Microsoft DirectStorage API will support Windows 10 too

The biggest shocker of Microsoft's Windows 11 reveal was that the new operating system will only run on newer computers. PCs with a processor from a generation that's deemed too old or without TPM 2.0 support will not be able to run Windows 11. The implication here is that millions of devices will have to stick it out with Windows 10. The latter will receive support until October 14, 2025.

Windows 10 gets more than just security updates

Later this year, Windows 10 will get the 21H2 Update, which will add a couple of minor new features. Now the good news is that Microsoft is preparing more new features for Windows 10, including support for DirectStorage! This is a technique that promises to optimize I/O and result in much faster loading video games, with more detailed, expansive worlds.

Earlier this month, it was believed that DirectStorage would be a Windows 11 exclusive. Fortunately, this is not true. HotHardware writes there's already a DirectStorage Developer Preview with support for Windows 10 version 1909 and newer.

Over the years, as games became more advanced, so too did the graphics, leading to longer load times and other issues. However, thanks to SSD and PCIe technology developments, gaming PCs can have storage solutions that offer significantly more bandwidth than previously possible with legacy hard drives. However, these modern games also generate a plethora of I/O requests that can bog down modern storage, as existing APIs “require the application to manage and handle each of these requests one at a time first by submitting the request, waiting for it to complete, and then handling its completion.”

It will be interesting to see some benchmarks. According to Microsoft, Windows 11 will still be better because it has additional storage stack optimizations.