Wednesday, January 25th 2017
Microsoft Confirms Upcoming "Game Mode" on Windows 10 "Creators" Update
In a bid to improve overall gaming experience on their Windows 10 operating system, Microsoft will introduce a new feature on their next big OS update. "Game Mode" is Microsoft's take on a modern, console-like take on the CPU and GPU of any given user system, so long as they are running the as of yet upcoming "Creators" update for Windows 10.
Essentially, "Game Mode" is an optional setting which dedicates more of the available CPU and GPU resources to a given gaming application - whether on Windows' new UWP or the good-old Win32 games (though Microsoft was clear in that they expect the feature to have more of an impact on UWP games simply because "Game Mode" then has more information on the game's requirements and performance profiles). This means that less of your system's resources will be available to and used by background tasks, and should make itself visible not so much on peak frame-rates, but on a arguably more important metric: a more consistent, less "stuttery" frame-rate.
"Game Mode" will automatically set CPU core affinity and thread priority, thus reducing thread and performance contention from otherwise non-essential background apps and processes; on the GPU side, more time slices. "Game Mode" will play along with other technologies, such as NVIDIA's GeForce Experience and, one expects, AMD's ReLive, though the interaction between the upcoming game mode and, for example, AMD's Chill features are still to be completely clarified.
Microsoft has been heavily updating the gaming capabilities of Windows, pushing it closer and closer to the gaming environment on their Xbox One console. Game Mode appears to be another nice addition to Microsoft's gaming approach, though, and it should be available tomorrow in the next Fast Ring build of the Windows Insider Preview.
Essentially, "Game Mode" is an optional setting which dedicates more of the available CPU and GPU resources to a given gaming application - whether on Windows' new UWP or the good-old Win32 games (though Microsoft was clear in that they expect the feature to have more of an impact on UWP games simply because "Game Mode" then has more information on the game's requirements and performance profiles). This means that less of your system's resources will be available to and used by background tasks, and should make itself visible not so much on peak frame-rates, but on a arguably more important metric: a more consistent, less "stuttery" frame-rate.
Microsoft has been heavily updating the gaming capabilities of Windows, pushing it closer and closer to the gaming environment on their Xbox One console. Game Mode appears to be another nice addition to Microsoft's gaming approach, though, and it should be available tomorrow in the next Fast Ring build of the Windows Insider Preview.
77 Comments on Microsoft Confirms Upcoming "Game Mode" on Windows 10 "Creators" Update
The "smartass memes" don't help any either, I'm with you there.
I really hope I do not have to list the reasons privacy is not just something criminals seek.
Buy some RAM etc and you have a gaming monster pc.
You know that if Microsoft wanted to shut down Windows 7 tomorrow... THEY HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO DO IT!
You do not own Windows 7, you own the right to use it. They could force you to upgrade to Windows 10 in a press of a button. Try readying the ELUA that you just blindly click "Next" and "I agree" to the next time you load a new copy of Windows 7.
so really you should thank them daily that they allow you to keep using Windows 7 and stop whining about W10. You don't like 10, then this thread wasn't for you... /thread
I have been on Win10 from day one and all my systems are, I am a sucker for latest and greatest and I do not see Windows 7 to be anything other than old. I have a hard time when I have to work on Windows 7 machines at work or for clients.
I remember all these same exact whiners when WinXP was being pushed out... all those same people are now on the Win7 fix and you all are waiting tell Windows 11 before they move to W10? because by then W7 will be no more as WinXP is no more.
I'm afraid though that it won't go away, because people just love attention.
About this 'Game Mode'... it's a solution for a problem MS created for itself. You can also disable the majority of background services yourself, all they do is add some buttons to click for you in config panel. I really don't see how we should applaud MS for solving its own problems. They market this like its the holy grail for gaming on Windows but my games were running more than fine as they were.
I would give them bonus points if they could remove that ugly Xbox logo because I don't ever want to have anything to do with that ridiculous ecosystem where sheep pay for online and drool over a console with five exclusives, shitty hardware and an upgrade path giving it all the disadvantages of a PC combined with all the disadvantages of a console.
MS and gaming... it's like Romeo and Juliet.
You would do well to realize that you are being naive and quite uneducated when it comes to personal rights and privacy.
Vast majority of users will surely benefit from this since they have gazzillion processes, services and tray bar apps ... the rest of us have been hand picking our services, turning off scheduled tasks, adjusting process priorities and core affinities since win 2000, I wonder if this game mode does anything beside that ... and regarding the steady frame rate, how long has it been since RivaTuner frame limiter was introduced (don't know why but vsync + 60Hz monitor is stutterfest compared to the RiveTuner 60fps limiter + vsync + 60Hz monitor)