Microsoft DirectStorage Walled Off from Windows 10, Now Needs Windows 11 and DirectX 12 Ultimate GPU

[W1zzard]

I was under the impression directstorage didn't increase install sizes at all

That's what I thought, too. Maybe in the long term devs will be tempted to ship more data because it can be loaded so quickly and isn't as constrained by VRAM

Maybe the compression is slightly worse than the zlib that typical games use, doubt it.

if anything it meant texture packs could be smaller as the latency to access each texture in a scene is minimal

Could you elaborate how you think latency affects size?

 

[_Flare]

Regarding DirectStorage there is no exact communicated answer for minimum requirement.
Some official info says Win11 + NVMe PCIe3.0 1TB or more + ShaderModel6 ... but sometimes DX12 Ultimate is communicated as if it was minimum requirement.
also resizeableBAR was never mentioned in any DirectStorage context and is not needed

Microsoft really needs to clarify this whole deal.

 

[Mussels]

I was under the impression directstorage didn't increase install sizes at all; if anything it meant texture packs could be smaller as the latency to access each texture in a scene is minimal by comparison to a mechanical drive (given directstorage mandates NAND storage) .

Have we ever given devs more powerful hardware and been rewarded with optimisation, or have they got lazy and thrown worse code at us since it now runs fine?

 

[_Flare]

That's what I thought, too. Maybe in the long term devs will be tempted to ship more data because it can be loaded so quickly and isn't as constrained by VRAM

Maybe the compression is slightly worse than the zlib that typical games use, doubt it.


Could you elaborate how you think latency affects size?

In some early Livestream it was communicated, that discsize and memory needed at runtime can be less, because of nomore or more seldom used redundant data to reduce hickups otherwise caused by slow drives or pre-directstorage communication

 

[BSim500]

Kind of like how "DX12 would never work on W7", until support was quietly added?...

 

[W1zzard]

because of nomore or more seldom used redundant data to reduce hickups

So they are saying that developers included significant amounts of duplicate data in their games, to reduce disk seeks? I find that very hard to believe.

Assuming a HDD that reads at 200 MB/s, with a seek time of 10 ms, a seek "costs" 2 MB. Once the data is in memory access to it is constant-cost

memory needed at runtime can be less

that is very plausible, because you can load stuff from disk very fast, so you can aggressively garbage collect in memory

 

[Devastator0]

Wait, so I would have to downgrade to Microsoft's Standard NVM Express Controller driver to use this too, on my Samsung SSD's, that without their nVME driver, would perform way worse? wow, just the stupidity of this alongside MS really forcing the MS Account requirement.

 

[Deeveo]

Wait, so I would have to downgrade to Microsoft's Standard NVM Express Controller driver to use this too, on my Samsung SSD's, that without their nVME driver, would perform way worse? wow, just the stupidity of this alongside MS really forcing the MS Account requirement.

Obviously the NVME driver needs to support DirectStorage, maybe Samsung can just make a new (updated) driver to add support for this. Lets wait and see on this one, I'm sure lot of these will get clarified when we get more info as the actual release gets closer.

Also the 1TB drive and DX12 ultimate requirement seems to have been removed from DirectStorage requirements.

• DirectStorage requires an NVMe SSD to store and run games that use the "Standard NVM Express Controller" driver and a DirectX12 GPU with Shader Model 6.0 support.

Windows 11 Specifications - Microsoft

 

[Chrispy_]

Ugh, not this bullshit again... :|

 

[TheoneandonlyMrK]

It's not the first time that MS restricts from it's current operating system something that can easily support in favor of a new version of it's operating system. It's stupid, they have done it a numerous times, but on the other hand they can't just sell a new UI interface as a new OS. They have to at least pretend that the new version brings something that the old version can not provide.

Exactly, it's to be expected, not that I like it mind.
But they have to nudge us on somehow.

 

[_Flare]

So they are saying that developers included significant amounts of duplicate data in their games, to reduce disk seeks? I find that very hard to believe.

Assuming a HDD that reads at 200 MB/s, with a seek time of 10 ms, a seek "costs" 2 MB. Once the data is in memory access to it is constant-cost


that is very plausible, because you can load stuff from disk very fast, so you can aggressively garbage collect in memory

The wrapped and compressed data on disk is held as small as possible, but there are dublicates to reduce loadtimes, i don´t remember it exactly but the assets are in chunks and those need dublicates of some data of other related chunks, so they dont need to load the other chunk(s) too ... something like that
im searching right now be kind im no wizzard

 

[TriCyclops]

Wait, what?

