New versions of the DirectX 12 graphics API will no longer be released exclusively via Windows 10 updates. Instead, Microsoft is bringing back a distribution model of previous APIs like DirectX 11: studios will be able to package their games with appropriate DirectX 12 versions that include all the Direct3D features they need and have them automatically installed as well.
Microsoft makes the DirectX 12 Agility SDK available to developers and rebuilds the folder structure in Windows 10. The previous D3D12.dll is converted to a loader that points to the new D3D12Core.dll. The latter can be updated either by game installations or in the last instance by Windows 10 updates. Developers:inside are not obliged to use the SDK.
Faster graphics hub
Studios can implement new graphics features before most gamers have installed the latest Windows 10 release. Currently, this means that on PCs running Windows 10 (1909), i.e. the November 2019 update, it is possible to use all the graphics features of Direct3D 12_2, including current ray tracing and variable rate shading (VRS). So far, this only worked with the May 2020 update.
Currently, Microsoft is distributing the DirectX 12 Agility SDK with the new shader model 6.6 to studios that hasn’t even come yet via Windows 10 update. This helps game developers in particular, as they may no longer have to maintain multiple code paths for many months along with Xbox catches.
Gamers benefit from potentially faster graphics and higher frame rates. They only have to put up with the additional installations still known from DirectX 11.