diff --git a/src/BizHawk.Bizware.Audio/BizHawk.Bizware.Audio.csproj b/src/BizHawk.Bizware.Audio/BizHawk.Bizware.Audio.csproj
index a1c9b5e257..c14d2abf4c 100644
--- a/src/BizHawk.Bizware.Audio/BizHawk.Bizware.Audio.csproj
+++ b/src/BizHawk.Bizware.Audio/BizHawk.Bizware.Audio.csproj
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@
 		<PackageReference Include="Silk.NET.OpenAL.Extensions.EXT" />
 		<PackageReference Include="Vortice.MediaFoundation" />
 		<PackageReference Include="Vortice.XAudio2" />
-		<PackageReference Include="SharpDX.DirectSound" />
 		<PackageReference Include="ppy.SDL2-CS" ExcludeAssets="native;contentFiles" />
 		<ProjectReference Include="$(ProjectDir)../BizHawk.Client.Common/BizHawk.Client.Common.csproj" />
 	</ItemGroup>
diff --git a/src/BizHawk.Bizware.Audio/DirectSoundSoundOutput.cs b/src/BizHawk.Bizware.Audio/DirectSoundSoundOutput.cs
deleted file mode 100644
index ac2303d9f9..0000000000
--- a/src/BizHawk.Bizware.Audio/DirectSoundSoundOutput.cs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,380 +0,0 @@
-using System;
-using System.Buffers;
-using System.Collections.Generic;
-using System.Diagnostics;
-using System.IO;
-using System.Linq;
-using System.Threading;
-
-using BizHawk.Client.Common;
-using BizHawk.Common;
-
-using SharpDX;
-using SharpDX.DirectSound;
-using SharpDX.Multimedia;
-
-namespace BizHawk.Bizware.Audio
-{
-	public sealed class DirectSoundSoundOutput : ISoundOutput
-	{
-		private readonly IHostAudioManager _sound;
-		private readonly IntPtr _mainWindowHandle;
-		private bool _disposed;
-		private DirectSound _device;
-		private SecondarySoundBuffer _deviceBuffer, _wavDeviceBuffer;
-		private int _actualWriteOffsetBytes = -1;
-		private int _filledBufferSizeBytes;
-		private long _lastWriteTime;
-		private int _lastWriteCursor;
-		private int _retryCounter;
-
-		public DirectSoundSoundOutput(IHostAudioManager sound, IntPtr mainWindowHandle, string soundDevice)
-		{
-			_sound = sound;
-			_mainWindowHandle = mainWindowHandle; // needed for resetting _device on device invalidation
-			_retryCounter = 5;
-
-			var deviceInfo = DirectSound.GetDevices().Find(d => d.Description == soundDevice);
-			_device = deviceInfo != null ? new(deviceInfo.DriverGuid) : new();
-			_device.SetCooperativeLevel(mainWindowHandle, CooperativeLevel.Priority);
-		}
-
-		public void Dispose()
-		{
-			if (_disposed) return;
-
-			StopWav(throwOnInvalidDevice: false);
-			_device.Dispose();
-			_device = null;
-
-			_disposed = true;
-		}
-
-		public static IEnumerable<string> GetDeviceNames()
-		{
-			return DirectSound.GetDevices().Select(d => d.Description);
-		}
-
-		private int BufferSizeSamples { get; set; }
-
-		private int BufferSizeBytes => BufferSizeSamples * _sound.BlockAlign;
-
-		public int MaxSamplesDeficit { get; private set; }
-
-		private void ResetToDefaultDevice()
-		{
-			// can't use StopSound, as that checks IsPlaying, which will end up calling this function again!
-			_deviceBuffer.Dispose();
-			_deviceBuffer = null;
-
-			StopWav(throwOnInvalidDevice: false);
-
-			_device.Dispose();
-			_device = new();
-			_device.SetCooperativeLevel(_mainWindowHandle, CooperativeLevel.Priority);
-
-			StartPlaying();
-		}
-
-		private bool IsPlaying
-		{
-			get
-			{
-				if (_deviceBuffer == null)
-				{
-					return false;
-				}
-
-				try
-				{
-					var status = (BufferStatus)_deviceBuffer.Status;
-					return (status & (BufferStatus.BufferLost | BufferStatus.Playing)) is BufferStatus.Playing;
-				}
-				catch (SharpDXException)
-				{
-					// this only seems to ever occur if the device is disconnected...
-					ResetToDefaultDevice();
-					return false;
-				}
-			}
-		}
-
-		private void StartPlaying()
-		{
-			_actualWriteOffsetBytes = -1;
-			_filledBufferSizeBytes = 0;
-			_lastWriteTime = 0;
-			_lastWriteCursor = 0;
-			var attempts = _retryCounter;
