Game Technology Group.
"Portions of DirectX 11.1 Runtime have been made available on Windows 7 Service Pack 1 systems through a Platform Update for Windows 7 Service Pack 1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (KB 2670838) included with Internet Explorer 10 Release Preview for Windows 7. This package updates the mentioned components, but is limited to WDDM 1.1 drivers for Windows 7 Walbourn added.
Together with Windows 8 Microsoft introduced the Windows Display Driver Model 1.2, a new version of the architecture created by Microsoft to allow better operation of the graphics drivers on Windows (the first version was introduced on Vista). The news of release 1.2 are listed at this address and, making a comparison, it seems that native support for 7D stereoscopy has not been brought to Windows 3.
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Il KB package 2670838 it is also available separately from the IE10 Release Preview for Windows 7, so you don't have to download the new demo version of Microsoft's home browser. However, some DX 11.1 functions are confirmed to be necessary, at least in part, to run IE10 correctly on the old operating system.
Once the update is installed, the system continues to notify you of the presence of DirectX 11 and not version 11.1 (just check using the dxdiag command), a sign that there are no changes such as to change the version number. We therefore doubt that this small update will allow you to play those titles that only want DX 11.1 (currently non-existent). However, this is only an assumption not supported by concrete evidence.
Inside Chuck Walbourn's post you can read the contents of this package, as well as the notes addressed to those who use the DirectX SDK. All other features not mentioned are exclusive, at least for the moment, to DirectX 11.1 present on Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012.
