microsoft windows 10

Developer: Microsoft

OS Family: Microsoft Windows NT

Release Date: July 29, 2015

Platforms: IA-32, x86-64, ARMv7, ARMv8

User Interface: Windows shell (GUI)

Editions:

• Baseline editions: Home, Pro, Pro for Workstations

• Organizational editions: Enterprise, Enterprise LTSC, Education, Pro Education

Windows 10, a major release of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system, was made available for download via MSDN and

TechNet, as a free upgrade for retail copies of Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 users via the Windows Store, and to Windows 7 users via Windows Update. Windows 10 receives new builds on an ongoing basis, which are available at no additional cost to users.

Windows 10 received generally positive reviews upon its original release. Critics praised Microsoft's decision to provide the

desktop-oriented interface in line with previous versions of Windows, contrasting the tablet-oriented approach of Windows 8, although Windows 10's touch-oriented user interface mode was criticized for containing regressions upon the touch-oriented interface of its predecessor. Critics also praised the improvements to Windows 10's bundled software over Windows 8.1, Xbox Live integration, as well as the functionality and capabilities of the Cortana personal assistant and the replacement of Internet Explorer with Microsoft Edge.

Windows 10 is the final version of Windows that supports 32-bit processors (IA-32 and ARMv7-based) and devices with

BIOS firmware. Its successor, Windows 11, requires a device that uses UEFI firmware and a 64-bit processor in any supported architecture (x86-64 for x86 and ARMv8 for ARM).

DirectX 12: Windows 10 includes DirectX 12 alongside WDDM 2.0. Unveiled March 2014 at GDC, DirectX 12 aims to

provide "console-level efficiency" with "closer to the metal" access to hardware resources, and reduced CPU and graphics driver overhead. Most of the performance improvements are achieved through low-level programming, which can reduce single-threaded CPU bottlenecking caused by abstraction through higher level APIs. The performance gains achieved by allowing developers direct access to GPU resources is similar to other low-level rendering initiatives such as AMD's Mantle, Apple's Metal API or the OpenGL successor, Vulkan. WDDM 2.0 introduces a new virtual memory management and allocation system to reduce workload on the kernel-mode driver.

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Xbox One integration:

• Windows 10 brings more updates to the Xbox app introduced in Windows 8. Games from the Xbox One can be streamed to any Windows 10 device excluding smartphones.

Game Bar and Game:

• DVR: Windows 10 introduces the Game Bar, which provides screenshot and video capture functionality for Windows games. Users can invoke the game bar, record gameplay, or take a screenshot using the appropriate keyboard shortcuts. Windows 10 can also continuously capture gameplays in the background; this allows the user to request that the last few users defined moments of gameplay be saved to the hard disk. This is useful if a user wants to save and/or share a moment of gameplay but did not think to explicitly record it beforehand. The Game Bar was later upgraded into a larger overlay, which now features "widgets" windows for functionality such as the user's Xbox friends list, audio settings, and system performance information.

Gaming:

• Windows 10 provides greater integration with the Xbox ecosystem. Xbox SmartGlass is succeeded by the Xbox Console Companion (formerly the Xbox app), which allows users to browse their game library (including both PC and Xbox console games), and Game DVR is also available using a keyboard shortcut, allowing users to save the last 30 seconds of gameplay as a video that can be shared to Xbox Live, OneDrive, or elsewhere. Windows 10 also allows users to control and play games from an Xbox One console over a local network. The Xbox Live SDK allows application developers to incorporate Xbox Live functionality into their apps, and future wireless Xbox One accessories, such as controllers, are supported on Windows with an adapter. Microsoft also intends to allow cross-purchases and save synchronization between Xbox One and Windows 10 versions of games; Microsoft Studios games such as ReCore and Quantum Break are intended as being exclusive to Windows 10 and Xbox One.

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Windows 10 adds native game recording and screenshot capture ability using the newly introduced Game Bar. Users can also

have the OS continuously record gameplay in the background, which then allows the user to save the last few moments of gameplay to the storage device.

Source: Wikipedia contributors. "Windows 10." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 4 May. 2023.

List of Windows 10 Games