-			while (!IsPlaying && attempts > 0)
-			{
-				attempts--;
-				try
-				{
-					if (_deviceBuffer == null)
-					{
-						var format = WaveFormat.CreateCustomFormat(
-							tag: WaveFormatEncoding.Pcm,
-							sampleRate: _sound.SampleRate, 
-							channels: _sound.ChannelCount, 
-							averageBytesPerSecond: _sound.SampleRate * _sound.BlockAlign, 
-							blockAlign: _sound.BlockAlign,
-							bitsPerSample: _sound.BytesPerSample * 8);
-
-						var desc = new SoundBufferDescription
-						{
-							Format = format,
-							Flags =
-									BufferFlags.GlobalFocus |
-									BufferFlags.Software |
-									BufferFlags.GetCurrentPosition2 |
-									BufferFlags.ControlVolume,
-							BufferBytes = BufferSizeBytes
-						};
-
-						_deviceBuffer = new(_device, desc);
-					}
-
-					_deviceBuffer.Play(0, PlayFlags.Looping);
-				}
-				catch (SharpDXException)
-				{
-					_deviceBuffer?.Restore();
-					if (attempts > 0)
-					{
-						Thread.Sleep(10);
-					}
-				}
-			}
-
-			if (IsPlaying)
-			{
-				_retryCounter = 5;
-			}
-			else if (_retryCounter > 1)
-			{
-				_retryCounter--;
-			}
-		}
-
-		public void ApplyVolumeSettings(double volume)
-		{
-			if (IsPlaying)
-			{
-				try
-				{
-					// I'm not sure if this is "technically" correct but it works okay
-					const int range = Volume.Maximum - Volume.Minimum;
-					_deviceBuffer.Volume = (int)(Math.Pow(volume, 0.1) * range) + Volume.Minimum;
-				}
-				catch (SharpDXException)
-				{
-				}
-			}
-		}
-
-		public void StartSound()
-		{
-			BufferSizeSamples = _sound.MillisecondsToSamples(_sound.ConfigBufferSizeMs);
-
-			// 35 to 65 milliseconds depending on how big the buffer is. This is a trade-off
-			// between more frequent but less severe glitches (i.e. catching underruns before
-			// they happen and filling the buffer with silence) or less frequent but more
-			// severe glitches. At least on my Windows 8 machines, the distance between the
-			// play and write cursors can be up to 30 milliseconds, so that would be the
-			// absolute minimum we could use here.
-			var minBufferFullnessMs = Math.Min(35 + (_sound.ConfigBufferSizeMs - 60) / 2, 65);
-			MaxSamplesDeficit = BufferSizeSamples - _sound.MillisecondsToSamples(minBufferFullnessMs);
-
-			StartPlaying();
-		}
-
-		public void StopSound()
-		{
-			if (IsPlaying)
-			{
-				try
-				{
-					_deviceBuffer.Stop();
-				}
-				catch (SharpDXException)
-				{
-				}
-			}
-
-			_deviceBuffer.Dispose();
-			_deviceBuffer = null;
-			BufferSizeSamples = 0;
-		}
-
-		public int CalculateSamplesNeeded()
-		{
-			var samplesNeeded = 0;
-			if (IsPlaying)
-			{
-				try
-				{
-					var currentWriteTime = Stopwatch.GetTimestamp();
-					_deviceBuffer.GetCurrentPosition(out var playCursor, out var writeCursor);
-					var isInitializing = _actualWriteOffsetBytes == -1;
-					var detectedUnderrun = false;
-					if (!isInitializing)
-					{
-						var elapsedSeconds = (currentWriteTime - _lastWriteTime) / (double)Stopwatch.Frequency;
-						var bufferSizeSeconds = (double) BufferSizeSamples / _sound.SampleRate;
-						var cursorDelta = CircularDistance(_lastWriteCursor, writeCursor, BufferSizeBytes);
-						cursorDelta += BufferSizeBytes * (int) Math.Round((elapsedSeconds - (cursorDelta / (double) (_sound.SampleRate * _sound.BlockAlign))) / bufferSizeSeconds);
-						_filledBufferSizeBytes -= cursorDelta;
-						detectedUnderrun = _filledBufferSizeBytes < 0;
-					}
-					if (isInitializing || detectedUnderrun)
-					{
-						_actualWriteOffsetBytes = writeCursor;
-						_filledBufferSizeBytes = 0;
-					}
-					samplesNeeded = CircularDistance(_actualWriteOffsetBytes, playCursor, BufferSizeBytes) / _sound.BlockAlign;
-					if (isInitializing || detectedUnderrun)
-					{
-						_sound.HandleInitializationOrUnderrun(detectedUnderrun, ref samplesNeeded);
-					}
-					_lastWriteTime = currentWriteTime;
