DirectX 8 is a turning point in computer graphics.
Launched in 2000, Microsoft's DirectX 8 ushered in a new era for GPUs and revolutionized graphics.
Báo Khoa học và Đời sống•15/11/2025
25 years ago, Microsoft quietly introduced DirectX 8, a revolutionary update to graphics. The biggest breakthrough was programmable shaders, which allowed the GPU to be flexibly programmed.
Previously, graphics cards were limited by a fixed pipeline, which limited lighting and reflection effects. With Shader Model 1.0, developers could control every pixel and every vertex for the first time.
This technology paved the way for legendary games like Half-Life 2, Morrowind or Splinter Cell. The NVIDIA GeForce 3 was the first GPU to support DirectX 8, with ATI quickly following suit with DX9.
The original Xbox also featured a DirectX 8 GPU, which was a huge step forward in the console gaming industry. From ray tracing to today's photorealistic graphics, it all stems from the DirectX 8 legacy.
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