It’s been an ongoing rumour that Microsoft finally announced this week, yes we are getting a new Windows.
In fact, Windows 11 will be the first major update to the worlds most popular operating system since 2015.
The new system shows the work done behind the scenes to improve productivity with sharper window designs and performance layouts, New Snap Layouts, Snap Groups, and Desktops in Windows 11 allow for easier multitasking and organization of your Windows.
From the look of it, there’s a huge push on the “Touch Pen” and voice commands.
They have modernized the design and user experience in Windows 11, from the new Start button and taskbar to each sound, font and icon.
New Teams integration directly into the Taskbar can instantly connect you through text, chat, voice or video with anyone, anywhere across Windows, Android and iOS.
Widgets is a new personalized feed powered by AI, opens a curated view directly from your desktop. For creators and publishers, Widgets also opens new real estate within Windows to deliver personalized content.
Microsoft can see huge potential in the future of gaming and we’ve seen that with the integration of Xbox Game Pass across PC systems and even mobile devices.
This new update to Windows will add multiple features for gamers including two key features seen on their popular Xbox consoles. Those features are Auto HDR and DirectStorage.
To break it down, Auto HDR will essentially make it easier to turn on (or off) the “high dynamic range”. That’s if your hardware supports it. It will also create better stabilisation for it and automatically upgrade titles on your machine to HDR where available.
DirectStorage is there to improve load times. how it works is that it loads your game’s assets directly to the GPU (Graphics Processor) rather than the CPU. This should avoid bottlenecks that cause issues affecting gameplay or even crashes. DirectStorage also makes great use of the higher read and write speeds of NVMe storage of PCIe 4.0 and the upcoming PCIe 5.0 standard. The key feature here is speed and performance while keeping your images crisp and clear.
Today marks the beginning of a new generation of Windows. With Windows 11, we’re reimagining everything from the operating system to the store, to unlock new opportunity for people and the world. https://t.co/IuMxrS262d
— Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) June 24, 2021
As mentioned above, the company is heavily invested in integrating the Xbox gaming features into products we use every day so the announcement that the app will also be built directly into Windows 11 and have deeper integration of Xbox Game Pass is not a surprise and very welcome. This means that subscribers will be able to download from the catalog of over 100 games that they offer. You’ll also be able to stream those titles via Xbox cloud gaming and of course greater integration of cross-play between consoles and PCs which we’ve seen on titles like “Sea of Thieves”.
There’s also information on the new Microsoft Store that will be a single trusted location for apps and content, creating a more open ecosystem for developers and creators, as well as a faster, more secure experience for IT professionals.
While we don’t have a launch date for the Windows 11 upgrade other than “Holiday season” but we do know that it will be a free update and if you are a brave early adopter of upgrades you’ll be able to see the benefits to your gaming setup straight away.
