Directx 10 and Linux?

Question

I love games that run Directx. In fact, more than half my library is Microsoft games. So I am psyched about DX10.

Here is my problem though: I am building a new computer from scratch, hence while my performance will be better for $700 than a pre-built machine, I would have to pay for Vista. I cannot afford a machine and Vista. And what is the point of Vista for games when you machine cannot run the new games, and what is the point of a machine that can run thenew games if they need Directx 10?

I am going to use a GeForce 8800 GTX card in my new computer, I want the best games I can get. But if to use all the features to the 8800 I need DX10, then what is the point of using Linux (my current OS choice as it is free)?

So my question: will DX10 work with Linux, or does the OpenGL API (a similar program) do everything that DX10 can do, thereby taking full advantage of the 8800 GeForce?

Answer 1

My prediction is that it will two or three years before titles really start using DX10. By then Cedega, and maybe even Crossover and Wine will have good support. Maybe a couple of titles will add a bit more eye candy with DX10, but we really won't see support until the bulk of the gamers switch to Vista. With people reporting Vista running games slower, migration is going to be slow. With Vista adoption being slow, I'm sure we will see DX10 back ported to XP SP3, but that is scheduled for 2008. Having the wineserver (whatever flavor) running in the background adds a little bit overhead with translating DX into OpenGL, though it seems to have no effect running on a Core 2. Dual core is the way to go. I would spend the money on hardware, not on Vista.
Cedega works pretty good, though you may want to check http://transgaming.org/gamesdb/ to how the games you like work.


I see that you clarified your question since maybe I didn't understand it. I hope this more on target. Since DirectX was created by Microsoft, is only made for Windows. To run a DirectX game on linux you need 3rd Party software, like Cedega, to translate the game instructions it into OpenGL, SDL, and other instructions that Linux understands. The DirectX 9 support in Cedega is still not complete, but good enough for most games. So I expect it will take a year or two before they can get DirectX 10 support in Cedega or Wine. I don't know if DirectX 10 can create better looking games than OpenGL. I'm not game programmer, but it looks like they both have different strengths in in creating and running a 3D game. If you look at history you see that ID Software's engines are used in many AAA titles and it always uses OpenGL. The OpenGL standard is updated often. And Nvidia support for OpenGL in Linux and Windows is updated often too.
I found a comparison of OpenGL and Direct3D. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Direct3D_and_OpenGL

Answer 2

Although some users have managed to run DirectX games in Linux environment, DirectX is not supported by Linux. Most Linux games are written in OpenGL. I can tell you that DirectX and OpenGL take full advantage of every graphics card, with the only difference that OpenGL games are a bit slower.
Here is a link to a wikipedia article about the advantages and the disadvantages of DX (3D)and OpenGL:

Answer 3

it somewhat is probably no longer somewhat what you have been searching for, yet you could run domicile windows in a VM from Linux, utilising VirtualBox (and different possibilities). you're able to do your DirectX artwork in that VM, and you will even share archives between Linux and the VMed OS. Unrelated to this, notice that Eclipse works advantageous on Linux.