Microsoft Wants to Know How It Can Improve Windows 10 PC Gaming

Megalith

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Gamers who aren’t happy with Windows 10 now have a channel to vent their frustrations: Microsoft has launched a new “Xbox Ideas” UserVoice page, which will allow visitors to submit and vote on potential ideas for improving PC gaming on Windows 10. Some of the ideas that have been posted so far include a version of Windows that is specifically designed for gaming, and having the OS automatically disable unnecessary background processes while a title is running.

Team Xbox would love to hear how you’d like to see gaming on Windows improved. How can Windows 10 enhance your gaming experience? What features would you like added or changed to make gaming on Windows 10 even better? Create suggestions, vote for suggestions, and leave comments below! *What do you want Windows to do (or stop doing) while you’re playing a game? *What can Windows do to optimize your gaming experience? *What other gaming features would you like to see?
 
Nobody wants Microsoft involved, especially with their form of DRM tied to the OS itself. Fix the OS itself and leave the games alone. Fix your updates, fix your Microsoft store, fix updates breaking drivers, specifically sound card drivers. Work on DXR work on better DX12 support in games. Stop reserving 7GB of storage space to update the OS.
 
I for one love Windows 10. Don't care about DRM or anything else except for decent protections against hacking. I have nothing to hide in my website browsing nor nothing to hide in my pictures/music or anything else. I just care about having a solid OS. Windows 10 for the most part has been a godsend for my family. I rarely have to touch PC's anymore.

For gaming, it would be nice for Windows to "de-bloat" itself on demand.

I for one love Windows over my MAC. My MAC is a pain in the ass, but basically safe.
 
Nobody wants Microsoft involved, especially with their form of DRM tied to the OS itself. Fix the OS itself and leave the games alone. Fix your updates, fix your Microsoft store, fix updates breaking drivers, specifically sound card drivers. Work on DXR work on better DX12 support in games. Stop reserving 7GB of storage space to update the OS.

Couldn't agree more. Next we just need some devs to make us some good games. All I do is play old ones these days :p
 
I fail to see how Windows 10 is currently an impediment to gaming. Until last year my main rig was a Core-i5 2500K with an RX580 GPU and I never once encountered any noticeable issues with background processes "stealing resources" from the game. Is this even a thing? I'd be willing to accept benchmarks might show a low single-digit impact on some games but who the hell can notice that with bare eyeballs in actual gaming? You get more variance than that between GPU driver versions for crying out loud yet nobody is obsessing over it.

And DRM? Maybe I'm overlooking something but OS-based DRM is something I've never encountered. Oh I've come across tons of DRM foisted on us by game vendors but never the OS.
 
I for one love Windows 10. Don't care about DRM or anything else except for decent protections against hacking. I have nothing to hide in my website browsing nor nothing to hide in my pictures/music or anything else. I just care about having a solid OS. Windows 10 for the most part has been a godsend for my family. I rarely have to touch PC's anymore.

For gaming, it would be nice for Windows to "de-bloat" itself on demand.

I for one love Windows over my MAC. My MAC is a pain in the ass, but basically safe.

Privacy is a Fundamental right, you shouldn't need to prove necessity to keep a fundamental right. When you say "I have nothing to hide" what you are really saying is "I don't care about my right of privacy". This is an extremely dangerous position to take and you need to think a little deeper about it.
 
Have you seen the suggestions?

Create a Version of Windows Specifically for Gaming
Allow Users to Launch Games on PC with a Controller


They're basically "Make gaming on the PC like an Xbox"... I'm betting all the ideas mentioned here on [H] so far would get 'hidden' by MS as soon as they were added. :D
 
#1 thing Microsoft can do is figure out how to prevent prompts/applications/etc from grabbing focus while I'm actively using a game/application. I cannot count the amount of times my games have been interrupted because Windows tossed focus to something else. So fucking frustrating.
 
I have nothing to hide in my website browsing nor nothing to hide in my pictures/music or anything else.

If you submit your computer usage to the examination of corporations and governments then that isn't for you to decide, as you'll have made yourself a subject to their review and judgment. And you'll have given away not just your personal privacy (which is a fundamental human need and right), but also your authority over your own self.
 
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Nobody wants Microsoft involved, especially with their form of DRM tied to the OS itself. Fix the OS itself and leave the games alone. Fix your updates, fix your Microsoft store, fix updates breaking drivers, specifically sound card drivers. Work on DXR work on better DX12 support in games. Stop reserving 7GB of storage space to update the OS.

