DirectX 12: A Game Changer for Xbox One and PC?

The SecretSauce and StormCloud coming, the X1 is about to be unleashed on an unwitting public. Hide the children and pets, this could be a bumpy ride. :P

Anyway, I'm not too techy these days so I'll look forward to what some of you say about this story.

Thoughts?

The Story.

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http://www.gamespot.com/articles/directx-12-a-game-changer-for-xbox-one-and-pc/1100-6427422/

So much hinges on the potential of DirectX 12. Here we analyse how gamers and developers can benefit from it.

by Sayem Ahmed on May 29, 2015

If all goes to plan, Microsoft's next-gen API will usher in a new standard for visuals and performance across a whole range of devices, from high-end PCs, to modest laptops, to even the Xbox One.

But the extent in which each platform will benefit from the new software is a matter for debate. Xbox One developers, in particular, have tempered their expectations, with none going as far as publicly claiming that the difference will be day and night. Other developers and publishers, meanwhile, have suggested that the API will pave the way for meaningful enhancements to visual fidelity and performance on PC. But how far can DirectX 12 go? Below, GameSpot provides a guide explaining how each platform is expected to benefit from DirectX 12 support, explaining each of its key new features step by step.

DirectX 12 on Xbox One

Smarter Graphics Rendering

On the Xbox One, DirectX 12 could bring about meaningful improvements to its games and the system as a whole. The Xbox One currently works through DirectX 11, with several tweaks made specifically for the system. In many ways, using the older API of DirectX 11 had limited the full potential of Xbox One, with developers being forced to using an older, less efficient API.

In particular, using DirectX 11 prevented the system from using Asynchronous shaders (or Async shaders), which spreads the graphical load across multiple threads, and lets the system compute it simultaneously, rather than having to wait for the graphics queue to finish up before moving to the next job. In theory, DirectX 12 could speed up the time it takes to usually render post-processing effects. Async Shaders are something that the PlayStation 4 already uses in a variety of games such as Infamous: Second Son (the Async shaders helped the PS4 render the particle effects seen in-game). A similar effect will likely come to Xbox One games utilising similar rendering methods. In practice, this means more rendering ability, potentially paving the way for enhanced visual effects.

Unlocking the potential of eSRAM

The biggest update coming with the DirectX 12 update is a complete revamp in how the Xbox One's 32Mb of superfast eSRAM is used. Many developers believed that the way the Xbox One's eSRAM API was a pain to use. However with the DirectX 12 update, Microsoft has introduced a new tool to specifically optimise eSRAM usage.

In the company's own SDK Documentation for DirectX 12 (which leaked in January), it has specifically stated that "optimising to reduce memory bandwidth usage (Of the eSRAM) is a key strategy for Xbox One." This could potentially boost performance of the system, and result in a slight bump in performance in future games and titles. That suggests, but doesn't quite guarantee, that more Xbox One games will render at the same resolution and framerate as PlayStation 4 games.

A Faster Dashboard and 4K Possibilities

The boost that DirectX 12 gives the Xbox One is not strictly limited to performance bumps in-game. Phil Spencer, the head of the Xbox division, has expressed an interest in speeding up the responsiveness of the console's dashboard. During a recent discussion with a fan on Twitter, who asked Spencer whether the Xbox One's system software would take advantage of the upcoming DirectX 12 API, he replied: "Yes, dashboard can take full advantage of [DX12] platform features."

"The Xbox One Dashboard can take full advantage of DX12 platform features."

He added that a more fluid Xbox One UI is "high on the list of improvements we want to make."

In another discussion with a fan, Spencer expressed a desire and potentially displaying content in 4K. More on how feasible this is later.

Curb Your Enthusiasm

So far, developers have been somewhat conflicting with regards to how the performance of the Xbox One will be improved with DirectX 12. Damien Monnier, senior game designer at CD Projekt RED, recently suggested that DirectX 12 would not likely solve the issues the Xbox One has with resolution with certain games, stating that "resolution changes would require a much bigger change from Microsoft than DX12 upgrade." Brad Wardell, CEO of Stardock and developer behind upcoming title Ashes of the Singularity, sits on the opposite side of the fence, remaining positive about the API upgrade and claiming that it could potentially solve the Xbox One’s resolution woes. “I do think it'll largely address the Xbox One resolution issue but that is speculation,” he recently stated.

The full impact of DirectX 12 on Xbox One will not be perfectly clear until developers begin to utilise it in practice. Along with conflicting statements from developers, we are not completely certain as to how much the update will impact the system on a technical level. We can however tell that it would give the system a welcome push in efficiency that will help the Xbox One in the long run.

