Time for DirectX 10 - Charting the Future of Windows 3D Graphics and Audio

If it's August, it must be time for a new DirectX SDK, and Microsoft obliges by rolling out the August 2007 DirectX SDK. So, what's new?

- A new version of Direct3D: Direct3D 10.1, which introduces Shader Model 4.1 and improved antialiasing and block rendering techniques, including application-controlled antialiasing.

- A beta release of a new 3D audio standard for both PCs and the Xbox 360: XAudio2. XAudio2 is based on the current Xbox 360 Xaudio API, and works with both XP and Vista. XAudio2 is optimized for multicore processors, and is designed to replace DirectSound.

- The last go-round for legacy DirectX component support, such as DirectPlay, Direct3D 8.x, and others.

- And, the biggest news: developers must have Windows Vista SP1 installed to use Direct3D 10.1, so it's likely to be coming soon to MSDN subscribers, if not to the rest of us until later.