Microsoft DirectStorage 1.4: Faster Load Times and Improved Asset Streaming

Microsoft has just launched its latest DirectStorage 1.4 update, designed to improve game asset streaming. This update introduces Zstandard (Zstd) compression and decompression technology, promising faster game loading times and smoother asset streaming. DirectStorage was originally created in DirectX 12 to maximize the benefits of NVMe SSDs, ensuring that game assets load quickly for powerful consumer GPUs. By cutting out the CPU middleman in the asset streaming process, DirectStorage eliminates delays and latencies that were previously experienced.

In addition, Microsoft has developed the Game Asset Conditioning Library (GACL), a companion tool for developers to run on assets before a game is released. GACL helps make textures more compressible, allowing Zstd to compress files up to 50% more effectively. Through techniques like shuffling and entropy reduction, GACL optimizes the asset conditioning process without affecting perceptual quality. Developers don’t need to worry about these transformations during runtime, as DirectStorage seamlessly reverses them when assets are decompressed for the GPU.

This latest public preview of DirectStorage 1.4 offers support for BC1, BC3, BC4, and BC5 textures, with upcoming support for BC7 textures and additional performance enhancements in future releases. While the adoption of DirectStorage may be slow, this new update offers promising possibilities for faster load times and improved asset streaming in gaming.