DirectX 12 has already found its way into the Windows 10 operating system — although it may not yet be operational.

DirectX 12, a powerful feature that Microsoft wants to use to attract PC gamers, will have a much better threading model than DirectX 11, which is now five years old. This newer model will allows developers to provide graphics processors on computer systems that closely resemble those of console, and yet with a power savings of 50 percent under certain conditions, Microsoft claims.

DirectX, which is owned by Microsoft, is a collection of application programming interfaces (APIs) that handle tasks related to multimedia, especially gaming and video.

DirectX 12 wasn’t supposed to be ready for the system yet, however. PC Magazine noted in a recent report that it had found that DirectX 12 was already built into the operating system while checking out a new Windows 10 build. However, the report noted that just because it’s there doesn’t mean it is operational — at least not until graphics drivers and other software are released that take advantage of it.

Fortunately, indications are that a new “API Overhead Feature Test” will be introduced shortly after the Windows 10 Preview build is dropped, although the release timing has yet to be determined.

Microsoft expects to discuss DirectX 12 more at the Game Developers Conference in early March, according to the PC Mag report.

DirectX was a shorthand term that stood for all the collections of Direct APIs, such as Direct3D, DirectMusic, DirectSound, and others, with the X standing for the collection of APIs. When Microsoft developed a gaming console, the X was used as the basis for the name, which we know today as Xbox, which is based on DirectX technology. Microsoft is now hoping to take that console experience and provide it to PCs.