-					_lastWriteCursor = writeCursor;
-				}
-				catch (SharpDXException)
-				{
-					samplesNeeded = 0;
-				}
-			}
-			return samplesNeeded;
-		}
-
-		private static int CircularDistance(int start, int end, int size)
-		{
-			return (end - start + size) % size;
-		}
-
-		public void WriteSamples(short[] samples, int sampleOffset, int sampleCount)
-		{
-			// For lack of a better place, this function will be the one that attempts to restart playing
-			// after a sound buffer is lost.
-			if (IsPlaying)
-			{
-				if (sampleCount == 0) return;
-				try
-				{
-					_deviceBuffer.Write(samples, sampleOffset * _sound.ChannelCount, sampleCount * _sound.ChannelCount, _actualWriteOffsetBytes, LockFlags.None);
-					_actualWriteOffsetBytes = (_actualWriteOffsetBytes + (sampleCount * _sound.BlockAlign)) % BufferSizeBytes;
-					_filledBufferSizeBytes += sampleCount * _sound.BlockAlign;
-				}
-				catch (SharpDXException)
-				{
-					_deviceBuffer.Restore();
-					StartPlaying();
-				}
-			}
-			else
-			{
-				_deviceBuffer?.Restore();
-				StartPlaying();
-			}
-		}
-
-		private bool IsWavPlaying
-		{
-			get
-			{
-				if (_wavDeviceBuffer == null)
-				{
-					return false;
-				}
-
-				var status = (BufferStatus)_wavDeviceBuffer.Status;
-				return (status & (BufferStatus.BufferLost | BufferStatus.Playing)) is BufferStatus.Playing;
-			}
-		}
-
-		private void StopWav(bool throwOnInvalidDevice = true)
-		{
-			bool isPlaying;
-			try
-			{
-				isPlaying = IsWavPlaying;
-			}
-			catch (SharpDXException)
-			{
-				if (throwOnInvalidDevice)
-				{
-					throw;
-				}
-
-				isPlaying = false;
-			}
-
-			if (isPlaying)
-			{
-				try
-				{
-					_wavDeviceBuffer.Stop();
-				}
-				catch (SharpDXException)
-				{
-				}
-			}
-
-			_wavDeviceBuffer?.Dispose();
-			_wavDeviceBuffer = null;
-		}
-
-		public void PlayWavFile(Stream wavFile, double volume)
-		{
-			using var wavStream = new SDL2WavStream(wavFile);
-			var format = wavStream.Format == SDL2WavStream.AudioFormat.F32LSB
-				? WaveFormat.CreateIeeeFloatWaveFormat(wavStream.Frequency, wavStream.Channels)
-				: new(wavStream.Frequency, wavStream.BitsPerSample, wavStream.Channels);
-
-			var desc = new SoundBufferDescription
-			{
-				Format = format,
-				Flags =
-					BufferFlags.GlobalFocus |
-					BufferFlags.Software |
-					BufferFlags.GetCurrentPosition2 |
-					BufferFlags.ControlVolume,
-				BufferBytes = unchecked((int)wavStream.Length)
-			};
-
-			StopWav();
-			_wavDeviceBuffer = new(_device, desc);
-			const int TEMP_BUFFER_LENGTH = 65536;
-			var tempBuffer = ArrayPool<byte>.Shared.Rent(TEMP_BUFFER_LENGTH);
-			try
-			{
-				var bufferOffset = 0;
-				while (true)
-				{
-					var numRead = wavStream.Read(tempBuffer, 0, TEMP_BUFFER_LENGTH);
-					if (numRead == 0)
-					{
-						break;
-					}
-
-					if (wavStream.Format == SDL2WavStream.AudioFormat.S16MSB)
-					{
-						EndiannessUtils.MutatingByteSwap16(tempBuffer.AsSpan()[..numRead]);
-					}
-
-					_wavDeviceBuffer.Write(tempBuffer, 0, numRead, bufferOffset, LockFlags.None);
-					bufferOffset += numRead;
-				}
-			}
-			finally
-			{
-				ArrayPool<byte>.Shared.Return(tempBuffer);
-			}
-
-			const int range = Volume.Maximum - Volume.Minimum;
-			_wavDeviceBuffer.Volume = (int)(Math.Pow(volume, 0.1) * range) + Volume.Minimum;
-			_wavDeviceBuffer.Play(0, PlayFlags.None);
-		}
-	}
-}
diff --git a/src/BizHawk.Bizware.Audio/XAudio2SoundOutput.cs b/src/BizHawk.Bizware.Audio/XAudio2SoundOutput.cs
index 59412b62a3..8fa73d506d 100644
--- a/src/BizHawk.Bizware.Audio/XAudio2SoundOutput.cs
+++ b/src/BizHawk.Bizware.Audio/XAudio2SoundOutput.cs
@@ -114,13 +114,12 @@ namespace BizHawk.Bizware.Audio
 		{
 			if (_deviceResetRequired)
 			{
-				_deviceResetRequired = false;
-
 				StopSound();
 				StopWav();
 				_masteringVoice.Dispose();
 				_device.Dispose();
 