DirectX 12 on PC

Unlocking More GPU Power With Multiadapter

Arguably the biggest feature of DirectX 12 on PC is the GPU Multiadapter. Since Microsoft has developed the new API to be low level, it allows a "deeper" access to the hardware that can unlock the unused power of graphics processing units inside your system. This processing is brand-agnostic and can combine the power of an integrated GPU as well as external cards. On the DirectX Developer Blog, Microsoft explains that performance can be enhanced by around 10 percent just by utilising a CPU's integrated graphics. According to Microsoft's tests, this does add a frame of latency, however the boost that the extra power gives should even things out. This means that if you just have an integrated GPU onboard your CPU, you should see tangible benefits once developers start to utilise this feature.

This boost in performance is achieved by dividing the workload across all of the hardware available instead of attempting to process it all on one single card. The way that this extra power is being used is completely up to software developers on a case-by-case basis. It's possible that the system will use a "Master" GPU, which will carry the brunt of the heavy lifting, leaving the other GPUs to handle tasks such as post-processing. In addition to this, the Multiadapter is also able to pool VRAM between external GPUs. Which essentially means that the larger RAM pool can handle bigger textures, meaning more efficient rendering at higher resolutions, such as 4K.

Backwards Compatibility with DirectX 11 Cards

Microsoft is pushing the release of DirectX 12 alongside Windows 10 to maximise the adoption of its new operating system, and coming along with it is a host of game-changing features. But the best news? The DirectX 12 API will be compatible with all DirectX 11 class GPUs shipped, which eliminates the absolute necessity to upgrade your card or system to enjoy the benefits of DirectX 12. Of course, for the best jump in performance, you'll need to upgrade your GPU, especially if your card is more than two years old.

GameTech's DirectX 12 API Overhead Test

We tested DirectX 12 in 3DMark's API Overhead test, which measures how fast your CPU and GPU communicate with one another by sending "Draw Calls" and then rendering it onscreen. The slower the API, the less we will see onscreen. The benchmark tests three different APIs; DirectX 11's single threaded performance, DirectX 11's multithreaded performance, and DirectX 12's multithreaded performance. Basically, the more draw calls per second, the faster the performance being pushed out of the same hardware.

One thing to note about this, is that it is not a CPU or GPU test, and doesn't measure the performance of the components themselves, but instead measures the driver behind it. For our test we used an Intel i5 2500k and a GeForce GTX 970 across all three APIs.

The results are pretty staggering, with DirectX 11's single threaded performance at 1.4 Million Draw calls per second, the multithreaded performance at 2.1 Million and DirectX 12's multithreaded performance at 13.1 Million per second. This all sounds amazing, however, bear in mind that this is just a simple test showcasing the efficiency of the new API. It does not exactly reflect the real-world performance that DirectX 12 would have in-game. This test shows us how the new API harnesses the power within multi-core CPUs in a more efficient manner, letting it communicate with the GPU even faster. Once developers start using the DirectX 12 API, we could see the requirement for a multi-core CPU become a standard in games, due to just how incredibly efficient the DirectX 12 API is in using multiple CPU threads.

Fact or Fantasy? Square Enix's DirectX 12 Showcase

Microsoft has bundled all of these new features into a quite staggering showcase of DirectX 12 with a demo by Square Enix, titled "WITCH - Chapter 0 [cry]". The demo was seen running on a bank-busting four Nvidia GTX Titan X cards in SLI. With the sheer processing power and DirectX 12 in tow, the demo touted over 63 Million polygons per scene and was also rendered with 8k by 8k textures.

This level of graphical fidelity is a scintillating tease of the future, a look into the potential of DirectX 12 and the ever-improving power of external GPUs. It may take some time for game developers to utilise the power of the Multiadapter and DirectX 12, but the potential gains from the new API are too great to ignore. This demo is essentially a showcase of rendering power and technology that we're likely to see from mainstream games in the coming years, and boy does it look pretty.

DirectX 12 on low-end systems

The benefits of DirectX 12 on PC are not strictly limited to high-end gaming systems, but also standard mobile devices and notebooks. Intel has showcased benchmarks running on a Surface Pro 3, using a Core i5 CPU with an Intel 4400 internal GPU. The Benchmark is split into two modes, one running a fixed framerate benchmark at 19 frames-per-second, which can flick between DirectX 11 and DirectX 12.

