Stardock boss blames Microsoft for not supporting Windows XP with DirectX 10

He took his time to say it.

Posted By | On 12th, Apr. 2013

stardock rts

Strategy games have been hurt badly due to Microsoft’s decision to not support Windows XP with Direct X 10. The API first originally was found in Windows Vista but Windows XP was only Direct X 9 which restricted RAM to 2GB for games.

Brad Wardell, CEO of Stardock, blamed Microsoft for holding back the genre due to that move.

“There have been some great titles released but the innovation in strategy games has been diminishing. This is not the result of a lack of game design or inventive thinking. The problem stems from a catastrophic decision made at Microsoft: not giving DirectX 10 to Windows XP users,” he said.

“As a corollary, Microsoft continuing to sell 32-bit versions of Windows well after the hardware stopped being natively 32-bit has held back PC game development immensely. Game developers have been stuck with DirectX 9 and 2GB of memory for the past decade. While this hasn’t harmed first person shooters (they only have to manage a handful of objects at once), it has been poisonous to other genres.

“Next time you’re playing an RPG in first person with no party you can refer to DirectX 9 and 2GB of memory as a big reason for that.”

Tell us what you think in the comments section below.

Via Develop.


Tagged With: , ,

Amazing Articles You Might Want To Check Out!

Keep On Reading!

Tales of Graces f Remastered Review – JRPG Greatness Refined

Tales of Graces f Remastered Review – JRPG Greatness Refined

The added remastered content makes an already amazing JRPG feast even better.

Mortal Kombat 1 Trailer Offers First In-Game Look at T-1000 and Conan the Barbarian

Mortal Kombat 1 Trailer Offers First In-Game Look at T-1000 and Conan the Barbarian

A brief look at Conan's Brutality is available before the DLC character's reported launch for Khaos Reigns own...

Why Marvel Rivals is Overshadowing Overwatch 2

Why Marvel Rivals is Overshadowing Overwatch 2

Blizzard's hero shooter has been floundering for a while, but it's completely outclassed by the launch of Marv...

Path of Exile 2 Developers Have No Plans to Move Away From Death Penalties in Endgame Content

Path of Exile 2 Developers Have No Plans to Move Away From Death Penalties in Endgame Content

Path of Exile 2's on-death punishments might seem harsh, especially in endgame content, but the developers wan...

Black State Gameplay Video Showcases Gorgeous Visuals and Combat

Black State Gameplay Video Showcases Gorgeous Visuals and Combat

The gameplay video for Black Slate, captured at CES 2025, showcases the title's emphasis on high-end visual fi...

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Origins Get Updates to Fix Windows 11 24H2 Compatibility Issues

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Origins Get Updates to Fix Windows 11 24H2 Compatibility Issues

Other Ubisoft titles like Star Wars Outlaws and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora haven't gotten any update to fix ...