The company premieres Advanced Shader Delivery, a system designed to reduce loading times from the first startup.
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You’ve probably sat down to play on your PC, launched a title for the first time, and… surprise: you have to wait several minutes watching the “compiling shaders” bar crawl at a snail’s pace. This is a fairly common situation on PC, and one that even affects the fluidity of some console games.
Well, Microsoft wants to put all that behind us. The company has announced Advanced Shader Delivery, a technology developed in conjunction with DirectX and AMD that aims to eliminate those initial waits and get games up and running much faster from the first minute.
How this Microsoft innovation works
The trick is to prepare the work beforehand, before the game even reaches your hands. Instead of your PC or console having to “learn” on the fly how to handle lighting, textures, or physics, the data is compiled in the cloud and downloaded along with the game, ready to use. This way, the first time you open it, much of the process is already done.
This not only cuts down on loading times but also helps games run more stably, without those annoying hiccups that sometimes appeared in the middle of a game. Plus, the system updates automatically when you change drivers, so you won’t have to repeat the process every time.
Differences between the traditional system and Advanced Shader Delivery
| Stage | Traditional method (current) | Advanced Shader Delivery (new) |
|---|---|---|
| Game download | Only the executable and base files are downloaded. | The game is downloaded along with pre-compiled shaders from the cloud. |
| First launch | The game compiles shaders in real-time, causing long waits and potential hiccups. | The game uses the pre-prepared shaders directly, reducing loading times. |
| Initial gaming experience | Slow launches, prolonged loading, and micro-stuttering while playing. | Nearly instant loading and greater fluidity from the first game. |
| Driver updates | Forced shader recompilation, generating new waits. | The system automatically updates the shader cache with the new drivers. |
| Compatibility | Limited to local hardware in each compilation. | Scalable thanks to the cloud and compatible with titles on Xbox App, Windows 11, and ROG Xbox Ally. |
For now, Microsoft wants to debut this improvement with the portable ROG Xbox Ally and its Ally X version, but the plan is for it to eventually reach more titles and digital stores through the Agility SDK. A step forward that, if everything goes as promised, could put an end to those eternal waits that have given us so many headaches.
Founder and editor of SoloXboxOne and Generación Xbox. He is also one of the owners of the GX Group, Samsung Universe and the Reflotes forum. Adrian has reviewed over 200 games on the web and has an average score of 85 according to Opencritic. Among his expertise as a writer and analyst, he has interviewed Microsoft personalities and participated in private gaming events.
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