14 DAY TRIAL // Without a doubt one of the biggest events of last week was Microsoft's latest conference surrounding Windows 10, the newest and most impressive operating system from the large corporation, that's set to debut for PC but also for smartphones, tablets, the Xbox One console, and many more.
Before the actual event, Microsoft hyped up the different things it had in store for gamers on the PC platform, and many people were looking forward to lots of surprises, from exclusives like Halo coming to the platform to game streaming and much more.
The actual announcements may not have gotten that many people excited but they're still quite decent, as it's clear that Microsoft cares about PC gamers, while simultaneously trying to push the Xbox One and the whole Xbox ecosystem on them in order to turn a bigger profit, just like any corporation nowadays.
The Xbox app has potential
Case in point is the new Xbox application that's included on Windows 10, which allows PC users to interact with their Xbox Live friends, as well as to keep up with their different achievements and the games they've played.
The Xbox Live online service is also baked into the new operating system, so that PC users can chat with friends and even engage in cross-platform play. Some games, like the upcoming Fable Legends, have already been confirmed to be available on Xbox One but also on PC, so it leaves the door open for other exclusives, such as Halo 5: Guardians, to appear at the same time on the two platforms when it eventually appears this fall.
The common hardware architecture powering the PC and Xbox One should make porting much easier than, for example, the Xbox 360, and Microsoft certainly has the resources to fund such endeavors.
DirectX 12 is impressive but game streaming might not be
DirectX 12, the new graphics API designed just for Windows 10, might also make a lot of PC users happy, as it promises to bring together great game performance but also richer visuals. The fact that support for it is already baked into popular technologies like Unreal Engine or Unity will make its adoption rate even higher.
However, another feature, the game streaming one that allows titles on the Xbox One to be streamed and played on a PC, is a bit underwhelming. While some situations will no doubt appear in which it can be relevant, most PC gamers have a computer that's capable of running a game at a higher resolution or framerate than the Xbox One, so the interest might not be that big.
The Game DVR system might attract through its built-in nature on Windows 10, but many PC users have already gotten used to other services, such as ShadowPlay, to record their gaming footage, so it's unclear just how popular it might be.
Windows 10 is still looking good
Even so, for PC users and gamers alike, Windows 10 is still looking pretty good from both a usability and a so-called playability perspective. I just hope that Microsoft will be able to grow these features and listen to feedback from users.