Microsoft is introducing DirectX Dump Files to Windows PCs, bringing diagnostic technology previously exclusive to Xbox consoles. This feature allows developers to investigate GPU crashes by analyzing the state of the system at the moment of failure.
The new diagnostic capability is available through the Agility SDK version 1.620 and PIX version 2610.28. Major hardware manufacturers, including AMD, Intel, NVIDIA, and Qualcomm, are collaborating with Microsoft on this initiative.
When a GPU stops processing, the system generates a dump file containing the last Direct3D runtime state, hardware and driver data, and up to 2 MB of developer-defined trace information. These files are not saved by default on user machines.
Game developers can implement a pipeline to collect and transmit this crash data for remote analysis. The PIX tool is then used to decode the files, identify specific hang points, and trace the shaders or resources responsible for the crash.
