“Because the Windows SDK is the primary developer SDK for Windows, we now ship DirectX as part of the Windows SDK.

DirectX is today a fundamental part of Windows.” In parallel, DirectX technologies are more integrated with Windows. “Today, ubiquity of Direct3D hardware in computers drives even traditional desktop applications to use graphics hardware acceleration. As DirectX technologies matured, they became relevant to a broader range of applications,” the software giant said. “We originally created the DirectX SDK as a high-performance platform for game development on top of Windows. Here is the official explanation that Microsoft provided detailing this move: The software giant did not exactly do so with a fanfare, but the information does exist, provided that devs look in the right place.Įssentially, with the launch of the Windows 8 Developer Preview Build 8102 Milestone 3 (M3), the DirectX SDK has been swallowed by the official Windows SDK. Microsoft has since then confirmed officially that it will no longer provide developers with a standalone DirectX SDK. Developers holding their breath over a new DirectX SDK for Windows 8, might as well exhale now.īack in July 2011 I was telling you that it had been over a year since Microsoft provided the last update to the DirectX software development kit, and that this was related to the ongoing development of Windows 8.

Directx 11 sdk