What is a pixel shader model 2.0?
A Pixel Shader is a graphics function that calculates effects on a per-pixel basis. Depending on resolution, in excess of 2 million pixels may need to be rendered, lit, shaded, and colored for each frame. This means that games characters can now have facial hair and blemishes, golf balls have dimples, a red chair gains a subtle leather look, and wood exhibits texture and grain. Pixel Shader (whether it’s 1.0 or 4.x or something in between) isn’t software like DirectX is. It’s not something you can download. It’s built into the hardware of your graphics card. A lot of games say they require “Pixel Shader 2.0 or higher” – this just means your graphics card has to have it. If your graphics card hasn’t got a pixel shader and your game won’t run, then you’ll need a new card that’s got it. Some older computers, especially laptops, would also need an upgraded mother board, CPU, etc in order to support the newer graphics card. Sometimes this could be just as expensive as buying a new computer.
