Microsoft DirectX engineers announced Advanced Shader Delivery technology at a recent presentation. The feature debuts on ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X handhelds launching October 16 at $549.99 and $899.99. Regular PC users will receive access later through a dedicated AgilitySDK releasing next month. Game developers can integrate this functionality into new and existing titles. Xbox and AMD collaborated on the development process.
Advanced Shader Delivery targets shader stuttering problems that frustrate PC gamers. The system precompiles shader data and distributes it during game downloads through the Xbox PC app. Obsidian Entertainment's Avowed demonstrated 85 percent faster launch times during testing. Players experience quicker game startup while preserving battery life on portable devices. The technology separates shader compilation from graphics drivers for improved efficiency.
The process creates State Object Database files that combine with cloud-based compilers to generate Precompiled Shader Database packages. Xbox Store distributes these packages alongside games to supplement existing shader caches. Games detect available shaders and skip device compilation steps during first launches. Driver updates automatically trigger shader cache refreshes. Currently the feature works exclusively with Xbox app titles rather than Steam or other platforms.
Advanced Shader Delivery targets shader stuttering problems that frustrate PC gamers. The system precompiles shader data and distributes it during game downloads through the Xbox PC app. Obsidian Entertainment's Avowed demonstrated 85 percent faster launch times during testing. Players experience quicker game startup while preserving battery life on portable devices. The technology separates shader compilation from graphics drivers for improved efficiency.
The process creates State Object Database files that combine with cloud-based compilers to generate Precompiled Shader Database packages. Xbox Store distributes these packages alongside games to supplement existing shader caches. Games detect available shaders and skip device compilation steps during first launches. Driver updates automatically trigger shader cache refreshes. Currently the feature works exclusively with Xbox app titles rather than Steam or other platforms.