+				_deviceResetRequired = false;
 				_device = XAudio2.XAudio2Create();
 				_device.CriticalError += (_, _) => _deviceResetRequired = true;
 				_masteringVoice = _device.CreateMasteringVoice(
diff --git a/src/BizHawk.Client.Common/HostCapabilityDetector.cs b/src/BizHawk.Client.Common/HostCapabilityDetector.cs
index b7f97e7600..feb4914c49 100644
--- a/src/BizHawk.Client.Common/HostCapabilityDetector.cs
+++ b/src/BizHawk.Client.Common/HostCapabilityDetector.cs
@@ -6,17 +6,38 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.Common
 {
 	public static class HostCapabilityDetector
 	{
-		private static bool? _hasDirectX = null;
-
-		public static bool HasDirectX => _hasDirectX ??= DetectDirectX();
-
-		private static bool DetectDirectX()
+		private static readonly Lazy<bool> _hasD3D9 = new(() =>
 		{
 			if (OSTailoredCode.IsUnixHost) return false;
 			var p = OSTailoredCode.LinkedLibManager.LoadOrZero("d3dx9_43.dll");
 			if (p == IntPtr.Zero) return false;
 			OSTailoredCode.LinkedLibManager.FreeByPtr(p);
 			return true;
-		}
+		});
+
+		private static readonly Lazy<bool> _hasXAudio2 = new(() =>
+		{
+			if (OSTailoredCode.IsUnixHost)
+			{
+				return false;
+			}
+
+			// This should always work for anything Windows 8+ (where XAudio 2.8/2.9 is built-in)
+			var libNames = new[] { "xaudio2_9.dll", "xaudio2_8.dll", "xaudio2_9redist.dll" };
+			foreach (var libName in libNames)
+			{
+				var p = OSTailoredCode.LinkedLibManager.LoadOrZero(libName);
+				if (p != IntPtr.Zero)
+				{
+					OSTailoredCode.LinkedLibManager.FreeByPtr(p);
+					return true;
+				}
+			}
+
+			return false;
+		});
+
+		public static bool HasD3D9 => _hasD3D9.Value;
+		public static bool HasXAudio2 => _hasXAudio2.Value;
 	}
 }
diff --git a/src/BizHawk.Client.Common/config/Config.cs b/src/BizHawk.Client.Common/config/Config.cs
index 0589440f49..5df041be6f 100644
--- a/src/BizHawk.Client.Common/config/Config.cs
+++ b/src/BizHawk.Client.Common/config/Config.cs
@@ -220,7 +220,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.Common
 
