Earlier this month, Microsoft's Head of Platform Engineering for Xbox Mike Ybarra revealed that a new Game Mode will soon be added to Windows 10 through the upcoming Creators Update.
Microsoft has not provided an in-depth explanation of what the Game Mode will do, but the company is now starting to give a clearer picture on what the feature will do to improve the experience for gamers.
What Is The Windows 10 Game Mode?
The Windows 10 Game Mode was first spotted in a Windows 10 beta build in December of last year. It was speculated that the feature will allow Windows 10 users to adjust how the resources of the computer's CPU and GPU are used. With Game Mode activated, more power will be allocated toward the video game that the user is playing instead of other applications working in the background.
"Our vision is for Game Mode to optimize your Windows 10 PC for increased performance in gaming," said Ybarra upon his confirmation of the upcoming feature, promising that a definite improvement will be experienced by gamers for all PC titles.
In an official post on the Windows Blog, Xbox Partner Group Program Manager Scott Henson described the Windows 10 Game Mode as a feature that will optimize Windows 10 computers for improvements in overall gaming performance.
The feature will be included in the Windows Insider build that will be released on Jan. 26. According to Henson, Game Mode can be activated by Windows 10 insiders who receive the new build by pressing the Windows and G keys to call up the Game bar. The Settings menu will offer users the option to run the game that they are playing in Game Mode.
In an interview, Kevin Gammill, also an Xbox Partner Group program manager, said that the Windows 10 Game Mode looks to make the operating system become more consistent in running games to make performance and frame rates more uniform and predictable.
According to Ars Technica, it seems that Microsoft is looking to make gaming on Windows 10 PCs function more like consoles. Video game consoles have more predictable hardware, which allows developers to know exactly how much power is available to games at any given moment. This is not the case with PCs due to their varying components.
Windows 10 Game Mode Promises
According to Gammill, testing by Microsoft on the Windows 10 Game Mode has resulted in improvements in the frame rates of games by 2 percent to 5 percent. The feature is also said to work with both traditional Win32 titles and the new Universal Windows Platform titles that are sold at the Windows Store, though UWP games will see slightly better improvements.
The Game Mode that will be included in the Windows 10 Creators Update will only be its first iteration. While the exact specifics on what it will do has not yet been explained, Gammill added that more features will be coming to the Windows 10 Game Mode in the future though future versions of the Creators Update and the Windows operating system.
