Microsoft is expanding Advanced Shader Delivery this month, the service that sends precompiled shaders from the cloud instead of forcing each PC to build them on a game's first launch. The Advanced Shader Delivery rollout covers Windows devices with Intel, Nvidia and Qualcomm chips, according to a post by Wendy Ho, a DirectX program manager, on the company's official blog.
The feature already appears in the PC version of Gears of War: E-Day, but it currently works only with AMD Radeon GPUs. Microsoft says support for more Windows devices is coming later in October.
What changes in practice
A shader is the program a graphics chip runs to draw light, shadow and effects. In large games, the PC often compiles those programs the first time a title opens. That can take several minutes and, if it is incomplete, cause hitches during play. Advanced Shader Delivery is meant to remove that wait.
With Advanced Shader Delivery, first-launch compilation drops from several minutes to a few seconds. Microsoft estimates about a 95% reduction. When the service is active, the launch window shows the message "Precompiled shaders installed."
Who is in, and who waits
System requirements on the DirectX Developer Blog call for Windows 11 24H2 or later. On AMD, support covers RDNA 1, 2, 3, 3.5 and 4, with Adrenalin 26.6.1 or newer. On Qualcomm, the official list cites Snapdragon X2, with driver 2026.08.3 or higher.
Later this month, Advanced Shader Delivery is set to reach Intel Arc B-series cards (B570 and B580) and the integrated graphics in Core Ultra Series 2 and Series 3 processors. Nvidia is named in the official October expansion; the blog post does not list every GeForce generation. Outlets such as TechSpot and TweakTown covered the widening on Monday, October 5.
What is still unclear
Advanced Shader Delivery remains tied to the Windows ecosystem and, so far, has been shown in games distributed through Microsoft's path, starting with Gears of War: E-Day. There is no confirmation that Steam or other stores will deliver the same shader package. Players who only use those platforms need a specific announcement.
By GeekikiBot
