Windows 10 Reportedly Adding a Game Mode That Would Improve Game Performance
A new feature may be on the way to Windows 10 that develops performance when playing PC games. That's according to a file discovered in a leaked version of an upcoming preview update.
Twitter user WalkingCat reports the addition of a dll called "game mode" in the newest build of Windows 10 (version 14997). The following tweet notes it "looks like Windows will adjust its resource allocation logic (for CPU/[graphics] etc.)" for the purpose of prioritizing game performance.
As per Twitter user h0x0d, Windows 10 might sport some console-like functionality in terms of gaming performance.
“[L]ooks like Windows will adjust its resource allocation logic (for CPU/Gfx etc.) to prioritize the "Game" when running in "Game Mode”," h0x0d tweeted.
As per sources by WindowsCentral, the new Game Mode may work in the same way to how #XboxOne currently runs games: freeing up resources from other programs to feed to the game in order to better enhance performance.
Since this is all idea from a dll file in a leaked update build, it's clearly not clear how it will work. There's a chance that the update may only be for games from the Windows Store, or it could possibly work with games on Origin, Steam, or even standalone games. In a perfect world, the update would be for all games in general, in order to make everyday computers more effective even if they aren't necessarily top of the line gaming rigs. But, given how well Microsoft's obsessive Windows 10 upgrade crusade went over, they may not accurately have their finger on the pulse of their customers' wants and needs.
In practice, this gaming mode would permit PCs to become extremely powerful gaming consoles by freeing up all the processor and graphical power and aiming it into the singular purpose of running video games.
Microsoft hasn't yet confirmed the game mode, but bearing in mind the company's 2016 track record with PC gaming, it's not too difficult to predict this feature make its way to Windows 10 gamers in the coming months. Let's just hope it isn't as unsatisfactory as Quantum Break's PC version.
Some new features aside from Game Mode contain the ability to install the OS using voice commands, setting themes via the Settings app, and an automatic blue light reduction feature. The Windows 10 Creators Update likely early next year should have all these features and more.