No, drop DX 12 support, support the platform agnostic Vulkan, stop the telemetry, and stop using forced updates.
 
#1 thing Microsoft can do is figure out how to prevent prompts/applications/etc from grabbing focus while I'm actively using a game/application. I cannot count the amount of times my games have been interrupted because Windows tossed focus to something else. So fucking frustrating.

What 3rd party applications do you have installed? I've never once had that issue with Windows 10. Don't blame MS when you don't keep your computer clean.
 
They should use their AI to read through the years of forum posts since its release, the clues are all there.
Finally a good use for their AI and maybe we get something nice.


Who am I kidding.
 
They should use their AI to read through the years of forum posts since its release, the clues are all there.
Finally a good use for their AI and maybe we get something nice.


Who am I kidding.
Have you read forums?
AI is not what it's name suggests. I would be terrified of the conclusions that computer program would come to.
 
Privacy is not a fundamental right. Security of person and the protection against unreasonable search and seizure are. Microsoft can ask for information and you can tell them to go piss up a rope, too.
 
#1 thing Microsoft can do is figure out how to prevent prompts/applications/etc from grabbing focus while I'm actively using a game/application. I cannot count the amount of times my games have been interrupted because Windows tossed focus to something else. So fucking frustrating.

You will be able to turn off focus shift entirely in future versions of Windows 10. It's already in the Insider Fast Ring builds and has been for some time.
 
Have you read forums?
AI is not what it's name suggests. I would be terrified of the conclusions that computer program would come to.
Confused.
What it has previously been used for is moot, it can be used for whatever purpose it is assigned.
Aggregating data without making decisions based on it should work out ok.
The human element can still have purpose beyond that.
MS have only asked for the data.
 
Sell this version?

windows-10-china-government-edition.png
 
I have a few ideas on how they can improve gaming:

1. Schedule, download, and install updates without my knowing about them.
2. Don't let me opt out of ANYTHING.
3. Have a cute little thing that helps me all the time, like Clippy, but sexier.
4. I'd love to see ad placements in my OS. It'd help my gaming if you showed me what I was missing.
5. Don't let me get immersed in what I'm doing. Toss in some notifications, beeps, and other attention grabbers so I don't lose track of time.

That's all I could come up with off the top of my head.
 
I'm shocked that on this forum not one of you has complained about how badly DWM cripples latency and hogs resources for no good reason. Probably 90% of you play in borderless window mode which is the main clusterfk DWM causes.

If they want windows to be gaming focused they need to cut the windows from it. Remove their bloated crap from between the hardware and the software and they'll trash everyone else(including consoles) with lesser hardware.
 
Thats easy.
Microsoft don't do anything related to gaming outside of your console, when it come to gaming on the PC we really don't need you to ruin that too.
Just make sure the direct x and drivers work, and that's it.
 
They should use their AI to read through the years of forum posts since its release, the clues are all there.
Finally a good use for their AI and maybe we get something nice.


Who am I kidding.

I had this vision of Microsoft “Tay” chatbot “AI” reading form posts and suggesting Windows 10 hate-crime edition :facepalm:

Have you read forums?
AI is not what it's name suggests. I would be terrified of the conclusions that computer program would come to.

I’ll second the comment about AI not existing as the name implies. This would be more like a glorified web spider / scraper, and they probably do this already. The issue is that MS certainly disregards any suggestions that they cannot make $$$ on.
 
I'm shocked that on this forum not one of you has complained about how badly DWM cripples latency and hogs resources for no good reason. Probably 90% of you play in borderless window mode which is the main clusterfk DWM causes.

Do a lot of people play in borderless window mode? I never do, and don't know anyone that does - but may be that's just me. I agree about ditching certain DRM though.
 
The suggestions that have so far been submitted and approved by MS look to me like they're pointless, and stuff that Microsoft has already tried:


"When Running a Game, Windows Should Automatically Disable Processes While Playing"

"Create a Version of Windows Specifically for Gaming"

"Let Users Disable Unnecessary Processes While Playing Games"

"Windows Should Automatically Download Driver Updates When Game is Installed"


About the ones asking for background process disabling, Microsoft's "Game Mode" already took a try at that and it didn't accomplish anything. In fact, it worsened game performance across the board in the earlier versions of it. Also, which processes? If there's anything consuming significant amounts of CPU or RAM while playing a game then it's stuff the system owner has installed and didn't turn off before launching their game. Unless it's Windows Update, but everybody should have that disabled completely anyway and I don't think MS will help in that regard.

