Tired of shader compilation screens? Microsoft is rolling out its own solution, but we won't feel the benefits immediately

The shader compilation splash screen for the PC version of Stalker 2.

Last month, Microsoft introduced Advanced Shader Delivery, a mechanism that claims to solve one of the biggest annoyances PC gamers face these days: shader compilation. Although the technology will initially be limited to the Asus ROG Xbox Ally handhelds and games purchased through the Xbox app, an update to Agility SDK means that other vendors and merchants can now get started on supporting it too.

Microsoft's Agility software development kit (SDK) is a collection of tools that game developers can use to implement the latest DirectX features, without having to wait for them to be integrated into Windows itself. In the latest 1.618 version, Agility now supports Advanced Shader Delivery, which was announced last month.