Windows 10 has been out for quite some time now, so I think it’s safe to say many gamers have had enough time to give it a try to see if it is really beneficial or not. What do you think the verdict is? Is Windows 10 good for gamers?
When Windows 10 was first released, Microsoft bragged about how much better gaming would be on Windows 10. In the beginning, it was a bit of a rough start. However, since the release, Microsoft has been working to improve things and now I think we have finally reached a time that I can say yes, Windows 10 has been good for gamers?
Do you agree with that statement? Today, let’s take a look at several different ways Windows 10 has been good for gaming whether you are running a cheap gaming laptop under $500 or a $1500 gaming laptop. I believe that whether you like Windows 10 or hate it, you will have to agree with the reasons listed below.
No More Start Screen
The biggest change between Windows 8 and Windows 10 is the elimination of the Start Screen. While I understand what Microsoft was thinking with the Start Screen, the implementation of the screen was clunky at best, especially on a laptop or desktop. Sure it was very touch screen oriented, but it didn’t translate well when you had to switch back and forth.
Now the elimination of the Start Screen didn’t do a whole lot to improve gaming performance, but it did make navigating your laptop much easier. This means that you can find your games much more quickly and you don’t have to worry about switching back and forth between the desktop view and the Start Screen view. Overall, I loved this change and it has made gaming so much easier for me as I can find everything pretty quickly without having to switch back and forth.
Clean UI
That brings us to the user interface. Microsoft has returned us to an interface that is much more like Windows 7 instead of Windows 8. The interface is flat and clean and carries with it the style Microsoft began with Windows 8, but the overall organization and design is much better and easy to use. That’s a good thing, as you can easily navigate it to find your games and all the files you may need for gaming.
At the same time, they built in a lot of customization on the interface. The cool designs do take power to run properly, but you can easily turn off some of these desktop effects to speed up your system. If you like to customize your experience and really dig in and optimize your computer for gaming, Windows 10 is definitely the best choice out there for you.
Faster Boot Times
We’ll just push Windows 8 to the side for a moment and talk about the two operating systems gamers have used – Windows 7 and Windows 10. Windows 7 was, for many gamers, the go to choice for powering a gaming machine even after Windows 8 came out. Now here comes Windows 10 and how does it compare to Windows 7?
Windows 10 boots much faster than Windows 7. That means that when you turn your machine on, you will be playing your favorite games much quicker on Windows 10 compared to Windows 7. On top of that, Windows 10 runs much faster overall compared to Windows 7. This translates into better gaming load times and overall performance when compared to Windows 7.
Xbox One Integration
Now I realize that some die hard PC gaming fans will view this feature as more of a ploy to sell you an Xbox One. I can see that. However, you can’t deny how nice the integration actually is. You can access all your Xbox Live features and even track some of the games you play on the PC as well as the Xbox in one handy interface.
Have you ever wanted to play Xbox only games on your PC? If so, then the streaming features that you can make use of on Windows 10 will let you do just that. You can stream almost any game to your PC from your Xbox so you can play it right on your PC. This is one of my favorite features as I prefer to play games on my PC versus on my Xbox One. I can’t really tell you why, I just prefer to sit at my desk and play. Maybe it’s years of playing that way that makes me prefer it. Microsoft is also working on the ability of streaming PC games to the Xbox One, as well, although we don’t know when this feature will be up and running.
Peripheral Support
I have to admit, this one isn’t as important, as Windows 7 and Windows 8 both offer great peripheral support. However, Windows 10 does as well and it will automatically setup most of them for you without you having to worry about it. Now this won’t work for every accessory you buy, but it will make your life easier.
If you love to use fancy gaming mice and keyboards while you play, you will definitely love the experience on Windows 10. Everything will just work and you will be able to get back to playing after simply plugging in your new favorite gaming accessory.
Access to Mobile Gaming
You can’t deny the importance of mobile gaming today. In fact, it is one of the biggest markets in video games today. People love them. Windows 10 is built to be friendly with mobile apps as well as traditional desktop apps. Microsoft’s Universal apps are designed to run across a multitude of devices including laptops, desktops and even phones and tablets. Because of this, many mobile game makers have created versions for the Windows platform. That means you can play your favorite mobile games on your Windows system with ease.
I should stop and say that you won’t find every game out there for the platform. Some game makers have been slow to adopt the Windows platform. However, you can still find a pretty impressive array of mobile friendly games on the Windows Store. With cloud saving ability, that means that you can play the same game on the same account across multiple platforms, and often you can pick up right where you left off on one platform to another.
Improved Windowed Game Support
Now I don’t know about you, but I don’t always like running my games in full screen mode. Running in a window gives me easy access to the rest of my system if I need it. Unfortunately, in the past that meant taking a performance hit on games. In some cases, these games may not be playable in windowed mode. Windows 10 offers improved windowed mode support so you can run more of your favorite games in this mode while still having access to the rest of your computer. While some games are just better in full screen mode, other times you may want to run it in a window. Windows 10 let’s you do just that.
Easy Tweaking for Gaming
If there is one thing that every gamer loves to do, it is tweak their systems to optimize performance. Gamers want every single drop of power they can get out of their system. Because of this, they will spend hours tweaking their systems even if it means they only get an additional one or two frames per second out of the deal. To them, its worth it.
Windows 10 makes it easy to tweak and even overclock if that is what tickles your fancy. You can adjust the video performance, your desktop and almost anything in between to make your system perform the best that it possibly can. This translates to faster game load times and better frame rates while you play.
Future Proof
No matter what you think of Windows 10, it is the way of the future. Microsoft has already said it will only support Windows 7 through 2020. You can bet that many games will stop supporting the platform much sooner than that as they adopt the new technologies only available on Windows 10. If you want to make sure you can keep playing games on your rig for years to come, then you simply must convert to Windows 10. I know that’s something you want to hear, but it is just a fact of PC gaming. You always have to adopt new technology to stay current with the latest features for gaming. Otherwise, you may not be able to play a new game that comes out.
DirectX 12
I saved the best for last. DirectX 12 offer huge improvements over version 11 that can drastically improve your gaming experience. DirectX is the programming language that games use to communicate with your system. DirectX 12 is the latest version that comes with Windows 10, and it brings with it huge boosts to performance that every gamer will love.
DirectX 12 is so good it can even give you more power from your video card. The older the system you have, the more you will love it. DirectX 12 is optimized to run across all types of systems. If you have an older system, you will notice a big boost with DirectX 12.
It should be noted that a lot of games don’t make use of this new technology as of yet, but more are being released every day. There is already a good selection out there that make use of it, and as new games are released they will all begin to support this new version as we keep moving forward.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, there are many great reasons to update to Windows 10 if you like to play video games. PC gaming is my favorite way to enjoy games, with consoles coming in a distant second. The control that you have with a PC just beats a console hands down. Don’t you think? With Windows 10, Microsoft is working hard to create a platform that is perfect for gamers. While there is still more work to be done, you can’t deny that Microsoft is on the right track with Windows 10.
Already, Windows 10 has proven to be the most popular platform for gaming, so what are you waiting for? Even if you didn’t take advantage of the free upgrade, I still believe that you should invest in Windows 10 for the best gaming experience possible. I think you will find that no matter what kind of computer you have, you will be glad you did. So is Windows 10 good for gamers? I definitely think so, although Microsoft still has more work to do to optimize the experience.
What has been your experience with gaming on Windows 10? Are you glad you updated or do you wish you still had Windows 7? Let me know how gaming is for you in the comments below.
