Now here’s a thought that might push the wrong buttons in you -- what if a DirectX12 (or DX12 in popular gaming parlance) enabled game is launched, without DX12 support in tow? That would be mind boggling and simply does not make too much sense, but that seems to be the case where the upcoming Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is concerned.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided has been slated to be a watershed title, where it is touted to be the first among the DX12-enabled games that will hit the market when it is launched tomorrow on August 23, 2016. Unfortunately for those who are rabidly looking forward to see what DX12 is capable of, you will be disappointed as the new API will not be supported on launch day for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided.
This is definitely a surprising move, no matter how you look at it. After all, I am quite sure that many gamers out there who are looking forward to the franchise’s next release would have been wowed by Square Enix’s showboating of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided’s video. In that particular video, the game’s "Dawn Engine" was touted to be revolutionary, where it also did its job of conveying the visual ascendancy that had plenty of fancy graphical effects.
While we do know that graphics are not the be all and end all when it comes to games, as there are other aspects such as tight storytelling, a balanced gameplay, and great audio, most of the time we are taken in by pretty images and fantastic looking videos. Square Enix even went ahead to mention how Deus Ex: Mankind Divided will be infused with Microsoft's latest graphics API when it is launched -- that is, DirectX 12. Not only that, the folks over at AMD have also done their bit by pushing forward the game's DirectX 12 support in its promotional efforts.
Of course, this does not mean that Deus Ex: Mankind Divided would not come with any kind of DX12 support in the future. One will simply need to be patient. A Steam Community post has shown us that there is some light at the end of a potentially dark tunnel, where the Deus Ex team revealed that it would need some more time in order to indulge in "extra work and optimizations" where DirectX 12 is concerned. One can look at it in a positive manner and take it in one’s stride, as it does seem as though the Deus Ex team would require another fortnight, since it was mentioned that an updated version with DirectX 12 support ought to roll out by the time September 5 comes around.
Fans who have long been looking forward to firing up Deus Ex: Mankind Divided have waited a long time already, since the game itself has gone through a six-month delay, missing the original February release date earlier this year. It is still good to roll out something later without being gimped or rushed and is full of bugs, but to lack one feature that has been touted to accompany the game as it is released is not good either. Hopefully with the additional time provided for the Deus Ex team, they are able to deliver a solid, optimized DX12 experience by the time September 5 rolls around.
