Microsoft made its Advanced Shader Delivery infrastructure, which significantly shortens the first loading times of games, available to all users via the Xbox PC application. This system, which could previously only be tested by Xbox Insider members, is now available for general use.

The system performs the shader compilation process that must be done when opening games directly via the cloud instead of the device’s hardware. Thanks to this formula, it is aimed to prevent long waiting times and momentary lags encountered during the first opening of the games.

Fast Start with Advanced Shader Delivery

The technology developed by the DirectX team compiles the shader data before downloading the game and presents it to the players in a ready-made form. Tests conducted on Avowed, developed by Obsidian Entertainment, show that the system improves the first boot time by 85 percent. In productions such as Forza Horizon 6, thanks to this technology, the loading time can be reduced from 1.5 minutes to 4 seconds.

With this infrastructure, Microsoft aims to solve the first boot freezes, which is one of the biggest problems that PC gamers have experienced for years. Compiling and caching shaders in advance ensures that the gaming experience is fluid from the first moment.

Broad Support for AMD Graphics Cards

Advanced Shader Delivery infrastructure is now supported on all graphics cards with AMD’s RDNA 1, RDNA 2, RDNA 3, RDNA 3.5 and RDNA 4 architecture. This expanded base allows more players to benefit from the technology.

To use the system, Windows 11 24H2 or a newer version must be installed. In addition, keeping Xbox Gaming Services 37.113.11003.0 and AMD Adrenalin 26.6.1 versions up to date is among the conditions. Well-known titles such as Forza Horizon 5, Starfield, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl, The Outer Worlds 2, Ninja Gaiden 4 and Silent Hill are among the games that support this technology.

How much do you think this new infrastructure will change your gaming experience?