 		public int DispPrescale { get; set; } = 1;
 
-		public EDispMethod DispMethod { get; set; } = HostCapabilityDetector.HasDirectX && !OSTailoredCode.IsWine ? EDispMethod.D3D9 : EDispMethod.OpenGL;
+		public EDispMethod DispMethod { get; set; } = HostCapabilityDetector.HasD3D9 && !OSTailoredCode.IsWine ? EDispMethod.D3D9 : EDispMethod.OpenGL;
 
 		public int DispChromeFrameWindowed { get; set; } = 2;
 		public bool DispChromeStatusBarWindowed { get; set; } = true;
@@ -248,7 +248,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.Common
 		public int DispCropBottom { get; set; } = 0;
 
 		// Sound options
-		public ESoundOutputMethod SoundOutputMethod { get; set; } = HostCapabilityDetector.HasDirectX ? ESoundOutputMethod.DirectSound : ESoundOutputMethod.OpenAL;
+		public ESoundOutputMethod SoundOutputMethod { get; set; } = HostCapabilityDetector.HasXAudio2 ? ESoundOutputMethod.XAudio2 : ESoundOutputMethod.OpenAL;
 
 		/// <value>iff <see langword="false"/>, cores may skip processing audio</value>
 		/// <seealso cref="SoundEnabledNormal"/>
diff --git a/src/BizHawk.Client.Common/config/ConfigEnums.cs b/src/BizHawk.Client.Common/config/ConfigEnums.cs
index efe3d9aa1e..12ecaa8968 100644
--- a/src/BizHawk.Client.Common/config/ConfigEnums.cs
+++ b/src/BizHawk.Client.Common/config/ConfigEnums.cs
@@ -2,7 +2,10 @@
 {
 	public enum ESoundOutputMethod
 	{
-		DirectSound, XAudio2, OpenAL, Dummy
+		LegacyDirectSound, // kept here to handle old configs
+		XAudio2,
+		OpenAL,
+		Dummy
 	}
 
 	public enum EDispManagerAR
diff --git a/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/MainForm.Events.cs b/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/MainForm.Events.cs
index af71ec51f9..3d394ba46a 100644
--- a/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/MainForm.Events.cs
+++ b/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/MainForm.Events.cs
@@ -885,7 +885,6 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 		{
 			static IEnumerable<string> GetDeviceNamesCallback(ESoundOutputMethod outputMethod) => outputMethod switch
 			{
-				ESoundOutputMethod.DirectSound => DirectSoundSoundOutput.GetDeviceNames(),
 				ESoundOutputMethod.XAudio2 => XAudio2SoundOutput.GetDeviceNames(),
 				ESoundOutputMethod.OpenAL => OpenALSoundOutput.GetDeviceNames(),
 				_ => Enumerable.Empty<string>()
@@ -903,7 +902,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 			else
 			{
 				Sound.Dispose();
-				Sound = new Sound(Handle, Config, () => Emulator.VsyncRate());
+				Sound = new Sound(Config, () => Emulator.VsyncRate());
 			}
 			Sound.StartSound();
 			RewireSound();
diff --git a/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/MainForm.cs b/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/MainForm.cs
index d419410dd0..e610bf9c70 100644
--- a/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/MainForm.cs
+++ b/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/MainForm.cs
@@ -595,10 +595,10 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 			InputManager.ResetMainControllers(_autofireNullControls);
 			InputManager.AutofireStickyXorAdapter.SetOnOffPatternFromConfig(Config.AutofireOn, Config.AutofireOff);
 			var savedOutputMethod = Config.SoundOutputMethod;
-			if (savedOutputMethod is ESoundOutputMethod.Dummy) Config.SoundOutputMethod = HostCapabilityDetector.HasDirectX ? ESoundOutputMethod.DirectSound : ESoundOutputMethod.OpenAL;
+			if (savedOutputMethod is ESoundOutputMethod.Dummy) Config.SoundOutputMethod = HostCapabilityDetector.HasXAudio2 ? ESoundOutputMethod.XAudio2 : ESoundOutputMethod.OpenAL;
 			try
 			{
-				Sound = new Sound(Handle, Config, () => Emulator.VsyncRate());
+				Sound = new Sound(Config, () => Emulator.VsyncRate());
 			}
 			catch
 			{
@@ -606,14 +606,12 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 				{
 					ShowMessageBox(
 						owner: null,
-						text: savedOutputMethod is ESoundOutputMethod.DirectSound
-							? "Couldn't initialize DirectSound! Things may go poorly for you. Try changing your sound driver to 44.1khz instead of 48khz in mmsys.cpl."
-							: "Couldn't initialize sound device! Try changing the output method in Sound config.",
+						text: "Couldn't initialize sound device! Try changing the output method in Sound config.",
 						caption: "Initialization Error",
 						EMsgBoxIcon.Error);
 				}
 				Config.SoundOutputMethod = ESoundOutputMethod.Dummy;
-				Sound = new Sound(Handle, Config, () => Emulator.VsyncRate());
+				Sound = new Sound(Config, () => Emulator.VsyncRate());
 			}
 
 			Sound.StartSound();
diff --git a/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/Sound/Sound.cs b/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/Sound/Sound.cs
index fe4886b531..0ba3efc41d 100644
--- a/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/Sound/Sound.cs
+++ b/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/Sound/Sound.cs
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 
 		public int ConfigBufferSizeMs => Config.SoundBufferSizeMs;
 
