DirectStorage won't be a Windows 11 exclusive after all
Microsoft revealed new gaming features for its Xbox consoles back in September 2020. DirectX 12 Ultimate would be coming to the system as well as the new DirectStorage API. The API, designed to "vastly reduce load times" of games, would also come to Windows PCs.
In June 2020, Microsoft revealed that DirectStorage will be a Windows 11 exclusive. Windows 11 is Microsoft's next version of Windows, which the company plans to make available later this year (a leak suggests in October 2021).
Now, one month later, Microsoft appears to have had a change of heart. On its DirectX developer blog, Microsoft confirms that DirectStorage will also be supported by its Windows 10 operating system.
Microsoft is committed to ensuring that when game developers adopt a new API, they can reach as many gamers as possible. As such, games built against the DirectStorage SDK will be compatible with Windows 10, version 1909 and up; the same as the DirectX 12 Agility SDK.
DirectStorage will be supported by Windows 10 version 1909 and later. Microsoft notes that Windows 11 was designed with DirectStorage in mind, and that some optimizations are only available for devices running Windows 11.
