Microsoft has spent considerable time talking about and teasing its upcoming Creators update for Windows 10, but what lies beyond that? We won't have to wait long to find out, as the Creators update is one of two major releases scheduled for 2017.
The Creators update will introduce a bevy of new features, many of which are focused on gaming in Windows 10. One of those is a dedicated Game Mode that does a better job of and prioritizing and muting background tasks when playing a game, which in theory is supposed to increase both the average and peak frame rates. In practice, we saw negligible gains, though that was from testing a beta version on a newly minted Kaby Lake setup. Game Mode should work best on high mileage systems with a lot going on in the background.
Microsoft is also focusing on virtual reality experiences with the Creators update and has even lined up third-party hardware makers to produce less expensive VR headsets starting at $299. Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, and Lenovo are all on board.
Windows 10 release lifecycle, cadence pic.twitter.com/NxSB9wE2PYFebruary 20, 2017
While the Creators update figures to be a significant upgrade to the Windows 10 experience in multiple ways, there is plenty more that Microsoft wants to accomplish. Rafael Rivera, a frequent contributor to Thurrott.com, got his hands on a Microsoft slide that confirms a second update is headed to Windows 10 this year.
The slide was shared by Microsoft at Ignite Australia last week. Unfortunately it doesn't reveal any details about the forthcoming update, but if Microsoft is truly committed to gaming (as seems to be the case), there could be even more gaming goodies before the year is through. The same goes for expanding VR capabilities.
Given the quick turnaround from the Creators update to a second release just months later, we also anticipate a heavy dose of bug fixes. Beyond that, we'll have to wait and see.
The full Ignite Australia talk is embedded below:
