Windows 11: as on Xbox, games will finally benefit from DirectStorage

The latest version of operating system
from Microsoft, Windows 11
will be able to take advantage of DirectStorage technology.

Originally launched on Xbox Series X, DirectStorage has been in development for Windows for several months. The API is now available on PC in public version.

DirectStorage? That is to say ?

Like any “recent” technology, or at least recently integrated into a consumer product, it is not always easy to understand it without having been able to read a few explanations. You should therefore know that DirectStorage is an API allowing games to establish direct access between the storage and the graphics card without going through the processor. The game therefore frees itself of a step to load the various assets it needs to function correctly even faster and the loading times are shorter.

Of course, not all computers can take advantage of this. There are two major material constraints, and not the least. The first concerns the sacrosanct graphics card: only models compatible with the DirectX 12 Ultimate API will be able to take advantage of DirectStorage. To sum up, you need at least an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3000 or 2000, or an AMD Radeon RX 6000. The second constraint, which is nevertheless more accessible, refers to the storage of your machine. It is absolutely necessary to have an NVMe SSD of at least 1 TB. To sum up, to go faster, your PC must already go very fast.

Available on PC, but not yet fully

Despite the announced availability on PC, DirectStorage comes to us for the time being with one arm in plaster. A feature is missing, yet very important for the technology: the GPU decompression acceleration engine is for the time being absent subscribers.

This feature is supposed to make it easier for graphics cards to decompress resources on disk; without it, there will therefore always be a mandatory step by the processor. Therein lies the concern, since DirectStorage bases its entire operation on freeing this communication with the CPU. According to Microsoft, the decompression in question is the ” next step of its roadmap.

Sources: TechPowerUp
, Neowin