Microsoft unveils DirectX 12 Ultimate with improved ray tracing

Microsoft is moving on to the next generation of its DirectX gaming APIs for Windows and Xbox. DirectX 12 Ultimate enables developers to unlock all of the hardware features on PC and in the Xbox Series X. This includes a number of methods for improving game visuals and performance.

DirectX 12 Ultimate is getting that name for a reason. Microsoft built this API in an attempt to bring together cutting-edge development and multiple generations of hardware. This is possible because DirectX 12 Ultimate maintains compatibility with older GPUs and consoles that won’t support all of its features. So developers can make games optimized for DirectX 12 Ultimate and its features, and those games will still work properly on hardware that wasn’t made for DirectX 12 Ultimate.