At GDC 2026 this week, Microsoft, Intel, and Nvidia announced a new method for delivering precompiled shaders as part of game downloads, eliminating the long wait times when gamers first boot up a title. As VideoCardz reports, this Advanced Shader Delivery will also reduce stutter when entering new areas of a game for the first time.
The reason modern games often require a lengthy shader compile the first time you play them is that every gaming PC is different. Microsoft first rolled out Advanced Shader Delivery on the ROG Xbox Ally because it knew what the hardware would be and could pre-package shaders accordingly. It can’t do that with every configuration, though.
Microsoft has figured out how to manage it, but it will need support from developers and graphics hardware manufacturers. Fortunately, Intel and Nvidia are already on the case, and we can reportedly expect Intel Lunar Lake and Panther Lake CPUs to support it in the next few months, with Nvidia promising GeForce RTX support before the end of the year.
Intel explains that, “New APIs and tools from Microsoft allow game developers to package a collection of Pipeline State Objects into a State Object Database (SODB). Subsequently, Intel’s offline compiler compiles those SODBs into a Precompiled Shader Database (PSDB).” This should cut down on loading times and in-game stuttering, Intel says.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Intriguingly, AMD isn’t mentioned in the announcement, even though the feature was first used on its hardware. The ROG Xbox Ally is built around an AMD APU and features an AMD CPU and GPU. Presumably, that will mean we’ll see something similar with AMD desktop and mobile graphics in the future, but there’s no word on that just yet.
Recommended by Our Editors
Elsewhere in the announcement, Microsoft highlighted its new DirectStorage 1.4 capabilities, including Zstandard compression and improved DirectX Machine Learning through Linear Algebra, making it easier to implement LLM features in games. Nvidia and Microsoft have also worked together on standardizing hardware-accelerated AI through DirectX, which should cut down on the extra overhead that can be created when GPUs try to compute AI calculations alongside rendering 3D assets.
Microsoft also debuted its Pix tool, which helps game developers performance-tune and debug their games. Described as “console-level” by Intel, these tools should help PC developers produce more optimized games. Meanwhile, Nvidia has introduced a way for game developers to offer playtesting on GeForce Now to gamers worldwide; no downloads required.
Get Our Best Stories!
Your Daily Dose of Our Top Tech News
Sign up for our What’s New Now newsletter to receive the latest news, best new products, and expert advice from the editors of PCMag.
Sign up for our What’s New Now newsletter to receive the latest news, best new products, and expert advice from the editors of PCMag.
By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy
Policy.
Thanks for signing up!
Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!
About Our Expert
Jon Martindale
Contributor
Experience
Jon Martindale is a tech journalist from the UK, with 20 years of experience covering all manner of PC components and associated gadgets. He’s written for a range of publications, including ExtremeTech, Digital Trends, Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, and Lifewire, among others. When not writing, he’s a big board gamer and reader, with a particular habit of speed-reading through long manga sagas.
Jon covers the latest PC components, as well as how-to guides on everything from how to take a screenshot to how to set up your cryptocurrency wallet. He particularly enjoys the battles between the top tech giants in CPUs and GPUs, and tries his best not to take sides.
Jon’s gaming PC is built around the iconic 7950X3D CPU, with a 7900XTX backing it up. That’s all the power he needs to play lightweight indie and casual games, as well as more demanding sim titles like Kerbal Space Program. He uses a pair of Jabra Active 8 earbuds and a SteelSeries Arctis Pro wireless headset, and types all day on a Logitech G915 mechanical keyboard.
Read Full Bio
