According to previous demonstrations, Microsoft's DirectStorage API shows great potential, and these demonstrations show that the technology is significantly ahead of the old version of Win32 in performance. Forspoken was the first game to announce support for the next-generation storage API, delivering up to 70% performance improvements in some scenarios. Once again, however, the game was delayed, so the wait for DirectStorage to arrive became longer.
However, there is also some positive news surrounding the technology. Recently, during the "Ask Unreal Anything" Q&A session, Brian Karis, a graphics engineering researcher at Epic Games, confirmed that Unreal Engine 5 (UE5) will have Microsoft DirectStorage support.
Although no specific time was given during this period, Karis did provide ideas on how the technology could help shape UE5 and the next generation of games based on it. He explained that DirectStorage can help with virtual textures (VT) once the next-generation storage API is properly supported by Nanite, Unreal Engine 5's virtualized geometry system. Also, although not required, the UE5 documentation on Nanite also recommends using VT with the next-generation geometry Nanite implementation.
"Question: Are there plans to integrate DirectStorage directly into the engine?
Answer: Yes, although I cannot comment on when. Nanite and VT will use it first when the UE filesystem is well supported by DirectStorage. "
From the demos so far, Unreal Engine 5 is impressive, coupled with Microsoft DirectStorage's vastly improved I/O throughput and more, the two can continue to be a match made in heaven.