- DirectStorage is now available on Windows 11.
- The feature makes games assets load faster on computers.
- Currently, there are no games that can take advantage of DirectStorage.
Microsoft finally delivers the DirectStorage feature for Windows 11. DirectStoratge is a new technology that allows games assets to load faster from NVMe drives to the graphics card without bugging down the processor for decompression.
According to the company, DirectStorage is available now as an Application Programming Interface (API) through the public Software Development Kit (SDK) to begin “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.”
In addition, the feature is not only compatible with Windows 11, but Microsoft is also bringing the support to Windows 10 users.
Although this is an excellent feature to improve the gaming experience on PC, it’s up to developers to implement this technology into their games. And at the time of this writing, there are no games that can take advantage of DirectStorage.
If the time comes new or existing games get support for DirectStorage, you do not need to enable the feature manually. As long as the device has the required hardware, the game will automatically take advantage of the feature.
The feature isn’t entirely new. DirectStorage is part of DirectX 12 available on Xbox Series X and S consoles that improves the gaming loading times on Solid-State Drives (SSDs) using the graphics card’s power instead of the processor. However, now this technology is available on Windows 11 as well as on Windows 10.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].