31 Aug, 2021
0Not quite waiting until 11/11, Microsoft unveiled the new Windows 11 today. Announcing the free update in an official blog post, Microsoft laid out everything we can expect. They also made sure to mention what gamers can look forward to while playing on PC with the new update. The team over at Xbox had plenty more to say in a blog post of their own, going over the changes to lighting, loading speeds, and Xbox Game Pass.
Starting on October 5, 2021, PC owners can expect to find the Windows 11 update. Brand new PCs will come pre-loaded with Windows 11 at this time as well. The newest PCs will become eligible for the upgrade first, and then older PCs will begin seeing the changes. Eventually, by mid-2022, Microsoft hopes that every PC out there will have gotten the update. With the update, you’ll find a fresh new UI, Microsoft Teams integrated into the taskbar for chatting, and plenty of boosts to gaming. Auto HDR will automatically enhance visuals with HDR for games built on DirectX 11 or higher. NVMe SSDs will speed up load times significantly thanks to DirectStorage technology, which are also part of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.
However, before you can enjoy these upgrades, your PC will also need to meet the requirements in order to download Windows 11:
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Processor: |
1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster with 2 or more cores on a compatible 64-bit processor or System on a Chip (SoC) |
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RAM: |
4 gigabyte (GB) |
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Storage: |
64 GB or larger storage device |
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System firmware: |
UEFI, Secure Boot capable |
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TPM: |
Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0 |
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Graphics card: |
Compatible with DirectX 12 or later with WDDM 2.0 driver |
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Display: |
High definition (720p) display that is greater than 9” diagonally, 8 bits per color channel |
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Internet connection and Microsoft accounts: |
Windows 11 Home edition requires internet connectivity and a Microsoft account to complete device setup on first use. Switching a device out of Windows 11 Home in S mode also requires internet connectivity. Learn more about S mode here. For all Windows 11 editions, internet access is required to perform updates and to download and take advantage of some features. A Microsoft account is required for some features. |
If your PC doesn’t meet these requirements, or you’re not ready to move on to Windows 11, Microsoft will continue supporting Windows 10 through October 14, 2025. By then, new PCs with Windows 11 should be the norm. With so many exciting changes on the horizon, we’ll have to wait and see how this impacts gaming moving forward.
