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Dave LeClair is the News Editor for How-To Geek. He started writing about technology more than 10 years ago. He’s written articles for publications like MakeUseOf, Android Authority, Digital Trends, and plenty of others. He’s also appeared in and edited videos for various YouTube channels around the web. Read more…
Microsoft announced a massive new update for Windows Insiders, and it gives us a massive peek at what’s coming to Windows 11 in the future. While most features apply to general PC use, gaming is getting some upgrades, including better performance in windowed mode.
The new feature is called Optimizations, and it’s designed to make games run more smoothly in windowed mode. Microsoft says it’ll “significantly improve latency and unlock other exciting gaming features including Auto HDR and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR).”
If you’re on the Dev channel, you can enable this feature right now and see if it improves your gaming experience. You simply need to go to System > Display > Graphics > Change default graphics settings and turn on Optimizations. Once done, you should notice that games run better, including that all-important improved latency. However, there could be some issues, which is my Microsoft isn’t turning the feature on by default.
Microsoft is also borrowing a feature from Xbox. The Windows HDR Calibration app will allow PC gamers to improve color accuracy and consistency on their HDR display. This feature is already available on Xbox consoles (which also support HDR), so it only makes sense for Microsoft to bring it over to Windows 11, too.
As is always the case when Microsoft adds new features to the Dev channel, it could be some time before we see them in the final Windows 11 release. Still, it’s nice to get a glimpse into what’s coming, and this latest build brings some fantastic features and tweaks.
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