The hack’n slash Diablo 4 could receive a significant performance boost in the future. Behind the magic word “Direct Storage” lies a new technology that is supposed to improve loading times, especially performance.
In a conversation with PCGamer, Blizzard explained: “MS Direct Storage is currently not activated, but we plan to enable it in the future.”
For many gamers, this could mean a significant jump in performance. For a long time, Microsoft wanted to bring this potentially interesting feature for gamers only to Windows 11, but now Direct Storage is also expected to come to Windows 10.
But what is Direct Storage and why could gamers benefit in the long run?
Direct Storage benefits from fast SSDs
What is Direct Storage? When decompressing certain data, the processor (CPU) is especially busy. Direct Storage hands this task over to the graphics card (GPU), which can handle this task much faster. Instead of moving the data between the processor and RAM, the GPU can use its significantly faster video memory.
In combination with a fast NVME SSD, loading times are supposed to be reduced by around 40 percent.
In simple terms: Thanks to Direct Storage, your games load significantly faster – both at startup and in cutscenes and similar scenarios, as these can be calculated (rendered) much faster. Furthermore, the processor is not burdened as much, resulting in less heat generation.
Btw, Direct Storage benefits both PC gamers and gamers on Xbox. Both the console and the PC can use Direct Storage.
Can you try Direct Storage already? Since January 2023, Direct Storage has been active in the controversial game Forspoken. Now Direct Storage is also expected to come to Diablo 4. This should lead to significantly shorter loading times and could reduce latency to a minimum. In Forspoken, loading times are reduced by 15 to 30% depending on the setup.
Interestingly, DirectStorage 1.2 even supports old hard drives (HDDs). For a long time, Microsoft stated that the true potential of Direct Storage could only be achieved with an SSD or NVMe.
Direct Storage activates itself on your computer without you needing to do much
Do I need to activate Direct Storage? No, you can do little yourself. Microsoft has already integrated DirectStorage directly into the DirectX API. Once the game developers activate the feature in their game, usually a single click and a game restart is enough to enable it.
Also advantageous: Windows will activate the technology automatically when all requirements are met. At that point, you will not need to do anything else except start your game that supports Direct Storage.