In this particular benchmark, we see that when switched to DirectX 12, the CPU power consumption plummets dramatically by what Microsoft claims is 50 percent. As for the second benchmark, the framerate is unlocked, and when switched from DirectX 11 to 12, the framerate jumps from 19FPS to 33FPS. This shows, in theory, that even lower end systems should be able to enjoy a jump in performance and power once the new API is widely adopted by developers. From these tests that we can see that DirectX 12 on PC has a dramatic effect upon systems of all kinds, from the high-end all the way to the lower-end of GPUs.

DirectX 12's 4k Future

It's clear that DirectX 12 will have a significant long-term effect on both PC and Xbox One with a clear, forward-looking focus on rendering games, content and video at 4K. Ian Bell, head of the development team behind Project CARS, was asked recently what he believed would be the benefits of utilising Direct X 12. His laconic response: "30-40 percent".

Because the new API's true capabilities remain to be seen on the Xbox One, it's not completely clear whether or not the update will serve to extend the console's performance. On the PC side, it's looking like DirectX 12 will have a profound effect on almost every PC capable of running Windows 10, but the real gains will be found when developers start using the GPU Multiadapter in new, innovative ways to optimise performance. Microsoft still needs to ensure that DirectX 12 marks a technological leap that will see tangible benefits to gamers everywhere, but for now, an exciting future lies ahead.

DirectX 12 is due to roll out Holiday 2015 on both Xbox One and PC.

I imagine games at the end of this gen will look like that tech demo.

I just wanna see some results.

It's like the Cell of this generation.

I'm excited about it on the PC because we know we will see improvement...still unsure about the One.

On the Project Cars bit, here's the additional info Ian Bell gave, there was some confusion if he was referring to the X1 or PC with the 40% figure.

Seems to be 30-40% on PC and 7% on X1, Project Cars is very CPU intensive so i'm guessing you won't see those gains on other games. So overall it looks like a game changer for PC but only a small gain for the X1.

I'm pretty excited for the Windows 10 though, i've got an FX6300 which is very weak on the first two cores, being able to take advantage of all 6 cores should give me a healthy boost and i'll be able to put off upgrades for a little while hopefully.

Wow, they are completely wrong... We already know that DX12 won't do anything for Xbox One, we have it from the best source, a dockworker from Puerto Rico...

You missed out one of the bigger benefits for the X1 and PC. Apparently porting between them with DX12 will be superfast. Indie games can be done in days I hear. So full games, maybe weeks...

Yeah plus the Windows 10 integration across MS devices will do nicely as well.

DX12 will be a huge game changer for PC. Ensuring that a game utilizes every core in your cpu to it's maximum capability will be massive rather than optimized pos's that only use one core. AMD cpu's will get quite a large boost too.

Not sure about xone though.

The past 11 DirectX's were steps forward, but not 'game changers' so I'm not getting my hopes up.

Xbone isn't going to get more powerful. It really doesn't need to anyways. It needs quality exclusives to force people to buy the thing.

DX12 on pc is going to make consoles look like toys very, very shortly.

@HalcyonScarlet: That's great

@SecretPolice: It won't be night and day for Xb1. But, it could possibly add that extra 180p, which could lead to the suicide of @tormentos and @Krelian-co

@StormyJoe:

Waiting for Win10 and DX12 to build a new gaming PC. I really think this will be huge for PC over the next several years.

Lets see how it gets used with X1. Will it then be the world's most powerful video game system????

Nah, though X1 will just further it's lead as the worlds most Sophisticated console with like 10 trillion transistors and now SecretSauce DX12 with StormCloud on the way so it's got that going for it. :P

well that's something at least.

When they say whole range of products that doesn't seem that impressive. Remember they have to account for the lesser products....not just the top end.

DirectX is software, something not physical and it kicks the PS4's ass.

PS4 is a weak pos, deal with it.

Project CARS Dev Clarifies On 30-40% Performance Boost - Only For DX12 On PChttp://www.dsogaming.com/news/project-cars-dev-clarifies-on-30-40-performance-boost-only-for-dx12-on-pc/

You guys can keep dreaming, at the end nothing will change.

for PC

This will really allow developers like Creative Assembly to take advantage of PCs even more. They are all limited by today's API... On Xbox One, I expect some changes but I don't think it'll magically start to outperform PS4 suddenly. DX12 doesn't change the fact that Xbox One has inferior hardware and it's already being utilized to almost full potential.

The problem with PCs was that, it was having better visuals and performance on raw power alone. Older APIs never took full advantage of what PCs had to offer. Now DX12 is going to change that and devs will be able to fully utilized the hardware just like they do on Consoles. Not to mention DX12's exclusive graphical features. Will take everything to the next level.

Nope. The PS4 will always be more powerful. But, it *could* close the gap even further.

The PC will still be the worlds most powerful games system.

Hahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...

