The DirectStorage API Microsoft's were built for one specific goal: to reduce CPU load when it comes to transferring data from the NVMe SSD, saving valuable clock cycles for other workloads. To do this, the APIs send large amounts of I / O requests in parallel with minimal intervention from the operating system to reduce CPU load and overhead per request. This gives applications finer control over when they receive notifications about the completion of I / O requests, rather than having to respond to each one individually. Since Microsoft controls the feature set of its Xbox Series X console, integrating DirectStorage on this system was pretty straightforward. But PCs use varied components, so adding DirectStorage support to Windows 10 systems takes more time, design, and testing.
The Redmond company has yet to officially disclose DirectStorage hardware requirements. However, a software developer who attended a presentation, and even shared some slides, said in a Reddit post that the new APIs will be supported by all DirectX 12 compatible GPUs and SSDs on a PCIe 3.0 interface. Unfortunately, it is currently unclear whether all versions of the NVMe protocol will be supported or whether SSDs will have to offer specific performance (e.g. a certain minimum read and / or write speed).
DirectStorage support on Windows 10 will significantly improve storage performance and reduce loading times in games that support these APIs (certainly those that are already optimized for Xbox Series X now). At present, however, we just have to wait for more official information from Microsoft.
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