If you've recently noticed that games are not performing as well as they once were, and neither is your mouse, it might not be just in your head. Microsoft confirmed there is an issue with a Windows update that is causing some wonky behavior.
Following the roll out of the February cumulative update for Windows 10 Version 1809 (KB4482887), some users complained of newfound performance issues, both in games and the way their mice were behaving.
"This patch is causing massive lag spikes in older games, like CoD4 and CoD MW2. Right after installing this update, I launch any of the two aforementioned games, moving the mouse around (yes, mouse movement) causes the game to freeze in 1-second intervals every time. If you don't move the mouse, game appears fine," a user wrote on Reddit.
Others chimed in with similar observations, in response to Microsoft's thread about the update.
"I’ve got this same issue with an RTX 2080 and Ryzen 2700X. Destiny 2 has some insane lag spikes when you move the mouse. Also uninstalled this update and all is normal again," another user wrote.
Microsoft has now acknowledged the issues in a related support document, saying "users may notice graphics and mouse degradation with desktop gaming when playing certain games, such as Destiny 2." Based on the complaints, though, Destiny 2 is not the only game where this is happening.
Ironically, the update in question includes further mitigations for Spectre that are supposed to speed up Windows 10 performance, not slow it down. Unfortunately, it is having the opposite effect for some gamers.
Microsoft is working on a fix for its fix. In the meantime, the company suggests uninstalling the update "to regain performance" as a short-term resolution.
