Microsoft unveils DirectX Raytracing 1.2, promises ‘groundbreaking performance improv

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DirectX Raytracing 1.2 announced



Microsoft has presented a new version of DXR (DirectX Raytracing) at GDC 2025, a technology pioneered by the GeForce RTX 20 series with the first implementations of ray tracing in games, now enclosed in an industry standard. Microsoft is working on a new version of this technology, which would bring some ‘groundbreaking performance improvements.’

According to a post by Cassie Hoef, Microsoft Principal Program Manager, DXR 1.2 will have game-changing performance boosts, as it introduces opacity micromaps and shader execution reordering. The latter was already presented by NVIDIA for games like Portal RTX and Cyberpunk 2077 about two years ago.

This change alone will likely contribute to double-digit performance improvements, especially in full raytracing games (path tracing).

DirectX Raytracing 1.2 updates

• Opacity micromaps significantly optimize alpha-tested geometry, delivering up to 2.3x performance improvement in path-traced games. By efficiently managing opacity data, OMM reduces shader invocations and greatly enhances rendering efficiency without compromising visual quality. 
  
• Shader execution reordering offers a major leap forward in rendering performance — up to 2x faster in some scenarios — by intelligently grouping shader execution to enhance GPU efficiency, reduce divergence, and boost frame rates, making raytraced titles smoother and more immersive than ever. This feature paves the way for more path-traced games in the future. 
  

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