- DirectStorage 1.1 to bring GPU decompression feature to Windows 11 and 10.
- The feature will speed up asset decompression, boosting gaming performance.
- GPU decompression will be available this year for developers.
After announcing DirtectStorage several months ago, Microsoft is gearing up to release version 1.1 with GPU decompression to improve game load times on Windows 11 and 10.
In gaming, GPU decompression is the process of letting the graphics card decompress the game assets instead of the main computer’s processor. Since new games pack many large assets, such as landscapes, characters, and other objects need to be compressed to reduce the size for easier delivery over the internet or physical media.
Up until recently, the decompression work was done by the CPU, but DirectStorage 1.1 allows moving this task to the GPU, significantly reducing the time it takes to load games and move from world to world.
According to Microsoft, offloading the decompression of assets to the GPU can boost gaming performance as much as three times. This is because it allows the CPU to take care of other game processes.
DirectStorage 1.1 with GPU decompression is expected to become available for developers before the end of the year, and eventually, the company plans to bring the technology to Windows 11 and its predecessor, Windows 10. However, since Windows 11 gets some additional optimizations in the IO stack, the boost in gaming performance will be more noticeable on devices running Windows 11.
In addition to Microsoft making available DirectStorage 1.1, developers still have to optimize their games to make use of GPU decompression, and graphics card manufacturers have to release new versions of their drivers to make it all work.