Microsoft described the new operating system as "the best ever for gaming".
The rollout of Windows 11 officially starts today, meaning current Windows 10 users with compatible machines will be asked to upgrade the operating system for free within the next few months. Microsoft blog posts on the new operating system boasted that it's "the best Windows for gaming ever" - here's what this will mean for PC gamers in practice.
Biggest change to Windows 11 for gamers, originally developed for Xbox Series X|S-Auto HDR and DirectStorage Iki is a feature. Both require certain hardware to take full advantage of the benefits, but if you already have the proper gaming gear, you should be clear.
Auto HDR
As the name suggests, Auto HDR is a feature that will automatically upscale game graphics to High Dynamic Range if you have a display that supports HDR. This feature is compatible with “1000+ DirectX 11 and DirectX 12 games” and provides higher quality contrast and brightness as well as improving the displayed color range.
Direct Storage
Another feature ported from Xbox Series X|S is DirectStorage, which allows gaming PCs to load games faster and render large or detailed game worlds that often trigger lower spec PCs. However, this feature requires your PC to include an NVMe solid state drive and a DirectX 12 GPU to run.
Hardware Support
While not exactly new to Windows 11, Microsoft promises that the new iteration of Windows, which includes next-gen Xbox controllers, the Xbox Adaptive Controller, and of course a wide-ranging third, "will continue to have the widest hardware support in the world." -party game peripherals.
Xbox App and Game Pass
Microsoft also continues to push its software, subscription and streaming goals with Windows 11 with the built-in Xbox app as part of the regular software package. The Xbox app includes Game Pass built-in and gives subscribers an easy way to access their library of games. It will also include Xbox Cloud Gaming in the same app, for more one-stop shopping for gamers.
