Microsoft prepares DirectStorage 1.1 with GPU decompression for faster game loading

One of the new Xbox features that Microsoft is working on bringing to Windows is DirectStorage, a feature set that allows fast PCI Express-based NVMe SSDs to communicate directly with your GPU. For DirectStorage 1.0, the main benefit was faster load times—up to 40 percent faster, according to Microsoft. Microsoft announced this week that it’s preparing DirectStorage 1.1 for release later this year, which will allow game assets to be decompressed on the GPU instead of the CPU, speeding up decompression operations and freeing up the CPU for other tasks.

Typically, compressed game assets are loaded into system memory and decompressed by the CPU before being sent to the GPU. This roundabout route increases game loading times and can contribute to “splashes”in large open world games – the effect where you see a soft, less detailed version of an object for a short time before more detailed textures and models appear. time to load.

GPU-based DirectStorage decompression works with a new GPU-optimized compression format called “GDeflate”, originally created by Nvidia. Microsoft’s example image comparing GPU decompression with GDeflate and CPU decompression using Zlib showed much faster load times (0.8 seconds on GPU vs. 2.36 seconds on CPU) along with much lower CPU usage. although Microsoft says the exact results will vary depending on your hardware and the game you’re downloading.

The use of an entirely new decompression format means that games won’t get any of these DirectStorage benefits “for free”- game developers will have to work hard to implement them. But despite Nvidia’s contribution, GDeflate will run equally well on AMD and Intel GPUs. Microsoft says it’s working with all three companies to make sure their drivers support GDeflate and DirectStorage 1.1.

The system requirements for DirectStorage 1.1 are pretty free. Microsoft says the feature will work on Windows 10 or 11, requires absolutely no specific storage type, and will work on any DirectX 12 capable GPU that supports Shader Model 6, which should cover the vast majority of Nvidia, AMD, and Intel GPUs issued within the last four or five years. But for best results, the company recommends Windows 11, an NVMe SSD, and the newer DirectX 12 Ultimate GPU (of which your SSD’s speed will matter the most).