Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart PC version supports DirectStorage 1.2
“Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart”, one of the flagship titles for Sony’s PlayStation 5, is developed by Sony’s first-party studio, Insomniac Games. The PC version will be released on July 26th across platforms, including Steam (priced at 414 yuan) and the Epic Games Store, with early purchasers privy to two in-game items, a pixelated firearm, and a carbon composite armor set. The system requirements for the PC version were unveiled a few days prior.
As the PC version’s launch is imminent, Sony PlayStation officially shared some details about “Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart”. The game will support Microsoft’s latest DirectStorage 1.2, inclusive of GPU resource decompression. Developers from Nixxes Software expressed that instantaneous transitions require rapid texture loading, and DirectStorage ensures loading times are minimized. The GPU decompression feature can be utilized under advanced graphic settings for the swift loading of high-quality textures and detailed environments.
Microsoft officially launched the DirectStorage API in March 2021, enabling PC’s NVMe SSD to bypass CPU and memory, directly transferring data to the VRAM, significantly reducing game loading times. In theory, games adopting this technology can achieve seamless scene integration. Last October, Microsoft introduced an “asset decompression” feature in DirectStorage 1.1, supporting GPU resource decompression. In April of this year, Microsoft rolled out DirectStorage 1.2, adding new features, making some fixes, and optimizing HDD usage performance.
“Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart” inherently supports ray tracing reflections and shadows, applied to natural outdoor lighting scenes. The officials confirmed the game would also support ray-traced ambient occlusion, enhancing the realism of environmental obstructions in the game. In addition, “Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart” will support Intel’s XeGTAO, an optional in-game feature that requires a compatible Iris Xe graphics card. The development team believes that the output quality of XeGTAO is exceptionally high, and the effect is remarkable.
