Even Microsoft Seems to Know Gaming on Windows 11 Isn't Great These Days

It's nary concealed that gaming connected Windows 11 has been a small unsmooth successful caller years. Performance and usability problems person been plaguing the OS for a portion now, but it seems similar Microsoft is yet trying to bash thing astir it.

Microsoft has kicked disconnected an interior inaugural codenamed Windows K2, according to Windows Central. Rather than being a mentation of Windows itself, this task seems to purpose to alteration the plan doctrine of aboriginal Windows updates instead.

Over the past respective years, Microsoft has been focused connected releasing caller features arsenic accelerated arsenic possible, which has led to immoderate incredibly atrocious updates. Just look astatine Recall, a Copilot+ diagnostic which uses AI to prevention screenshots of virtually everything you bash connected your PC truthful that you tin notation them later. Back successful 2024, Microsoft tried to unreserved that retired ace quickly, lone to person to clasp it backmost owed to evident information issues.

With K2, Microsoft slowing things down a spot and trickling retired updates with a higher barroom of quality. We've already seen grounds of this program, with the caller AutoSR update coming to the Xbox Ally X astir six months aft its release. Microsoft could person conscionable shipped the diagnostic without making definite it worked decently – aft all, it's been disposable for Windows ARM systems for much than a year.

Hopefully this means that Microsoft volition person immoderate semblance of restraint erstwhile comes to shoving caller features into Windows 11. Or, astatine the precise least, little predominant updates that marque you restart your gaming PC.

Microsoft Wants PC Gaming Back

PC gaming connected Windows is evidently inactive huge, with Microsoft's operating systems making up for 92% of gaming PCs, according to the latest Steam Hardware Survey. While Windows does person a comfy majority, Linux gaming is increasing astatine an unthinkable rate, acknowledgment successful ample portion to the Steam Deck, and different handhelds that are present moving SteamOS oregon Bazzite.

Just past month, the magnitude of radical moving Linux connected their gaming PCs has gone up 3% to 5.33% of Steam's instal base. Certainly a large portion of that is determination are much devices retired determination that travel with SteamOS these days, but close present Linux conscionable has amended gaming show than Windows, particularly connected low-end hardware.

It seems similar Microsoft is alert of this. As Windows Central reports, Microsoft is present looking astatine SteamOS arsenic the benchmark for gaming performance, trying to lucifer its show with comparable hardware. Hell, adjacent successful my testing, I've decidedly noticed that handheld gaming PCs moving connected Valve's operating strategy person a spot of a lead, which is wherefore the Lenovo Legion Go S tin inactive clasp its ain against the Xbox Ally X and the Legion Go 2 contempt having a slower chip.

Microsoft paying much attraction to its operating system's ratio and show is simply a bully sign, but it'll beryllium immoderate clip yet earlier we spot whether oregon not this renewed propulsion for prime pays off. However, Windows 12 is lurking determination connected the horizon, truthful hopefully Microsoft carries this K2 inaugural guardant to its adjacent large OS launch.

Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor astatine IGN and the PC components queen. You tin travel her @Jackiecobra