-		public Sound(IntPtr mainWindowHandle, Config config, Func<double> getCoreVsyncRateCallback)
+		public Sound(Config config, Func<double> getCoreVsyncRateCallback)
 		{
 			BlockAlign = BytesPerSample * ChannelCount;
 
@@ -40,9 +40,14 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 			_outputProvider = new SoundOutputProvider(_getCoreVsyncRateCallback);
 			Config = config;
 
+			if (config.SoundOutputMethod == ESoundOutputMethod.LegacyDirectSound)
+			{
+				config.SoundOutputMethod = HostCapabilityDetector.HasXAudio2 ? ESoundOutputMethod.XAudio2 : ESoundOutputMethod.OpenAL;
+			}
+
 			if (OSTailoredCode.IsUnixHost)
 			{
-				// if DirectSound or XAudio is chosen, use OpenAL, otherwise comply with the user's choice
+				// if XAudio is chosen, use OpenAL, otherwise comply with the user's choice
 				_outputDevice = config.SoundOutputMethod == ESoundOutputMethod.Dummy
 					? new DummySoundOutput(this)
 					: new OpenALSoundOutput(this, config.SoundDevice);
@@ -51,7 +56,6 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 			{
 				_outputDevice = config.SoundOutputMethod switch
 				{
-					ESoundOutputMethod.DirectSound => new DirectSoundSoundOutput(this, mainWindowHandle, config.SoundDevice),
 					ESoundOutputMethod.XAudio2 => new XAudio2SoundOutput(this, config.SoundDevice),
 					ESoundOutputMethod.OpenAL => new OpenALSoundOutput(this, config.SoundDevice),
 					_ => new DummySoundOutput(this)
diff --git a/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/config/DisplayConfig.cs b/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/config/DisplayConfig.cs
index 556b574dab..cf25fcd905 100755
--- a/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/config/DisplayConfig.cs
+++ b/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/config/DisplayConfig.cs
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 
 			RefreshAspectRatioOptions();
 
