Microsoft’s latest DirectX technology promises substantial ray tracing improvements while reducing VRAM consumption across next-generation graphics hardware.
New advances in DirectX from Microsoft, AMD, and NVIDIA could revolutionize graphics tech and dramatically boost gaming performance and visual quality. Early testing has produced strong results, with AMD’s Radeon RX 9070 XT reportedly delivering up to a 50x performance increase and nearly 90% less ray tracing memory usage.
These changes could bring powerful ray tracing to a broader range of GPUs while requiring fewer hardware re
New DirectX Technology Provides Major Ray Tracing Gains
The DirectX 12 Agility SDK 1.722 preview provides these improvements, including cluster geometry, partitioned top-level acceleration structures (TLAS), and GPU-driven acceleration structure construction. NVIDIA has already shown similar capabilities with its own RTX Mega Geometry technology. Microsoft’s recent progress, however, could translate into similar gains for a wider spectrum of graphics technology.
It’s interesting to see early testing from Asvaldo of an AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT based on RDNA 4 architecture and what it could mean for the technology. We got roughly 2 fps for a standard bottom-level acceleration structure (BLAS) setup at 920p resolution. The new cluster geometry implementation improved performance to roughly 90 fps.
Memory utilization also improved a lot. The prior implementation took about 7.5GB, whereas the new setup cut it to about 800MB. This is over a 90% drop, which could let graphics cards handle complicated ray-traced scenes with far less VRAM.
4K Testing Reveals Major Performance Improvements
And the performance benefits aren’t limited to lower resolutions. In further 4K testing, the geometry-heavy setup achieved about 28 fps, a 17x gain over the legacy approach. These numbers should not be taken as similar improvements in actual game performance, however. The testing environment targets ray-tracing workloads and does not account for game logic, physics, animation, or other background operations.
But the findings do suggest three major advantages. Developers can squeeze out more performance, use less VRAM, and create more intricate environments without raising hardware requirements. The technology is currently in preview, so developers are still digging in to see what it can do. As game engines adopt these techniques, further optimization could bring more gains.
RDNA 5 and Next-Generation XBOX Could Benefit
NVIDIA released DirectX Raytracing in 2018 with the RTX 20 Series of graphics cards. Since then, Microsoft has added additional enhancements, including Tier 1.1 and Shader Model 6.6. The current updates are another key step towards making complex ray tracing more realistic. Rather than just adding more GPU power, these innovations improve graphics hardware’s ability to handle complex geometry and acceleration structures.
Those advancements could be particularly useful for AMD’s future RDNA 5 architecture. The corporation has already mentioned its relationship with Sony through Project Amethyst, suggesting future graphics technologies will focus more on ray tracing and sophisticated rendering.
Microsoft had already made DirectX 12 Ultimate a graphics foundation that included variable rate shading, ray tracing, and mesh shaders. Such improvements may come to the next-gen Xbox as well; these technologies may be part of the device’s base.
XBOX Handheld Rumors Remain Uncertain
Rumors claim Microsoft’s upcoming handheld may outperform Sony’s reported PlayStation 6 portable. Reports have suggested the device could include 24 RDNA 5 compute units, while Sony’s handheld is apparently intended to have 16 compute units.
These specs, however, are unverified. Rumors suggest the device could run on AMD’s Medusa platform and might use different performance settings depending on whether it’s in portable or docked mode. For instance, CPU and GPU clock speeds might increase when on external power. Alternatively, some compute units may be turned off when the device is running on batteries.
Industry leaker Kepler_L2 has cast doubt on the claims of Microsoft’s second portable APU. Microsoft could also face constraints on its access to AMD’s RDNA 5 technology for handhelds, according to prior reports. Or it could be a third-party device marketed as XBOX, such as ASUS’s ROG Ally.
PlayStation 6 launch timing could be impacted by hardware costs
Sony has yet to confirm a debut date for the PlayStation 6, and rising memory prices could affect manufacturing costs and the launch timeline. But holding off until 2028 wouldn’t guarantee cheaper components. Sony also has to consider manufacturing reservations, chip production dates, and development plans with third-party studios.
The PlayStation 5 was released, but it still had major releases, showing that cross-generation support matters. Another changeover like this could happen, with new hardware delivering better graphics and higher frame rates.
In the end, both Microsoft and Sony are facing serious obstacles in getting their next-generation consoles ready. At the same time, Microsoft’s latest DirectX advancements could give future gaming hardware a big leg up, letting developers create more detailed ray-traced environments with lower performance and memory demands.
Q. How much ray tracing performance improvement does the new DirectX technology deliver?
A.Early testing on the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT demonstrated up to a 50x performance improvement, increasing frame rates from approximately 2fps to 90fps in a specific ray tracing test.
Q. How much VRAM does the new DirectX technology save?
A.The testing showed a reduction in memory consumption from approximately 7.5GB to below 800MB, representing nearly 90% lower usage.
Q. Will the new DirectX technology improve gaming performance by 50x?
A.No. The 50x improvement comes from a dedicated ray tracing benchmark. Actual gaming performance gains will depend on game engines, optimization, and other workloads.
Q. Will next-generation XBOX consoles support the new DirectX technology?
A.Microsoft has not confirmed specific support details, but its next-generation XBOX hardware could benefit from these DirectX improvements and AMD’s upcoming RDNA 5 architecture.
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