Microsoft brings DirectStorage APIs to Windows PCs

mood · Sep 2, 2020

Microsoft brings DirectStorage APIs to Windows PCs
September 1, 2020
https://mspoweruser.com/microsoft-brings-directstorage-apis-to-windows-pcs/

Back in March, Microsoft revealed Xbox Velocity Architecture, a new architecture that brings advanced capabilities to Xbox Series X game console. Xbox Velocity Architecture consists of four components: a custom NVMe SSD, a dedicated hardware decompression block, the all new DirectStorage API, and Sampler Feedback Streaming (SFS). All these four components work together to improve available memory and asset streaming for developers.

Microsoft today announced that DirectStorage APIs are coming to Windows PCs. With this availability, DirectStorage enables best-in-class IO tech to both PC and console. Just like in Xbox Series X, games in DirectStorage supported PCs will have vastly reduced load times.

There are two primary areas this new API is going to improve: reducing frustratingly long load times of the past and enabling games to be more detailed and expansive than ever.
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Microsoft is planning to bring development preview of DirectStorage for game developers next year and it is already working with partners right now to finish designing/building the API and its supporting components.
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Microsoft: DirectStorage is coming to PC

We’re excited to bring DirectStorage, an API in the DirectX family originally designed for the Velocity Architecture to Windows PCs! DirectStorage will bring best-in-class IO tech to both PC and console just as DirectX 12 Ultimate does with rendering tech.

In this blog post, we’re going to give gaming enthusiasts more details on how it’s going to work and how it will revolutionize PC gaming. [...]
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Why NVMe?
An NVMe device can have multiple queues and each queue can contain many requests at a time. This is a perfect match to the parallel and batched nature of modern gaming workloads. The DirectStorage programming model essentially gives developers direct control over that highly optimized hardware.

With a supported NVMe drive and properly configured gaming machine, DirectStorage will be able to detect up front that these extra steps are not required and skip all the necessary checks/operations making every IO request cheaper to fulfill.
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xxJackxx · Sep 2, 2020

Sounds good but I am assuming that proprietary hardware will be required.

mood · Jun 26, 2021

Xbox’s DirectStorage API will speed up gaming PCs on Windows 11 only
June 24, 2021
https://www.pcgamesn.com/windows-11/directstorage-api

Microsoft has finally debuted Windows 11, and it’s not just packing auto HDR and native Android apps. The long-teased DirectStorage API that’s meant to cut down loading times on gaming PCs much in the same way the Xbox Velocity Architecture speeds things up on Microsoft’s consoles is on its way, and it won’t be coming to Windows 10 like we originally thought.

The Windows 11 exclusive feature improves communication between your storage device and graphics card, allowing assets to load quicker without having to pass through the CPU first. Naturally, this means more time spent gaming and less time reading the same hints as you move from area to area.
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It’ll work best with systems that are dubbed ‘DirectStorage Optimised’, containing the right hardware and drivers for the job. If you’re more of the DIY type that prefers to build the best gaming PC yourself, requirements demand an NVMe SSD with 1TB of storage or more.
[...] DirectStorage will still work with older standards like the third generation PCIe 3.0 – you won’t have much luck with 2.5-inch SATA drives, though.

DirectStorage will only work with games built using DirectX 12, so there’s no telling how many titles will support the feature when you upgrade to Windows 11 for free later this year.
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mood · Jul 19, 2021

Windows 11's DirectStorage tech is being enabled in Windows 10
Microsoft wants to help developers reach as many gamers as possible
July 19, 2021
https://www.techspot.com/news/90482-windows-11-directstorage-tech-enabled-windows-10.html

Why it matters: DirectStorage is one of several attractive features destined for Windows 11. Up until this point, we’d been led to believe that the tech, which was originally created for the Xbox Series X/S, would be a Windows 11 exclusive. As it turns out, that isn’t the case at all. It might not be as speedy as the Windows 11 implementation, but at least Microsoft is catering to its existing user base and developer partners.

Microsoft program manager Hassan Uraizee said the company is committed to ensuring that when developers adopt a new API, they can reach as many gamers as possible with it. As such, games built to utilize the DirectStorage SDK will also be compatible with Windows 10, version 1901 and newer, just like with the DirectX 12 Agility SDK.
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Microsoft’s DirectStorage tech is all about maximizing the performance of local storage by providing an enhanced link between storage and the GPU.
One notable difference between the implementation on Windows 10 and Windows 11 has to do with the storage stack. With Windows 11, DirectStorage will have access to an upgraded OS storage stack to unlock the tech’s full potential but on Windows 10, it’ll have to make use of the legacy OS storage stack.
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mood · Mar 14, 2022

DirectStorage API for Windows is now out, promising faster load times in games
March 14, 2022

Microsoft has announced that a DirectStorage API is now finally out for developers building games on Windows PCs. Coming nearly 2 years after it was first detailed, and after collecting feedback from a developer preview, the feature promises faster load times in games, and so much more (via Neowin.)

For developers and Microsoft's partners, this API has everything needed to bring a new model of I/O for games. Microsoft has a full list of benefits over on its blog, but it boils down to making games load much faster, enabling games to be more detailed and expansive, and reducing the volume on I/O operations. DirectStorage is also compatible with Windows 10 devices, too but Microsoft still says that Windows 11 is the "Best Windows ever for Gaming."
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The technology is similar to what's used on the Xbox Series X and uses parallelization to work, though best leveraged on NVMe SSDs. Developers can check out this webpage for downloads and all the SDKs.

As for what's next, Microsoft is hoping to work on GPU decompression. It's a feature a feature that will "give developers more control over resources and how hardware is leveraged," per the Redmond giant.
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Microsoft: DirectStorage API Now Available on PC

Starting today, Windows games can ship with DirectStorage. This public SDK release begins a new era of fast load times and detailed worlds in PC games by allowing developers to more fully utilize the speed of the latest storage devices.
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Microsoft brings DirectStorage APIs to Windows PCs

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