Many existing PCIe 4.0 SSDs should work okay with DirectStorage says Phison

pcgamer.com:

Phison, the manufacturer of SSD controllers found on many consumer NVMe drives, has released a bit more information about its new I/O+ technology and firmware update, which is designed to accelerate DirectStorage workloads. The good news is that its popular E18 controller, which can be found at the heart of plenty of modern PCIe 4.0 SSDs(opens in new tab), already offers «exceptional performance that surpasses Microsoft’s recommendations for DirectStorage.»

This may have you wondering what the Phison firmware update actually does if its main PCIe 4.0 controller is already good enough for DirectStorage? Well, it appears to offer a best-case scenario: «I/O+ Technology increases E18’s capabilities by reducing block level read disturb (BLRD). The technology allows game developers to build higher detail settings into next generation games that require guaranteed bandwidth.»

This is reassuring news given Sabrent's recent Rocket 4 Plus G announcement(opens in new tab) which suggested that existing drives weren't up to the task of handling the needs of DirectStorage. You can now rest assured that you're probably covered, and don't need to rush out and buy another expensive SSD. A firmware update may indeed be needed to get the most out of some drives.

It does look like there is a significant shift coming that will require a lot more from our SSDs. The Phison I/O+ technology update covers this increased demand and will be made available for drives that are built around its PS5108-E18 controller paired with Micron B47R NAND. The update, which will be made available for free to end users, is already being made available to drive manufacturers so that they can validate it first.

The update is needed because DirectStorage potentially