-			if (!HostCapabilityDetector.HasDirectX)
+			if (!HostCapabilityDetector.HasD3D9)
 			{
 				rbD3D9.Enabled = false;
 				rbD3D9.AutoCheck = false;
diff --git a/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/config/SoundConfig.Designer.cs b/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/config/SoundConfig.Designer.cs
index fc60c8a5a5..370031995d 100644
--- a/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/config/SoundConfig.Designer.cs
+++ b/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/config/SoundConfig.Designer.cs
@@ -47,7 +47,6 @@
 			this.grpOutputMethod = new System.Windows.Forms.GroupBox();
 			this.rbOutputMethodOpenAL = new System.Windows.Forms.RadioButton();
 			this.rbOutputMethodXAudio2 = new System.Windows.Forms.RadioButton();
-			this.rbOutputMethodDirectSound = new System.Windows.Forms.RadioButton();
 			this.cbMuteFrameAdvance = new System.Windows.Forms.CheckBox();
 			this.cbEnableMaster = new System.Windows.Forms.CheckBox();
 			this.label3 = new BizHawk.WinForms.Controls.LocLabelEx();
@@ -117,11 +116,7 @@
 			this.nudRWFF.Name = "nudRWFF";
 			this.nudRWFF.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(45, 20);
 			this.nudRWFF.TabIndex = 7;
-			this.nudRWFF.Value = new decimal(new int[] {
-            100,
-            0,
-            0,
-            0});
+			this.nudRWFF.Value = new decimal(new int[] { 100, 0, 0, 0 });
 			this.nudRWFF.ValueChanged += new System.EventHandler(this.nudRWFF_ValueChanged);
 			// 
 			// cbEnableRWFF
@@ -141,7 +136,7 @@
 			this.tbRWFF.Maximum = 100;
 			this.tbRWFF.Name = "tbRWFF";
 			this.tbRWFF.Orientation = System.Windows.Forms.Orientation.Vertical;
-			this.tbRWFF.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(42, 164);
+			this.tbRWFF.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(45, 164);
 			this.tbRWFF.TabIndex = 6;
 			this.tbRWFF.TickFrequency = 10;
 			this.tbRWFF.Scroll += new System.EventHandler(this.TbRwff_Scroll);
@@ -167,7 +162,7 @@
 			this.tbNormal.Maximum = 100;
 			this.tbNormal.Name = "tbNormal";
 			this.tbNormal.Orientation = System.Windows.Forms.Orientation.Vertical;
-			this.tbNormal.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(42, 164);
+			this.tbNormal.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(45, 164);
 			this.tbNormal.TabIndex = 2;
 			this.tbNormal.TickFrequency = 10;
 			this.tbNormal.Scroll += new System.EventHandler(this.TrackBar1_Scroll);
@@ -178,18 +173,12 @@
 			this.nudNormal.Name = "nudNormal";
 			this.nudNormal.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(45, 20);
 			this.nudNormal.TabIndex = 3;
-			this.nudNormal.Value = new decimal(new int[] {
-            100,
-            0,
-            0,
-            0});
+			this.nudNormal.Value = new decimal(new int[] { 100, 0, 0, 0 });
 			this.nudNormal.ValueChanged += new System.EventHandler(this.SoundVolNumeric_ValueChanged);
 			// 
 			// listBoxSoundDevices
 			// 
-			this.listBoxSoundDevices.Anchor = ((System.Windows.Forms.AnchorStyles)((((System.Windows.Forms.AnchorStyles.Top | System.Windows.Forms.AnchorStyles.Bottom) 
-            | System.Windows.Forms.AnchorStyles.Left) 
-            | System.Windows.Forms.AnchorStyles.Right)));
+			this.listBoxSoundDevices.Anchor = ((System.Windows.Forms.AnchorStyles)((((System.Windows.Forms.AnchorStyles.Top | System.Windows.Forms.AnchorStyles.Bottom) | System.Windows.Forms.AnchorStyles.Left) | System.Windows.Forms.AnchorStyles.Right)));
 			this.listBoxSoundDevices.FormattingEnabled = true;
 			this.listBoxSoundDevices.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(138, 110);
 			this.listBoxSoundDevices.Name = "listBoxSoundDevices";
@@ -213,24 +202,12 @@
 			// 
 			this.BufferSizeNumeric.Anchor = ((System.Windows.Forms.AnchorStyles)((System.Windows.Forms.AnchorStyles.Bottom | System.Windows.Forms.AnchorStyles.Left)));
 			this.BufferSizeNumeric.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(202, 208);
-			this.BufferSizeNumeric.Maximum = new decimal(new int[] {
-            250,
-            0,
-            0,
-            0});
-			this.BufferSizeNumeric.Minimum = new decimal(new int[] {
-            30,
-            0,
-            0,
-            0});
+			this.BufferSizeNumeric.Maximum = new decimal(new int[] { 250, 0, 0, 0 });
+			this.BufferSizeNumeric.Minimum = new decimal(new int[] { 30, 0, 0, 0 });
 			this.BufferSizeNumeric.Name = "BufferSizeNumeric";
 			this.BufferSizeNumeric.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(59, 20);
 			this.BufferSizeNumeric.TabIndex = 10;
-			this.BufferSizeNumeric.Value = new decimal(new int[] {
-            100,
-            0,
-            0,
-            0});
+			this.BufferSizeNumeric.Value = new decimal(new int[] { 100, 0, 0, 0 });
 			// 
 			// BufferSizeUnitsLabel
 			// 
@@ -243,10 +220,9 @@
 			// 
 			this.grpOutputMethod.Controls.Add(this.rbOutputMethodOpenAL);
 			this.grpOutputMethod.Controls.Add(this.rbOutputMethodXAudio2);
-			this.grpOutputMethod.Controls.Add(this.rbOutputMethodDirectSound);
 			this.grpOutputMethod.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(292, 12);
 			this.grpOutputMethod.Name = "grpOutputMethod";
-			this.grpOutputMethod.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(100, 90);
+			this.grpOutputMethod.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(100, 73);
 			this.grpOutputMethod.TabIndex = 12;
 			this.grpOutputMethod.TabStop = false;
 			this.grpOutputMethod.Text = "Output Method";
@@ -254,7 +230,7 @@
 			// rbOutputMethodOpenAL
 			// 
 			this.rbOutputMethodOpenAL.AutoSize = true;
-			this.rbOutputMethodOpenAL.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(6, 65);
+			this.rbOutputMethodOpenAL.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(6, 43);
 			this.rbOutputMethodOpenAL.Name = "rbOutputMethodOpenAL";
 			this.rbOutputMethodOpenAL.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(64, 17);
 			this.rbOutputMethodOpenAL.TabIndex = 2;
@@ -266,7 +242,7 @@
 			// rbOutputMethodXAudio2
 			// 
 			this.rbOutputMethodXAudio2.AutoSize = true;
-			this.rbOutputMethodXAudio2.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(6, 42);
+			this.rbOutputMethodXAudio2.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(6, 20);
 			this.rbOutputMethodXAudio2.Name = "rbOutputMethodXAudio2";
 			this.rbOutputMethodXAudio2.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(65, 17);
 			this.rbOutputMethodXAudio2.TabIndex = 1;
@@ -275,18 +251,6 @@
 			this.rbOutputMethodXAudio2.UseVisualStyleBackColor = true;
 			this.rbOutputMethodXAudio2.CheckedChanged += new System.EventHandler(this.OutputMethodRadioButtons_CheckedChanged);
 			// 
-			// rbOutputMethodDirectSound
-			// 
-			this.rbOutputMethodDirectSound.AutoSize = true;
-			this.rbOutputMethodDirectSound.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(6, 19);
-			this.rbOutputMethodDirectSound.Name = "rbOutputMethodDirectSound";
-			this.rbOutputMethodDirectSound.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(84, 17);
-			this.rbOutputMethodDirectSound.TabIndex = 0;
-			this.rbOutputMethodDirectSound.TabStop = true;
-			this.rbOutputMethodDirectSound.Text = "DirectSound";
-			this.rbOutputMethodDirectSound.UseVisualStyleBackColor = true;
-			this.rbOutputMethodDirectSound.CheckedChanged += new System.EventHandler(this.OutputMethodRadioButtons_CheckedChanged);
-			// 
 			// cbMuteFrameAdvance
 			// 
 			this.cbMuteFrameAdvance.AutoSize = true;
@@ -352,7 +316,6 @@
 			this.grpOutputMethod.PerformLayout();
 			this.ResumeLayout(false);
 			this.PerformLayout();
-
 		}
 
