10 Reasons to Get Hyped for Gaming on Windows 10

Windows 10 is right around the corner – for all of you folks who aren’t in the preview program, it starts a phased roll out next week, on July 29. And, guess what? It’s got all kinds of sweet gaming-centric perks! Here are 10 reasons you should absolutely install Windows 10 ASAP, if you’re the sort of person who wants some awesome gaming in your life.

1) DirectX 12: First and simplest: This magical piece of software will help you get the most out of the hardware that powers your games. If you’ve got a high-end graphics card already, prepare to be blown out of your seat when you see the kinds of power that DirectX 12 can get from its improved multisampling code in new games built to take advantage of the power it offers. If you’re on more of a budget, you’ll still be impressed with the way that Windows 10 keeps your games running smoothly.

2) Better Scaling for 4K Monitors: Got one of those fancy 4K screens, do ya? Well, you might be surprised at how much trouble your older version of Windows is having playing your games on your super hi-res monitor. You can’t blame the earlier versions of Windows; 4K didn’t even exist when they came out! Windows 10 has your back, though, with much better support for these newer behemoths of beauty.

3) DVR Your Games: Windows 10 taps into some of the best features from Xbox One, which includes a lot of things – but perhaps most excitingly, it means that you have the ability to record, edit, and share clips of your favorite moments from the PC games you already own –  easily and quickly with the click of a button. Not only does this make gloating about your exploits a seamless experience, it means you can keep your best moves (or your worst, if you’re into that) to watch over and over for improvement (or just self-worship) purposes.

4) Stream Your Xbox One Games: If you have an Xbox One, then Windows 10 just expanded your games library a whole bunch. Now, you can play your Xbox One games on any Windows 10 PC or tablet in your home, via Windows 10’s easy-to-use streaming feature. Using your Wi-Fi or even a wired connection, the Xbox One runs games on your Windows 10 machine. So, if you want to take your laptop out to the porch and get some sun, but you don’t want to quit playing Halo 5, guess what? You’re good. This even includes the Xbox 360 games available in the recently announced Xbox One Backward Compatibility.

5) It’s Free: If you already own Windows 7 or Windows 8, upgrading to Windows 10 is free in most cases – as long as you do it within a year of release. Seriously, this is one of those things that may sound like it’s too good to be a true, but it totally isn’t. Get in on this while you can, because it won’t last forever! Oh, and did we mention that multiplayer gaming in PC games that use Xbox Live is free, too?

6) Cross-platform Gaming and Parties: Thanks to the Xbox App, you’ll be able to log into your Xbox Live account on Windows 10, which means you’ll be able to find your friends easily and create parties to chat with them, regardless of whether they’re playing on Windows 10 or Xbox One. So play League of Legends while chatting with your friends on Xbox One!  And soon, with the releases of titles like Fable Legends and Gigantic, you’ll be able to play games against your friends on other platforms. Not only does this mean there will be more folks to play with most of the time, it also means you’ll be able to play with your favorite people in more places, and on more devices. What’s not to like?

7) Achievements: Also courtesy of the Xbox App, you’ll be able to view your gaming legacy thanks to the Achievements you’ve unlocked and the Gamerscore you’ve earned over the years. Even better, you can earn more Achievements and increase your Gamerscore even more while playing Xbox Live-enabled games on Windows 10. No matter which Windows 10 device you play on, you’ll always be strengthening your gaming legacy.

8) Native Controller Support: In addition to natively supporting your existing Xbox One controllers, the slick new Xbox One Elite controller that’s coming out in October also works great with Windows 10. You can play wired with its standard USB cable or wirelessly with the upcoming Xbox wireless adapter (which itself supports up to four controllers at once). Whether you prefer to play with a mouse/keyboard setup or use an Xbox controller, rest assured that you’ll have plenty of options.

9) Super-fast Boot Times: You’re a gamer. You want your games right now. That means when you turn your computer on, you want that sucker ready to go in seconds. Windows 10 has you covered: It boots so fast that when you stand up to hit the power switch, your butt won’t be in the seat by the time the computer’s ready to rock. Depending on how fast your computer (and/or your butt) is, of course.

10) DirectX 12: Seriously, did we mention this? No joke, it’s that awesome! And it’s coming to Xbox One as well! In case you couldn’t tell, we’re big, big fans of this feature.

If you haven’t already, reserve your upgrade to Windows 10 now to get the above features and many more!