DirectX 6.0 added a number of important improvements to the driver components, including support for multiple monitors (in Windows 98/2000), a new DirectX control panel, a Game Controllers control panel, improved MMX support, AMD 3-D support, single-pass multitexturing, texture compression, bump mapping, a revised user interface, improvements in overall stability, support for force feedback controllers, and a variety of new features.
New additions specific to the most recent release of DirectX, version 7.0, include support for environment mapping (allows for cool virsual effects like reflections on water), new software algorithms for 3-D sound, support for the DLS2 (Downloadable Sounds level 2) standard, Visual Basic language support, performance improvements, and increased support for hardware-accelerated transformation and lighting through dedicated 3-D accelerators.