This Dockworker apparently know more that most blind morons like you..hahaa

The gain was for PC and once again the xbox one behind 7 % vs 40% on PC says it all you know why it is 7% because like i have say all freaking long most of DX12 features are already on xbox one on PC is were CPU usage was screw up because well you have mighty powerful CPU on PC on consoles which are fixed hardware this never has been a problem,and like i say several times DX11.X on XBO is not the same DX11 on PC is not just like DX9 on xbox 360 wasn't DX9 on PC.

I don't have a clue what you want to tell me with that picture... I do find it funny that more and more devs are saying their will be improvements when you say it would improve the Xbox One by 0.00000000000%

A CPU over head API will not increase resolution which is a job of the GPU i have told you that and even The Witcher 3 developer also agree that MS need something more than DX12 to rise the resolution of the xbox one.

At full speed and properly coded a game aiming for 30FPS pushing the hardware hard will not be equal resolution on xbox one,simple because if done for the PS4 the xbox one version will probably be 15 or 20FPS behind because it lack the same power so to make up for those frames resolution most be gave up,just because some games are on par doesn't mean all can be and you can't see that,and this in special is the part were you were wrong and you know it.

@draign,@kingtito,@ronvalencia@tdkmillsy

This ^^ guys on this thread.

http://www.gamespot.com/forums/system-wars-314159282/project-cars-dev-dx12-can-boost-xbox-one-version-3-32085552/?page=2#js-message-78

Were mocking me and attacking me because i know nothing,even the mighty never wrong never lose Ronvalencia claimed it was for xbox one..hahahahaa

7% on xbox one with DX12 is basically nothing that amount to shit hell they got 5 to 7% back just by optimizing the code wich will hit with the next patch,which also helped the PS4 version..hahaha

Basically this confirm all i have say here about DX12 7% is a joke when Brad Wardell was claiming double frames and 600% gain and saying the xbox one was the biggest beneficiary,this again proves that Brad Wardell was lying and that the xbox one will barely benefit from DX12 because most of its helping features are already there..

@04dcarraher

This ^^ one need to see this to....lol

Cool the topic has all ready turned to shit by walls of text from tormentos

7% IS TOTAL SHIT.

And now is easy to see why developers don't talk about gains on xbox one with DX12,they are abysmal,performance will increase 5 to 7 % just for optimizing the code now,which also applies to the PS4,and you tell me that the whole API that was hyped to hell as something that would double performance on xbox one and which its biggest hyper claim would benefit more the xbox one,now only show a 7% gain you can hold tied like Stormyjoke to my 0% gain the fact is 7% is shit in real time frames it is 1 or 2 frames is total bullshit and not what was hyped here,hell Stormy still believe it will rise the resolution ass when resolution is a GPU job.

Hahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa See..

Also he still believe that from 900p to 1080p there is only 180p difference,is like you idiots don't really know anything.

is the games was 1920x900p yeah you are missing 180p,but 900p games have a resolution of 1600x900,not 1920x900,so is quite allot more than 180p.

But it *could* as well do nothing.

Once again loser, I'm not part of that conversation. I'm pointing out what a loser you are for hating on a piece of plastic with every fiber in your body. You're pathetic.

You attacked me and made your self echo of a moron attacking me as well so yeah enjoy the ownage as well..

@tormentos:

lol your just trying too hard prove your flawed argument.... that DX12 wont do anything for X1 which is still wrong.

As I said before Pc version got the shaft, its not using DX11 MT, that's proven, next told you that X1 is using DX11 MT proven , Fact that with the next patch for the X1 will add 5-7% and then on top of that DX12 will add another "7% or more" on top of that. He isnt sure how much of an increase they will see.... but even a 10% increase from a 45 fps dip would allow the X1 to get nearly 50 fps instead of 45. Go cry me a river.

DX12 will clearly help the X1 in career mode in Project Cars, where handing lots a of AI and or weather gives the biggest dips. and this is a porting job coming from DX11 MT, not the ground up DX12 base which would have added more performance.

Wrong loser, I've made no claims other than you try to hard hating on a piece of plastic. Go peddle your MS hate somewhere else El Tormented.

@tormentos said:

@FastRobby said:

Wow, they are completely wrong... We already know that DX12 won't do anything for Xbox One, we have it from the best source, a dockworker from Puerto Rico...

Hahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...

This Dockworker apparently know more that most blind morons like you..hahaa

The gain was for PC and once again the xbox one behind 7 % vs 40% on PC says it all you know why it is 7% because like i have say all freaking long most of DX12 features are already on xbox one on PC is were CPU usage was screw up because well you have mighty powerful CPU on PC on consoles which are fixed hardware this never has been a problem,and like i say several times DX11.X on XBO is not the same DX11 on PC is not just like DX9 on xbox 360 wasn't DX9 on PC.