 		#endregion
@@ -370,7 +333,6 @@
 		private BizHawk.WinForms.Controls.LocLabelEx BufferSizeUnitsLabel;
 		private System.Windows.Forms.GroupBox grpOutputMethod;
 		private System.Windows.Forms.RadioButton rbOutputMethodXAudio2;
-		private System.Windows.Forms.RadioButton rbOutputMethodDirectSound;
 		private System.Windows.Forms.RadioButton rbOutputMethodOpenAL;
 		private System.Windows.Forms.NumericUpDown nudRWFF;
 		private System.Windows.Forms.CheckBox cbEnableRWFF;
diff --git a/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/config/SoundConfig.cs b/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/config/SoundConfig.cs
index 093a3d94c7..ecb21bf661 100644
--- a/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/config/SoundConfig.cs
+++ b/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/config/SoundConfig.cs
@@ -34,9 +34,8 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 			cbEnableRWFF.Checked = _config.SoundEnabledRWFF;
 			cbMuteFrameAdvance.Checked = _config.MuteFrameAdvance;
 
-			rbOutputMethodDirectSound.Enabled = rbOutputMethodXAudio2.Enabled = HostCapabilityDetector.HasDirectX;
+			rbOutputMethodXAudio2.Enabled = HostCapabilityDetector.HasXAudio2;
 
-			rbOutputMethodDirectSound.Checked = _config.SoundOutputMethod == ESoundOutputMethod.DirectSound;
 			rbOutputMethodXAudio2.Checked = _config.SoundOutputMethod == ESoundOutputMethod.XAudio2;
 			rbOutputMethodOpenAL.Checked = _config.SoundOutputMethod == ESoundOutputMethod.OpenAL;
 			BufferSizeNumeric.Value = _config.SoundBufferSizeMs;
@@ -53,7 +52,6 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 		{
 			if (!OSTailoredCode.IsUnixHost)
 			{
-				if (rbOutputMethodDirectSound.Checked) return ESoundOutputMethod.DirectSound;
 				if (rbOutputMethodXAudio2.Checked) return ESoundOutputMethod.XAudio2;
 			}
 			if (rbOutputMethodOpenAL.Checked) return ESoundOutputMethod.OpenAL;
@@ -62,11 +60,6 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 
 		private void Ok_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
 		{
-			if (rbOutputMethodDirectSound.Checked && (int)BufferSizeNumeric.Value < 60)
-			{
-				DialogController.ShowMessageBox("Buffer size must be at least 60 milliseconds for DirectSound.", "Error", EMsgBoxIcon.Error);
-				return;
-			}
 			_config.SoundEnabled = cbEnableMaster.Checked;
 			_config.SoundEnabledNormal = cbEnableNormal.Checked;
 			_config.SoundEnabledRWFF = cbEnableRWFF.Checked;