Decompression

Microsoft released DirectStorage 1.1 this week and its biggest feature is GPU decompression for Windows. The new feature promises to improve load times on PC.Here's how it works. When you download a game, all the assets have been compressed for ready them for distribution. When you launch the game, the assets get decompressed for presentation during play. This can take time, as the decompression goes from storage to the central processing unit to the graphics card. As Cassie Hoef, a senior programmer at…

Microsoft is releasing DirectStorage 1.1 this week, and the biggest new addition is GPU decompression for Windows PC games. GPU decompression is the next natural step in an industry-wide effort to improve game load times on modern PCs. Microsoft originally launched DirectStorage earlier this year, but developers have been calling out for GPU decompression support, and it now arrives with DirectStorage 1.1 this week.GPU decompression works by offloading the work needed to decompress assets in games to the graphics card…

Microsoft is bringing GPU decompression to Windows PC games soon. After launching DirectStorage earlier this year, GPU decompression promises to be the next step in the ongoing effort to improve game load times on PCs. Microsoft says it’s “one of our most highly requested features” from game developers.GPU decompression works by offloading the work needed to decompress assets in games to the graphics card instead of the CPU. Modern games include massive amounts of assets like characters, landscapes, and objects that are…