Direct X 6.0
         (UTILITIES)


                                      
   Developers received a treat at the recent Computer Game Developer's
   Conference in the form of the beta release of DirectX 6.0. The feature
   list is extensive, as are the performance enhancements. However, the
   final version will likely not be ready until summer, precluding many
   DirectX 6 specific titles for the Christmas season.

   Even so, users of DirectX 5 games may see performance gains -
   particularly Direct3D game. The boys in Redmond have put Direct3D on a
   Slim-Fast diet, reducing the code size by 75 percent. In addition,
   they anticipate significant performance gains. Game developers who
   have been privy to Microsoft's plans have kept mum about details, but
   have said that the new version seems much easier to work with, and 3D
   performance is likely to be quite a bit better than DirectX 5.0. New
   Direct3D rendering features include bump mapping, multitexturing,
   stencil buffering, light mapping, more flexible colored lighting, and
   texture compression licensed from S3.

   In addition to the 3D graphics enhancements, Microsoft has improved
   DirectSound and will be releasing DirectMusic, an API for interactive
   MIDI music. DirectInput has also improved, with robust support for USB
   devices. DirectX 6.0 will be backward compatible with DirectX 5.0 when
   it ships.