- Microsoft blog post outlines Windows 11 strengths for gamers
- They include AutoHDR mode, DirectStorage technology and more
- Whether you benefit from some features will depend on your PC configuration.
Microsoft wants to push Windows 10 users to upgrade to Windows 11, and the latest part of that push is persuading PC gamers that they should make the jump to its newest operating system.
Neowin discovered a Microsoft blog post on how to ‘Improve your gaming experience on Windows 11 PC this holiday season’ that outlines all the benefits gamers get with the operating system. (Assuming you can upgrade from Windows 10, not all PCs will meet Windows 11’s stricter system requirements.)
The biggest carrots for moving to Windows 11, as Microsoft sees it, include the Auto HDR feature, which gives SDR games an HDR makeover (for those with a compatible monitor).
Then there’s also DirectStorage, which significantly speeds up loading times (and also in-game frame rates) for those with NVMe SSDs (the caveat is that the game must be coded to support this technology).
Microsoft’s third highlight is Compact Mode for the Game Bar, which allows you to reduce the size of the bar to make it more usable on small screens, such as the screens on portable gaming devices like the Asus Rog Ally X.
Other important features that stand out are dynamic lighting, which gives you a central hub to control all devices with RGB lights, and Windows 11 optimizations for running games in windowed mode. The latter fixes the lag and screen tearing issues you might otherwise suffer from playing in a window instead of full screen.
Additionally, more minor benefits are also listed, including HDR calibration app (does what it says on the colorful tin), color filters for color-blind gamers, and auto super resolution for upscaling tricks, but the latter is for Copilot+-based PCs. Arm. just because it uses the beefy NPU on those machines.
Analysis: A better gaming life in Windows 11?
What is the reality of these Windows 11 features? Do they really improve the lives of PC gamers? Well, yes, they do, but there are considerations that Microsoft doesn’t mention here.
Fair play in Auto HDR, which is a great feature for those with HDR monitors, as it really raises the visual quality of SDR games (those that don’t offer native HDR support). Of course, you must have an HDR display.
DirectStorage is also a great feature, but again, there is a hardware requirement, which is an NVMe SSD. However, the biggest problem with this technology that accelerates games is that it must be compatible, and there are not many titles that do so (about 20 games or so). I should also note that DirectStorage works on Windows 10; However, it just works better and speeds things up more in Windows 11.
Compact Mode for Game Bar is only useful for handheld gaming devices, as already noted, and the rest of the tricks Microsoft draws to our attention in the blog post are useful, but more extra frills than anything substantial.
Anecdotally, Windows 11 doesn’t run games significantly faster than Windows 10 overall, but there may be outliers and of course DirectStorage will be a big help on supported titles. Auto HDR is definitely good for those with a suitable monitor, but is all this a compelling argument for a Windows 11 upgrade?
In my opinion, not much, although it depends a lot on your PC configuration and whether you fall into any of the above categories. That said, there are no downsides to upgrading to Windows 11 either, although you may want to stay out of the 24H2 update until Microsoft fixes some of the few issues that have plagued PC gamers who upgraded to the latest version.
One last reason to upgrade that Microsoft doesn’t mention is that if you have an AMD Ryzen 7000 or 9000 processor, there is a tweak job in Windows 11 (23H2 and 24H2) that greatly increases the CPU speed for gaming (something like 10% faster). For those using that silicon in their gaming PC, this could be a compelling reason to take the leap.
In any case, those using Windows 10 should consider their next step soon, as the operating system will reach end of life in October 2025.
Expect Microsoft to keep quiet about this as next year progresses, so if you’ve been considering a Windows 11 upgrade, you better get on with it soon enough. It’s either that or spend the money to get an extra year of support for Windows 10, or switch to a completely different desktop operating system. Gaming on Linux, however, is a minefield, although a little less so these days…