That's 7% now and 7% later on.

So, in reality, they will probably add like 4fps now, and 4fps later on, because 7/60 is 4.2 and multiply it by two. Not bad of a gain, if you ask me, that's 14% in total.

Project Cars is only bering converted to DX12. A game built up using DX12 is another beast in itself. There is no fire, stop trying to put one out.

""30-40% is on PC where the lack of Multithreading ability in DX11 restricted us most.""

This ^^ is Project Cars developer,so the xbox one doesn't have the same multithreading pitfalls of DX11 on PC,this is undeniable by now.

7% is total bullshit and prove my point beyond anything you have say have the fu**ing guts to admit it and be a man,7% amount to 2 freaking frames SMS will get 5-7% just from optimizing the code they have now,how the fu** DX12 will bring only 7% on XBO when on PC brings freaking 40% and CPU even AMD ones like the FX6300 piss on the xbox one CPU.

"XBox One is the biggest beneficiary; it effectively gives every Xbox One owner a new GPU that is twice as fast as the old one."

"it's not literally (it's software, not hardware) but yes, dx12 games will likely by more than 2x as fast."

"it didn't. It was/is still basically a single core stack. With DX12 all 8 cores will be able to split the work." clarified Brad.

http://www.gamepur.com/news/14235-developers-directx12-benefits-xbox-one-2x-faster-gpu-performance-most-signi.html

This is the same guy which all your theories are based on..

He lied the gains aren't 100% like he claim or even more,the gains as of now range from 0 to 7%.

The gain on fable was 20% on PC on xbox one never was stated a gain so probably nothing,who knows if 3% splitting that 7% gain,now on PC is up to 40% and on xbox one again shit 7%..

I was right most of the performance features were already on xbox one,reason why now PC even with stronger CPU see huge gains while the XBO with weaker which should benefit more see shit gains.

Be a freaking man and admit that DX12 will do shit for the xbox one,on real time performance 7% is nothing man and you know it,they got that by just optimizing,also get the whole point multithreading has always been better on consoles than on PC for years it has been like that.

You make your self an echo of a moron who attacked me so you got what was coming to you.

Enjoy the own lemming..lol

@tormentos: DX12 will do absolutely shit, which is why Gamestop chose to dedicate this long drawn out article about it. Bitter much?

I'm just wondering if anyone can answer. How will this affect a game developed on DX11? Will we see any performance gains in those games?

7% or more for Project Cars, according to the lead developer. If that serves as an example...

Can't own someone that never made any claims idiot. Damn boy are you an idiot. Are you this dense on purpose? I find it hard to believe anyone can be as pathetic as you are.

Enjoy your moms basement El Tormented. Looks like you're going to be there for a long while.

Hahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...

That doesn't explain the 40% vs 7% game difference dude.

You were owned already...hahahahaa

Gamespot who claimed Shadow of Mordor was 1080p on xbox one.? Hahahaaaaaaaaaaaa.

Pre paid E3 hype..lol

The 7% now is because of code optimization not because of DX12 and also apply to the PS4,i advice you to read the other thread go into the link and go a page back,the developer claim the same gains also benefit the PS4 odd isn't.? The 7% latter on is from full DX12.

So is not 14%.

And is not 7% of 60FPS because the game is not 60FPS in fact in many cases is under 30 and 35 FPS so yeah it got 7% boost on what it runs now which is not 60FPS.

You made your self an echo of some one else period.

Enjoy the ownage sad lemming...

Here in Puerto Rico we don't have basement you fool aren't you puerto rican.? But hey if you try to imply that i live with my mom,no i don't,but i don't see how that would be relevant to the ownage you just got...lol

A 40% increase could apply to a game built up on DX12 as opposed to being built up on DX 11, who really knows???

NO...

Project cars isn't DX12 game on PC,so with the DX12 update it gain 40% the xbox one version gain only 7% because most of DX12 features are already on xbox one.

In fact if you read what i post he clearly stated that it is for PC the 40% because it is there were the biggest multithreading problems are on DX11 not on xbox one which has DX12 features already.

DX12 isn't going to improve existing games, huge misconception by a lot of pc gamers and xboners... Unless the devs want to go and remake the game for DX12, considering what an overhaul it is over DX11 it's not just a click of a mouse. We're still years away from seeing the FULL benefits

A gamechanger for PC? Perhaps

A gamechanger for XBone? LOL, no...just no.

tormentos owning lems who want the secret sauce..lolz