Windows 11: This Might Be The Reason To Make You Switch

Despite features like game mode, auto HDR, and more, many gamers still use Windows 10 instead of Windows 11. About 30 percent of GameStar readers have migrated to Windows 11, according to our survey in January. Currently, as high as 65 percent adhere to Windows 10. If you look at the comments, many of you will read that there is no good reason for gamers to change their operating system.

For example, one Gameinfo24 reader writes: Windows 11 is out of the question for me unless it’s a requirement for the games I want to play. If you have a similar opinion, Microsoft will soon give you a good reason to upgrade to the new operating system.

And it’s called DirectStorage. The technology, first used in Xbox Series X, provides more efficient communication between data storage and graphics unit. This provides faster load times and relaxes the processor.

Yes, the technology also works with Windows 10, but DirectStorage is said to work much better in collaboration with Windows 11 and an NVMe SSD. Cooper Partin, a senior software engineer at Microsoft, told Tweak Town magazine. There it says:

“DirectStorage was developed for modern gaming systems. It handles smaller reads more efficiently and you can group multiple requests together. When fully integrated into your headset, DirectStorage with NVMe SSD in Windows 11 reduces in-game CPU load by 20-40%. This is attributed to the advances made in the file IO stack in Windows 11 and improvements to this platform in general.”

The combination of Windows 11, an NVMe SSD, and DirectStorage can free up your CPU by 20 to 40 percent. This frees up computing power that developers can use for other purposes. For example, they can use it to create larger and more vibrant game worlds.

DirectStorage can also drastically reduce load times

The first game to use the technology, Forspoken, will be released on October 11, 2022. There was a first demo at the Game Developers Conference recently. Here, the developers also demonstrated the effects of DirectStorage on load times.

So the goal was to reduce the average load time from about 10 seconds to just one second. As reported by PC Gamer, a scene with an M.2 SSD can actually load in just 1.9 seconds. Another scene was only slightly longer, i.e. 2.2 seconds.

One major drawback of DirectStorage is that it simply doesn’t work with all games. Developers need to add it to their games so you can take advantage of it later. As such, it will likely take some time for Windows 11 gamers to truly take advantage of the technology.