Gaming Enthusiasts Eagerly Wait For Jan 21 Event On Windows 10

Features Of Windows 10

After Windows 10 release, everyone is eagerly waiting to find out the customer centric features included in the operating system. It is expected that Microsoft would be revealing these features at the event to be held on January 21. Many of the gaming enthusiasts around the world are also looking forward to the event, as they believe that the software giant would also be discussing the various gaming features included in the operating system.

The gaming industry is vast and is a lucrative market. However, Microsoft has not been much successful in this sector. Now, Microsoft is aiming for a comeback in this sector and is planning to revive its Windows gaming business. The January event would be a major one with most of the Microsoft senior officials expected to attend the same, including the CEO Satya Nadella. Among the other top officials, it is believed that the Xbox head, Phil Spencer would also be attending the function and this gives hopes to the gaming enthusiasts that some major announcements regarding the gaming features of the operating system would be revealed at the event.

Spencer has already confirmed that he plans to reveal some details about Windows gaming features in the operating system, at the event. He tweeted, "I'll be focusing more on what we are doing on Win10 in January. It's time for us to talk about gaming on Windows." The latest gaming console from Microsoft, Xbox One, is facing stiff competition from its rival Sony’s PlayStation 4. Even though the company has loaded many features in this gaming console, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Wii are giving it a tough competition around the world.

Windows 10 Installation

After the Windows 10 release in September, number of people have already downloaded and installed the operating system. At present, only Windows 10 technical preview is available for download. The preview has been released by Microsoft as a part of the testing phase of the operating system. Microsoft has been releasing updates for the operating system ever since its release. Each update is to bring in changes to the operating system and modify it. Users can expect the release of the operating system by the mid of 2015.

Many gaming enthusiasts are expecting numerous features to be loaded in the operating system that will aid with gaming and give a better gaming experience. As the operating system is designed to work on different platforms, we could also expect some news regarding its working in the Xbox consoles.

Getting To Know Windows 10 Update

Windows Update Changes

Windows 10 release will feature a brand new update scheme that will be phenomenally different from the updating schemes that previous versions had enjoyed. It seems Microsoft has finally acknowledged the need for making regular incremental improvements in the operating system. Moreover, this also highlights the need for different update systems between consumers and enterprise users.

With the new operating system, both enterprise and regular version operating system users will have different update policies. Which means, this time, the operating system will get a steady stream of both feature and security updates, bringing it on par with other similar operating systems. The security fixes will continue to function the same way; once a month and installed automatically. However, the feature updates will be entirely different and will have three different release speeds. The users will get the consumer release that will be publically distributed as soon as they are released.

Hence, this way, continuous improvement to the Windows Desktop OS can be accepted, which is how the Chrome OS and Android functions. For other systems where security is of paramount importance, nothing except for the security updates will be channeled. Using this policy, Windows 10 OS handles mission critical systems and environments where security certificates need to be validated at all times.  Apart from that, there is another update option where business users can keep up with the new features, but the control over which update and when, will depend upon the user himself.

Windows 10 Features

Windows 10 OS will be by far, the most intelligent operating system, well capable of mixed deployment at variable speeds. This entails running a few machines at a consumer pace, acting like canaries for the rest of the organization. This would allow intermediate option for some machines and security fixes alone for the rest. Each update will change the Windows version number, providing a name and an update route for those who are using the most conservative update policy. This means, you will be seeing the end of “Service Packs” and alike after the introduction of Windows 10. The updates will be hot-fixes, which means the update will continue in parallel and the full operating system installer will be responsible for the entire install and update scenarios.

Users are already waiting for the Windows 10 release, which is all set to happen sometime in the spring next year. The operating system will integrate a unified market for all platforms and bring in a string of interesting features.

Windows 10 Marks The Return Of The Start Menu

Windows 10 OS

According to sources close to Microsoft, the successor to Windows 8 i.e. Windows 10 will be having a plethora of useful and advanced options. It can be said that Microsoft has this time focused more on making Windows 10 a user-friendly OS version than just an advanced one like Windows 8 or 8.1. The most striking aspect of the operating system is the inclusion of the Start Menu, which itself has already made a large number of users to eagerly wait for the Windows 10 release.

Microsoft clearly knows that by launching a mere advanced OS version, the company won’t be able to retrieve its large customer base who had either shifted to other operating systems or are happy using older versions like Windows 7 and XP. The Windows 8 debacle was a setback for Microsoft and its position in the tech field, as several new competitors started to pose stiff competition to the software giant in the market.

It has been more than two years since Microsoft launched Windows 8 into the market. Although the operating system was released with much fanfare by emphasizing on the fact that it was the most advanced OS available at that time, Windows 8 was eventually dubbed as a failure. The main disadvantage of Windows 8 was that it lacked several basic features like the ones in Windows 7 and XP that had made users root for such versions earlier. Most importantly, the non-availability of Start Menu and the presence of two interfaces made several users confused about running their systems. Many users even called up the Microsoft tech support team to know how to turn off their systems. Eventually, a large number of users dumped Windows 8, thereby affecting Microsoft’s business prospects to a great extent.

Windows 10 Features

Looking at the Windows 10 preview, one can say that the software giant has finally understood the reason why the prior version was a unanimous failure. Yes, Windows 10 comprises of several useful features and as mentioned earlier, the most prominent option is the Start Menu. This feature looks somewhat similar to the one you can find in Windows 7, with inclusions like live tiles and improved search results. Also, Windows 10 comprises of numerous multitasking options like Snap Assist and Task View, which will definitely entice the users to go for the upgrade.

Windows 10 release is slated for mid 2015. It will be interesting to see what all updates the company will introduce into the OS, before it finally hits the market.

What’s New In Windows 10 Preview

Windows 10 Versions

The newest Windows release is named Windows 10 instead of Windows 9. The reason Microsoft is giving for this, is that it’s going to be big, and spread across multiple platforms. The Windows 10 release is set to support a wide range of devices including PCs, Tablet PCs, Phones, Laplets etc. The support will even extend to the Xbox console, sometime in the future.

Windows 10 involves the continuation of Microsoft’s efforts to bring together all the application stores currently under their banner. A Technical Preview version of the OS has been available for download and testing since the start of the month. The preview site lets you get in through the Windows Insider Program and download a free copy of the test version. The Enterprise preview version works only on x86 machines, while the test build of their ARM version has not been made available yet. The current version is purely for testing purposes, with a more consumer friendly version set to release next year.

Microsoft’s new work on Windows Server and Management systems area, for the new OS, will be made public shortly. Their upcoming Build conference, scheduled for next April, will feature announcements about the developer version of Windows 10. The company has already stated that they are looking to provide the finished version of the OS by Mid-2015. This is concordant with leaks in the past, which indicated the time for Windows 10 release as "spring 2015."

The Windows 10 Enterprise Technical Preview has many new additions over Windows 8, such as the returning Start menu, and several remaining ones like the Metro styled apps, which the company was marginally successful in marketing. The new features they recently showed off included a Snap Assist feature, which lets the user figure out how the different apps are snapped beside each other. This can be done horizontally or vertically, with a task view to assist switching between the virtual desktops.

Install Windows 10

Another feature which the company had announced earlier, but which is absent from the preview currently, is the “Continuum”. This functionality lets the user set up and disconnect their keyboards more easily between devices, with considerably more ease than before. The adaptability of the keyboard had been an issue in the previous version, Windows 8. Traditional input methods were only perfunctorily supported, and this earned significant panning from customers. With Windows 10, Microsoft seems to be taking the older crowds seriously again.