PC gaming has a cult following but that doesn't mean that Microsoft has reached the pinnacle for Windows. There is indeed room for improvement and who better to ask what needs to be done on the platform? PC gamers, of course.
In preparation for the release of the Play Anywhere Xbox One/PC feature, Microsoft launched a survey geared at asking PC gamers what they deem important in relation to their gaming experience.
"We aim to build the best Windows yet for gaming ... Your opinions are very important to us, and we appreciate your help," it said on the survey's introductory page.
Microsoft reiterated that it takes the privacy of survey respondents "extremely seriously" so responses will not be associated in any way individually unless the respondents themselves choose to provide their Microsoft account emails.
The survey starts with the usual "personal" questions, like where the respondent lives, before moving on to more specific queries, such as what gaming platforms are owned and used by the respondent, with options including Mac and Windows laptops and desktops, tablets, smartphones and consoles.
PC gamers will also be asked to give details about their systems, sharing the manufacturer, specs and rough price of their rigs, and if these were built by the respondent personally or bought pre-configured. The survey touches as well on peripherals, like controllers, monitors and VR and audio headsets.
Of course, what's a gaming survey without questions about games, right? Aside from asking what kinds of games PC gamers play on their systems, they are asked as well how much time they spend playing and how they acquire the games they play.
To get a better feel of the opinions of PC gamers, Microsoft also included a number of open-ended questions in the survey that respondents can answer within 1,000 characters.
Want to help Microsoft make the best Windows for gaming? You can, by answering the PC Gamers Survey.
According to a Steam survey in 2015, 44.4 percent of users are on Windows 7 while 20.5 percent are using Windows 8/8.1. Some 26.6 percent of Steam users have already made the switch to Windows 10 (64-bit) in October. It is anticipated that as more games provide support for DirectX 12, more PC gamers will be adopting Windows 10.
Of their own accord, hopefully.
Microsoft was recently made to settle $10,000 after a woman sued the company for upgrading her system to Windows 10 without her authorization.
Photo: Robert Freiberger | Flickr
