Microsoft DirectStorage API Available, but Without GPU-accelerated Decompression

[Chomiq]

It's called legacy.

Also known as "leftover trash".

 

[wolf]

The only difference between a 2000 or 3000 series and a 1600 series is RT support.
Mesh shaders, variable rate shaders, every other aspect of D3D12U is included, so denying support would be a dick move.

While I can fully appreciate that, and that the parts of the spec that are necessary for Direct storage may all be present, it's not a DX12U GPU, and as such I wouldn't hold my breath expecting it to get support.

Dick move or not is up for anyone to decide for themselves, but I see it as no obligation to give support at all. I'd go into this expecting no support, and if it comes, bonus. Rather than expecting it, and if not, dick move.

 

[bug]

The big part of it (DS API) gets delayed, not acceptable really. Besides there should be no concern about misusing GPU/not being available for rendering of said content because it's mainly loaded before showing anything (game level) on the screen except for game lobby so to speak.

This is about huge textures that aren't preloaded, but are streamed from storage during gameplay.

 

[pavle]

bug: This is about huge textures that aren't preloaded, but are streamed from storage during gameplay.

In the that case they are simply advertising a solution that has not enough benefits over an existing one and probably better not to have in such a half-baked state.

 

[bug]

In the that case they are simply advertising a solution that has not enough benefits over an existing one and probably better not to have in such a half-baked state.

Yeah, it feels like something migrated from consoles. Looks more like a solution looking for a problem on the desktop atm, honestly.

 

[looniam]

FWIW after being curious and looking around

Forspoken Will Support Microsoft DirectStorage API Technology on PC

© Forspoken, the first game from Luminous Productions, will support the Microsoft DirectStorage API on PC. A summary of the upcoming GDC 2022 session confirmed the news, and also revealed that part of the session will be dedicated to highlighting the benefits that DirectStorage brings to the...

www.aroged.com

i guess we'll know if its meaningful (to whom) on 24 may .

 

[bug]

FWIW after being curious and looking around

Forspoken Will Support Microsoft DirectStorage API Technology on PC

© Forspoken, the first game from Luminous Productions, will support the Microsoft DirectStorage API on PC. A summary of the upcoming GDC 2022 session confirmed the news, and also revealed that part of the session will be dedicated to highlighting the benefits that DirectStorage brings to the...

www.aroged.com

i guess we'll know if its meaningful (to whom) on 24 may .

We won't. Not without the decompression part.
And even if somehow that was included in the meantime, the game must target Win10 to have an audience and DirectStorage is only supported in a basic form on Win10.

 

[Valantar]

Yeah, it feels like something migrated from consoles. Looks more like a solution looking for a problem on the desktop atm, honestly.

Xboxes have the decompression part though, so it's not "something migrated from consoles", it's just a half-baked, unfinished feature. There's definitely a problem for this to solve, but without accelerated decompression it just doesn't do so.

 

[ThrashZone]

They use Windows, a customised version, but still windows. And the last time I checked, Microsoft makes Windows. So again, why the years extra to bring a feature from XBox to PC, when the code is the same, and Windows 11 has zero excuse, as I could see maybe some API change or addition that has not been brought to Windows 10 yet, could hold things up. But I still don't get why this is so hard for Microsoft to do.

Totally agree with you saying MS is just being MS! This and the nGreedia arguments are the only ones I can see as a reason for the holdup.

Hi,
DX12 has always been a carrot on the stick for win-10 & xbox app and of course to sell more xbox's and now win-11
Not sure what nvidia has to do with dx12 besides make devices & drivers compatible.

 

[chrcoluk]

It sounds promising, but how will it affect GPU performance? Putting the burden of decompression on the GPU could take up resource best used elsewhere. Having said that, I wanna predict that IF ( big if ) this gains traction with developers, this could see a change in gpu architecture, down the road, to accommodate the extra load. Games today, more often, use close to 100% gpu cycles and memory, I gotta wonder how much memeory this api needs to be efficient and not interfere with game performance.

On the pother hand, it also makes me wonder if this will change how developers will use this with the existing environment. Will new games with this function use less resources or not.

This API could also mean no CPU bottle necks, but that doesnt mean developers wont still use the CPU.

It can but in my experience nearly all stutters in games are CPU bottlenecks. So I think this is a good move, but perhaps should be optional in games, so GPU bound players can disable it.

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Though all stuttering was because of ms gaming mode

 

[venturi]

So, for clarification, the way it was worded it seems tht the feature being enable is targeted to nvme drives, what about those of us that have much much faster drives in our pc than any nvme? Would we not receive the benefit? I'd hate to think its written that specifically.

 

[looniam]

So, for clarification, the way it was worded it seems tht the feature being enable is targeted to nvme drives, what about those of us that have much much faster drives in our pc than any nvme? Would we not receive the benefit? I'd hate to think its written that specifically.

