Modern Windows Input API / User Interaction API

There's a wide variety of User Interaction APIs / technologies, available in Windows 8.1:

• High-level GUI frameworks (Windows Forms, WPF and many other third-party frameworks)


• Direct Manipulation – Probably high-level too.


• Pointer Input Messages and Notifications (MSDN link) – Interesting, but where is the keybord API analogue?


• DirectInput / XInput – Marked as legacy.


• Raw Input – Marked as legacy.


• WM_MOUSEMOVE, WM_LBUTTONDOWN, WM_KEYDOWN, etc. messages – Marked as legacy.


• Other, listed on this MSDN page

Can anyone give me a brief overview of this APIs and, in particular, info about the following aspects:

• Is this API based on another underlying API or implemented in the core?


• With what devices this API can interact?


• Any exclusive features, not implemented in other APIs?


• Performance / overhead considerations: How fast is it (in comparison with others)?

So I'm looking for native up-to-date low-level full-featured input API, which won't become obsolete in the upcoming Windows 10, or the mixture of those (described above) APIs, closest to this needs.