At GDC 2025, Microsoft unveiled an updated version of DXR (DirectX Raytracing) 1.2, a technology that was first implemented on Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 20-series graphics cards that paved the way for ray-traced gaming. Microsoft promised “revolutionary performance gains” in the new version of the technology.
Image source: microsoft.com
Microsoft optimized performance with two new features: Opacity Micromaps (OMM) and Shader Execution Reordering (SER) — the latter of which Nvidia rolled out for Portal RTX and Cyberpunk 2077 about two years ago. These solutions offer significant performance gains, especially in games with full ray tracing.
Transparency Micromaps provide a significant optimization for alpha-checked geometry, a rendering method that uses a texture’s alpha channel to determine the visibility of each pixel. In path-traced games, this method provides a 2.3x performance boost: by efficiently managing transparency data, OMMs reduce shader calls, improving rendering efficiency without sacrificing image quality.
Shader order optimization provides up to 2x rendering performance in some scenarios. This method intelligently groups shader execution, increasing GPU efficiency by reducing divergence and improving frame rates.
The official preview of DXR 1.2 is expected to be released in April. Major graphics vendors including AMD, Intel, Nvidia, and Qualcomm are committed to making the technology an industry standard to ensure widespread adoption, Microsoft said. Other developers have not yet confirmed that they will support it, but Nvidia has reportedly made it compatible with all GeForce RTX graphics cards, starting with the RTX 20 series.