Why?!

WHO???!!

 

[ThrashZone]

In theory Shader Model 6.0 is supported all the way back to GCN 1 and Kepler.

Just take M$ requirements with an ocean of salt. As usual they have trouble distinguishing their rear end from their mouth.
The support CPU list are even more entertaining.
For whatever black magic, Zen1 and Skylake CPUs are not supported, while Zen APUs and Zen+ also Coffelake are.
There are no practical difference in the ISA of Zen and Zen+ or between SkyLake/KabyLake/CoffeeLake.

Hi,
Yeah thought it was funny not to see skylake-x listed at all my poor 9940x was crying lol

As far as direct storage... well I can live without it.

 

[_Flare]

 

[Mussels]

Wait, what?

Why?!

WHO???!!

I'll do ya one better: When


And look, if W11 wont slow to a crawl when i try and copy a few hundred or thousand tiny files around, that'd be awesome

 

[qubit]

This sounds similar to the feature implemented in the PS5.

My 2700K is really showing its age now and in fact, the W11 check tool said that it couldn't run it, although it didn't explain why. I suspect that it's due to the lack of the TPM chip as that was the only thing that didn't match the requirements. Looks like I have to upgrade my system just to keep up with the latest OS, never mind performance.

 

[ZoneDymo]

Kind of like how "DX12 would never work on W7", until support was quietly added?...

"RTX Voice needs an RTX card to work"

 

[Zubasa]

Hi,
Yeah thought it was funny not to see skylake-x listed at all my poor 9940x was crying lol

As far as direct storage... well I can live without it.

Especially when the 10980XE is listed. Again practically the same CPU as 9980XE or 7980XE.
Also the Skylake-X Xeons are listed.

 

[ratirt]

I believe MS is holding their users ransom by forcing them to adopt Windows 11 just to get the DirectStorage feature. The difference between the 2 boils down to simply just a new lipstick on the pig, so there is not reason why the same features on Win 11 cannot be enabled in Win 10.

You are not forced to use the DirectStorage if you don't want and thus nobody is forcing you to go win 11. I see it in a different way though. Windows 11 has to offer something more than 10 and thus the DirectStorage kicks in here.

 

[XiGMAKiD]

Soo you just have to upgrade your GPU in order to use this feature in addition of buying a nice 1TB NVMe SSD, not to mention upgrading your whole system to support TPM to use Windows 11? A very expensive requirement but I don't see anything wrong with that, all you have to do is install Linux and call it a day.

 

[zlobby]

Thank God it's not also dependant on the Moon phases...

You are not forced to use the DirectStorage if you don't want and thus nobody is forcing you to go win 11. I see it in a different way though. Windows 11 has to offer something more than 10 and thus the DirectStorage kicks in here.

If so, then why don't they lower the requirements in order to incentivize the adoption?

 

[ViperXTR]

rip my NVME 500GB then

 

[TumbleGeorge]

Don't be angry just make jump from W10 to W12. W11 is garbage, complete from new and second hand parts like W10. Yes in W11 new parts is little more than new parts in W10 but...When come WXX without any presence of win16, win32, win44 or something and all winXX is 64(or more) that will be new windows.

Yes this is non professional comment, hate me!

 

[jardows]

Thank God it's not also dependant on the Moon phases...


If so, then why don't they lower the requirements in order to incentivize the adoption?

Kinda like how so many computer were made with the bare minimum for running Windows Vista, then ran horribly? You want new software technology on old hardware? Sure, go right ahead.

 

[Aretak]

This sounds similar to the feature implemented in the PS5.

My 2700K is really showing its age now and in fact, the W11 check tool said that it couldn't run it, although it didn't explain why. I suspect that it's due to the lack of the TPM chip as that was the only thing that didn't match the requirements. Looks like I have to upgrade my system just to keep up with the latest OS, never mind performance.

See if your motherboard has a TPM header that would allow you to add a hardware module. Cheaper than buying a full new system if it does. There's still not much that an overclocked 2700K can't do, artificial roadblocks aside. The e-waste that's going to be created through forcing people into upgrades that they have zero need for is going to be insane.