Microsoft Launches DirectX Advanced Shader Delivery to Eliminate Shader Stuttering Issues

Microsoft Introduces Advanced Shader Delivery to Enhance Gaming Performance

In an exciting development for gamers, Microsoft’s DirectX team has just launched a groundbreaking feature known as Advanced Shader Delivery. Set to initially appear on the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X handheld gaming devices, which are scheduled to hit the market on October 16 at prices of $549.99 and $899.99 respectively, this feature aims to eventually benefit PC users as well. Beginning next month, a specialized AgilitySDK will become available for game developers, empowering them to incorporate this innovative functionality into both new releases and existing titles.

Tackling Shader Stuttering: A Gamer’s Challenge

The primary objective of Advanced Shader Delivery, a collaboration with Xbox and AMD, is to combat one of the most frustrating issues plaguing PC gamers: shader stuttering. The DirectX team explained:

We have partnered with teams across Xbox and at AMD to precompile this data and distribute it at download time for key titles via the Xbox PC app. This approach not only gets you into your games faster but also prevents most instances of stutter that cause performance issues. For example, in Obsidian Entertainment’s Avowed, our engineering teams observed launch times reduced by as much as 85%.This means you’re playing your game faster, and your battery life is dedicated to gameplay instead of compiling.

How Does Advanced Shader Delivery Work?

The Advanced Shader Delivery feature employs an innovative technique to gather shader data from various games and packages it into a new, standardized format known as a State Object Database (SODB).The architecture allows for the separation of the shader compiler from the graphics driver while consolidating the game data in the SODB with the cloud-based compiler, resulting in a Precompiled Shader Database (PSDB).

This PSDB can be distributed alongside games through the Xbox Store, enhancing the shader cache. When a game is launched for the first time, it discovers that all essential shaders are already prepared in a Windows cache, thus bypassing the compilation process on the gaming device. Furthermore, if a device receives a driver update, the application will detect this change and automatically refresh the shader cache.

Diagram explaining Advanced Shader Delivery

Limitations and Future Prospects

Initially, it’s important to note that Advanced Shader Delivery will function exclusively with titles available through the Xbox app, meaning platforms like Steam, the Epic Games Store, GOG, and Ubisoft Connect are not included at this stage. However, there is potential for other storefronts to adopt this feature through the forthcoming AgilitySDK.

As we await the full rollout, it will be fascinating to observe whether Advanced Shader Delivery effectively mitigates shader stuttering in PC gaming, ushering in a new era of performance and enhanced user experience.

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