Microsoft has expanded its public preview of the Advanced Shader Delivery (ASD) to AMD Radeon users on PC, drastically speeding up the initial launch of games. The idea is to download pre-compiled shaders alongside the game files, removing the long first loading phase as well as the shader compilation during gameplay.
On supported games, ASD practically eliminates the initial loading phase, reducing it by up to 90% according to Microsoft. ASD is also said to eliminate shader stutters, which occur during gameplay whenever the engine compiles missing shaders while actively running the game, causing hitches whenever the processing speed isn’t fast enough. By downloading precompiled shaders, the game provides a seamless and smoother experience, akin to consoles.
The first game to get ASD on PC is Forza Horizon 6, where the game’s initial loading drops to just 4 seconds instead of 90 seconds using traditional local shader compilation. This is similar to what was available for the ROG Xbox Ally handhelds and what Intel has done for its Arc GPUs with its Precompiled Shader Distribution, but this time for AMD Radeon users.
While one may argue that a one-time 90-second loading isn’t that bad, we need to keep in mind that this process is repeated – at least partially – every time the GPU drivers are updated. The same could happen with major game updates. Furthermore, this process takes more or less time depending on your CPU’s speed, meaning that ASD would be an even greater help for those running mid-to-low-end machines.
Microsoft ASD is now available to Xbox Insiders on Windows 11 PCs and laptops with AMD discrete or integrated GPUs. Those participating in the program can give it a try on RDNA 3, RDNA 3.5, and RDNA 4 GPUs, with Software Adrenalin Edition 26.5.2 drivers. ‘Precompiled shaders installed’ will appear in the launch window when ASD is working.
Advanced Shader Delivery will be enabled on more Windows devices in the coming months.