A Windows specifically for gaming would be Windows 10 as it already is, but with Windows Update disabled and all the bloatware that Microsoft pushes on Windows 10 systems removed. That edition of Windows 10 already exists, it's called Windows 10 LTSC and a license for it can be purchased cheaply from eBay.

And the suggestion to have Windows automatically download drivers, specifically graphics drivers (stated in the suggestion's explanation), is awful and probably dependent upon the service a game is downloaded with and not the OS. Further, this ability has been available as a part of Windows Update since Windows 10 first released - and it has caused a lot of problems for a lot of people. Also, when installing a new graphics driver a clean installation should ideally be done, and that involves restarting the PC and booting into Windows' Safe Mode to use DDU. An in-OS solution isn't likely to do all of that.


Basically, the suggestions so far emphasize that there isn't really anything for Microsoft to do to help gaming in Windows other than butting out, dropping UWP entirely, disabling Windows Update, and getting rid of bloatware in Windows 10. Actually, there is one thing Microsoft can do: Improve support for legacy games by enabling things like .NET Framework 3.5 by default, and various other tweaks that old games sometimes need to work, and improve compatibility mode.
 
I would say something can always be done,

1- A version of Windows from the ground up built for specifically for VR with a GUI specifically meant to tackle issues and a shedding of legacy crap no longer needed.

2- A complete stop of allowing downloads in the background while gaming and a complete stop of tabbing out of a game to say "We got drivers here!!!!", or Windows update interference.

3- Cutting out background processing that isn't needed and a shut down of all the things nobody needs or wants running. This would be better for laptops where you are limited on a battery.

4- An included tool that allows complete customization of the UI in a simplified manner.

5- Better security, gamers spend alot of money digitally and with exposed databases and security threats it would be fantastic to allow gamers a way of not exposing themselves, that also means cutting all the data metics collected and ensuring privacy is first and foremost.

6- Better integrated tools for content creators and gaming/streamers with all that isn't needed cut out.
 
allow lan co-op for games like gow4/forza/hcc etc. right now i can play either on xbonex or pc but not the same time against my kids unless i buy an extra copy
 
Do a lot of people play in borderless window mode? I never do, and don't know anyone that does - but may be that's just me. I agree about ditching certain DRM though.

Borderless is usually the first option I set in a game after disabling any music. For me, borderless lets me run videos, other games or other stuff more easily on other monitors.
 
Do a lot of people play in borderless window mode? I never do, and don't know anyone that does - but may be that's just me. I agree about ditching certain DRM though.
DWM not DRM
Desktop Windows Manager.
The little insidious piece of crap Microsoft inserted between any application and everything else.
Borderless windowed mode has been on a strong uptick and even gets defaulted in many games. The effects of DWM also apply to full screen though even if Microsoft loudly claims it doesn't.
 
m$ is either trolling gamers here or cooked this up as some kind of placebo to placate them. Even if there are people at m$ who care the decision makers give 0.0 fucks. The only fix here is to remove m$'s monopoly on gaming, port DirectX to Linux or fully develop the Vulkan API. It's all about data collection now and the control of how users purchase in order to extract the maximum profit, ie the windows store and subscription models.
 
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Do a lot of people play in borderless window mode? I never do, and don't know anyone that does - but may be that's just me. I agree about ditching certain DRM though.

Yes, almost always. With dual monitors, exclusive full screen is a PITA constantly switching modes around. Borderless full screen mode allows bouncing around the game and other applications MUCH easier.
 
Wasn't the built in surveillance, 'telemetry', in Windows 10 meant to inform Microsoft? You, as the user, don't even have the power to manage and control your platform. Part of the Win10 DNA is telemetry.
 
Confused.
What it has previously been used for is moot, it can be used for whatever purpose it is assigned.
Aggregating data without making decisions based on it should work out ok.
The human element can still have purpose beyond that.
MS have only asked for the data.
Exactly my point. Imagine the garbage suggestions it would scrape up. Thus far AI is not intelligent.
Maybe not this forum so much, but many are filled with idiots. Who say idiotic things.
Not referring to you or this forum with that, to be clear.
 
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