The first developer preview for Microsoft’s DirectStorage API has revealed that the tech behind the Xbox Series X’s faster load times is also coming to Windows 10.
We already knew that Microsoft had plans to bring the application programming interface (API) that next-gen Xbox consoles use to speed up how they load games to Windows. However, XDA Developers notes that it was unclear if support would be available outside of Windows 11. Now, the launch of the first developer preview for that API on Windows also has revealed that Windows 10 will offer its own version of support for the tech.
The API is essentially the backbone of the Xbox Series X’s Xbox Velocity Architecture, which is used to increase loading times on games and other applications. Basically, it allows your system to read the data from the games much quicker, which lets the game run faster.
It does this by letting your drive handle more of the workload at the same time, while also letting the graphics card handle the decompression of the game data. Together, this lets your system pull data more quickly, so you aren’t stuck waiting for assets to load in a line. Instead, they’ll start to load together, which allows you to get into the game quicker.
The tech requires the use of an NVMe solid-state drive (SSD), as it’s essentially designed to take advantage of the higher bandwidth they provide over traditional SSDs and hard drives. Microsoft says developers only will need to implement the API one time for it to be supported across an entire game, which should make it easier to support in the future.
Additionally, any games that support the new API also will support computers without it, so users won’t have to worry about any compatibility issues.
Support for Microsoft DirectStorage will be available in the future, starting with Windows 10 version version 1909 and up.
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