DirectStorage is coming to PC - DirectX Developer Blog

Earlier this year, Microsoft showed the world how the Xbox Series X, with its portfolio of technology innovations, will introduce a new era of no-compromise gameplay. Alongside the actual console announcements, we unveiled the Xbox Velocity Architecture, a key part of how the Xbox Series X will...

devblogs.microsoft.com

NVMe devices are not only extremely high bandwidth SSD based devices, but they also have hardware data access pipes called NVMe queues which are particularly suited to gaming workloads. To get data off the drive, an OS submits a request to the drive and data is delivered to the app via these queues. An NVMe device can have multiple queues and each queue can contain many requests at a time. This is a perfect match to the parallel and batched nature of modern gaming workloads. The DirectStorage programming model essentially gives developers direct control over that highly optimized hardware.

TLDR: it is specific because of bottlenecks w/o queue depth.

 

[Valantar]

Hi,
DX12 has always been a carrot on the stick for win-10 & xbox app and of course to sell more xbox's and now win-11
Not sure what nvidia has to do with dx12 besides make devices & drivers compatible.

How does DX12 sell more Xboxes? If anything, its existence across the Xbox and PC makes it easier to port Xbox games to PC - and the other way, of course. I doubt a few previously PC exclusive games on Xbox will sell a meaningfully higher amount of consoles.

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
DX12 has always been a carrot on the stick for win-10 & xbox app and of course to sell more xbox's and now win-11
Not sure what nvidia has to do with dx12 besides make devices & drivers compatible.

How does DX12 sell more Xboxes? If anything, its existence across the Xbox and PC makes it easier to port Xbox games to PC - and the other way, of course.

I doubt a few previously PC exclusive games on Xbox will sell a meaningfully higher amount of consoles.

Hi,
Pretty much a carrot on a stick combo plate xbox's are just another ms money maker.

Well if ms had tried to sell dx12 like you did nobody would of cared though lol

 

[venturi]

DirectStorage is coming to PC - DirectX Developer Blog

Earlier this year, Microsoft showed the world how the Xbox Series X, with its portfolio of technology innovations, will introduce a new era of no-compromise gameplay. Alongside the actual console announcements, we unveiled the Xbox Velocity Architecture, a key part of how the Xbox Series X will...

devblogs.microsoft.com

TLDR: it is specific because of bottlenecks w/o queue depth.

possibly, but I get 50Gb/s out of my micron 9300 vroc.

 

[Valantar]

Hi,
Pretty much a carrot on a stick combo plate xbox's are just another ms money maker.

Well if ms had tried to sell dx12 like you did nobody would of cared though lol

It's an API. It doesn't need "selling", it needs to provide useful functions and good performance while being easy to use. In regards to which it is reportedly pretty good.

But again: despite what you put in bold, you also said "and to sell more Xboxes". Hence the question: how does DX12 do that? Framing the relationship between DX12 and Xbox as one helping sell the other is... well, to me it doesn't make sense. It's like saying NTFS exists to sell Windows.

 

[ThrashZone]

It's an API. It doesn't need "selling", it needs to provide useful functions and good performance while being easy to use. In regards to which it is reportedly pretty good.

But again: despite what you put in bold, you also said "and to sell more Xboxes". Hence the question: how does DX12 do that? Framing the relationship between DX12 and Xbox as one helping sell the other is... well, to me it doesn't make sense. It's like saying NTFS exists to sell Windows.

Hi,
Scalpers got majority of the consoles so I'm not seeing why you brought that part up frankly.

 

[Valantar]

Hi,
Scalpers got majority of the consoles so I'm not seeing why you brought that part up frankly.

Because you said it, and I wondered about your reasoning as it didn't make sense to me? Is it so strange for someone to ask you to explain the reasoning behind your statements?

 

[ThrashZone]

Because you said it, and I wondered about your reasoning as it didn't make sense to me? Is it so strange for someone to ask you to explain the reasoning behind your statements?

Hi,
As I said before xbox is a money maker for ms and xbox/ xbox app win-10 now 11 have been selling/ upgrading perks for dx12/ direct storage/..
Seems like an accurate statement to me seeing I remember the sells pitches.

Not my fault ms doesn't utilize it much

 

[DeathtoGnomes]

provide useful functions and good performance

gamers only care about performance, developers care about functions.

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Performance improvements being the carrot on the stick for the rabbit gamers.

 

[DeathtoGnomes]

Hi,
Performance improvements being the carrot on the stick for the rabbit gamers.

I wouldnt say this either, but its close yea. like was said we'll have to wait and see.

 

[looniam]

possibly, but I get 50Gb/s out of my micron 9300 vroc.

and that a nvme drive.

 

[DeathtoGnomes]

It's like saying NTFS exists to sell Windows.

what! it does!