S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl will provide lots of benefits in particular for users with high-end graphics cards. Although we are implementing a high-quality DirectX 8 renderer in the game, we have invested even more time and effort into accomplishing an amazing number of features supported by the latest generation of graphics hardware using DirectX 9. Using the range of latest accomplishments in the field of graphics, this has enabled us to implement even more realistic and immersive environments, while at the same time achieving new levels of graphical in FPS games and indeed games in general.

Here's a brief overview of the key features the user will receive with the use of DirectX 9 class graphics hardware:

1. S.T.A.L.K.E.R is capable of more than 2 million fully bump-mapped polygons representing each frame and true per-pixel complex light-material interaction, giving an immensely realistic image on the screen.
2.The use of "high precision" on up-to-date hardware allows us to base the engine fully on HDR (High Dynamic Range) lighting, and therefore increase the visual quality by addressing unnatural over-bright or over-dark visuals found in traditional-approach renderers.
3.Natural render of complex materials with proper light interaction, such as rusted metal, natural flora, glass, realistic skin, etc. In addition, every pixel (not texel) here can have it's own material with several coefficients.
4.We have designed a dedicated renderer for DX9 class hardware with fully real-time dynamic lighting, soft, physically correct shadows cast from every object onto every other object, true per-pixel lighting, physical umbra/penumbra computations, hundreds of lights per frame in real-time.
5.Frame buffer post-processing and Photoshop-like effects (complex filters) push it even higher up the cinematic quality ladder.