Direct X 11.1 exclusive to Windows 8

Microsoft has revealed that the latest version of its 3D graphics API, Direct X 11.1, will only be available on the recently-released Windows 8. Direct X 11.1 adds features like native stereoscopic 3D support and extended support for WARP software rasterizers to the platform. The company confirmed the information in a reply on the Visual Studio Developer Center.

“DirectX 11.1 is part of Windows 8, just like DirectX 11 was part of Windows 7. DirectX 11 was made available for Vista, but at this point there is no plan for DirectX 11.1 to be made available on Windows 7,” replied Microsoft principal program manager lead Daniel Moth. “If the plan changes, you can bet we will be blogging about it.”

According to Steam's Hardware & Software survey for October 2012, 50.89 percent of Steam users have Windows 7 and a Direct X 11 GPU.