Windows 10 upgrade free for owners of Windows 7 and 8.1

Fresh news from Microsoft's painfully aspirational Windows 10 briefing. Owners of Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1 will be eligible for a free upgrade to Microsoft's upcoming OS. The free upgrade will be available throughout the first year of Windows 10's life.

That's a pretty big deal—Microsoft no doubt realises that people are hanging on happily to Windows 7, but the chance of a free upgrade could prove tempting. For PC gamers, it'll mean free access to DirectX 12, which won't be supported by Windows 7.

We'll have more from the briefing as it happens. For the most part, it's just a series of people saying "devices" in different degrees of sincerity and urgency.

Phil has been writing for PC Gamer for nearly a decade, starting out as a freelance writer covering everything from free games to MMOs. He eventually joined full-time as a news writer, before moving to the magazine to review immersive sims, RPGs and Hitman games. Now he leads PC Gamer's UK team, but still sometimes finds the time to write about his ongoing obsessions with Destiny 2, GTA Online and Apex Legends. When he's not levelling up battle passes, he's checking out the latest tactics game or dipping back into Guild Wars 2. He's largely responsible for the whole Tub Geralt thing, but still isn't sorry.