DirectStorage will be coming to Diablo IV as Blizzard confirms files are already present in the game but it is still working on enabling it. Microsoft began rolling out the DirectStorage API to PC users some time ago but despite its ability to significantly decrease load times, it has largely gone unused. So far, the only other game to utilize it has been Forspoken which was reported to load in less than 2 seconds on PC. The developers for Diablo IV have told PC Gamer that while the feature is not enabled they are working on a future patch to turn it on.
Per PC Gamer:
“MS DirectStorage is currently not enabled,” the Diablo team says, “but we are planning on enabling it in the future.”
It was also reported by PC Gamer that back in March a Reddit user had discovered the DirectStorage files, along with those for DLSS 3, and while the ladder was enabled it seems the Blizzard may still have technical issues preventing it from using the former. It is unfortunate that so many games are launching without this support since it could potentially aid with stuttering issues that have plagued so many games recently. Even though it could be more akin to a crutch in terms of PC optimizations it would still be a nice feature to further improve the gaming experience.
AMD and NVIDIA have both provided their own means of direct memory access to graphics card’s GDDR VRAM, which operate at much faster speeds, than standard memory but the loading of data is still restricted to the storage protocols being used by the system thus creating an unnecessary bottleneck. Consoles such as the XBOX Series X|S and PlayStation 5 have enjoyed the benefits of such technology. In particular, the PlayStation 5 has had numerous articles praising its incredulous load times for various games. As Blizzard confirms that it’s working in enabling it we can only hope more developers are doing the same.