For gamers using Apple macOS or even Linux, life in 2022 has just begun. Maybe their future is good, but Windows is still the best computer operating system for gaming. Microsoft is keenly aware of this advantage, so it has bundled a lot of gaming features into Windows over the years, and there are more gaming goodies on Windows 11. Here are the features of Windows 11 that will make your next experience even better.
Windows 11 has a game bar preinstalled, allowing you to quickly access some useful tools with simple keys. You can open the game bar at any time by pressing Win + G (even if you don't play the game). If your PC is paired with an Xbox controller, click the Xbox button.
Game Bar is an overlay with widgets that helps you capture game screens, control audio output, monitor PC performance, and more. In settings, you can even log in to your social media account to instantly share images and clips you took.
If you have a computer that is powerful enough, Microsoft has designed a way for your hardware to communicate more efficiently, which means better performance in games. It's called DirectStorage, and you can open it without doing anything. However, you do need to reach certain hardware specifications that may require upgrades.
DirectStorage allows your computer to store (where the game data is located) to communicate directly with the graphics card. This reduces the processor decompression steps required by most systems, eliminating major performance bottlenecks. As long as your computer has SSD and a well-compatible graphics card, games using DirectX 12 can take advantage of DirectStorage. Any AMD RDNA2 card or Nvidia RTX 2000 series or later will work.
If you are not sure if your system can handle DirectStorage, you can look it up in the Game Bar mentioned earlier. Click Settings gear and select Game Features. This page will tell you if your software, graphics card, and storage are compatible.
HDR (high dynamic range)-enabled games can produce more vivid and realistic colors. However, it has been common for developers to include only support for HDR in the past few years. If you are playing games that don't support HDR, Windows 11 can still use a feature called automatic HDR to boost colors.
The problem here is that you need a HDR-enabled monitor, and these monitors are usually more expensive than standard panels. If you have a compatible monitor, Windows can dynamically enhance non-HDR games with algorithms. This happens at the operating system level, so developers don't need to do anything. To enable automatic HDR, go to Settings System Display HDR. If your monitor is supported, you will be able to turn on automatic HDR. This will also add an HDR intensity slider to the game bar.
Nothing worse than watching your smooth game drop frames, because something on your computer decides it's time to run heavy operations in the background. If your computer is already working to maintain frame rate , this may make the game unplayable. There is a way to prevent this from happening with Windows 11, which is called Game Mode.
You can find this feature under "Settings", "Games", "Game Mode". This is a single switch without specific hardware requirements. Turn it on, Windows will not try to download or install updates in the background, and applications using Windows notification systems will not interrupt your game. Game mode starts automatically when Windows detects that you are running a game.
It has a lot of features when you first open the game bar, but it's more customizable than you think. Hidden in the menu is a widget store where you can get more overlay items. It is located in the widget list, the leftmost button in the main column. At the bottom, you will find the widget store.
Most of the content you find in the store is free, but there are also some paid widgets, as well as coverage that connects to paid desktop apps.The store’s widgets can add floating videos, insert a morally suspicious crosshair on the screen for rangeless sniping, and more. You can also find dedicated widgets for hardware like EVGA video cards.
Microsoft's Xbox app is bundled with Windows 11, and it's worth opening even if you don't have Xbox. It allows you to buy PC games like Cuphead, Destiny 2 and Minecraft , but it is not just an Steam alternative, it also acts as a Microsoft gaming hub on your computer.
Game Pass is a subscription service that provides a variety of game options for free. As long as they are on Game Pass, you can install and play them, and Microsoft has purchased publishers such as Bethesda and Activision or Blizzard to ensure there are enough games to play. Even if you don’t have a fancy GPU, the Xbox app can help you get started.
Game Pass Ultimate (a $15 per month package) includes cloud gaming, which renders Xbox games on the server and streams them to your computer. The options here are not particularly wide, but you have Halo Infinite, Horizon 5, Doom and more console hits. So, no matter how you get game repairs, Windows 11 should be able to help improve the gaming experience.
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