Only a few days ago we have between us the eleventh version of Windows between us and the news about the renewed version of Microsoft’s OS they do not stop happening in the bowels of the software world.
Most of this news is positive in nature, with new features coming to light little by little, but others, like the recent Windows 11 issue with AMD processors, are not so flattering for the OS. An expected situation, if we understand the magnitude of the launch of a new version of Windows, but equally striking.
It is in this context where I come into action, this time as a guinea pig for much of the writing, since I have decided to jump into the pool and install windows 11 on my main personal computers to understand how the experience of the change from Windows 10 to Windows 11 is lived as a gamer; what you are going to read next are my reflections on the subject, so wait a little more subjectivity than i used to to dump in my texts. All that said, let’s go.
The experience of using a new version of Windows for the first time
Beginning with the operating system installation itself, I was greatly surprised to find the same installer, slightly adapted, as in Windows 10 in the rest of its versions; Some of these changes revolved around the requirements of the new Microsoft OS and its peculiarities, but, due to the similarity with previous versions, I found that the installation was a relatively painless process. What is expected, taking into account who is behind and the claims of Redmond for this operating system in the near future.
“Although the changes are obvious, it is impossible not to think that the beautification of the W11 UI is not especially deep, something that will be a relief for many users”
Once inside, the changes are evident. Windows 11 enters through the eyes in an even more powerful way than its predecessor did. The centralized start menu fits very well with the operating rhythm of the OS and the small adjustments in the UI of elements as common as the Start Menu browsing the Microsoft store are palpable from the outset.
However, this is only the patina of the first impression. When we begin to fiddle with more “deep” elements of the equipment configuration, we begin to see, as with its predecessor, that it is inevitable to see legacy elements of old versions of the OS from Redmond; one of the great historical assets of Windows, but a reality that is far from the uniform image that Microsoft has been trying to provide for Windows since its eighth version.
After the initial printing and regulatory fiddling with settings and other options, my Windows 11 was the perfect Tabula Rasa on which to start installing my battery of regulars, including, as in any good player team, some of my favorite pitchers along with their library of titles. It was time to start playing.
How about the performance of Windows 11 in video games?
Since before the official launch of the Redmond OS, rivers of digital ink were already running, talking about the problems that we could find ourselves, as players, in the first stages of the operating system; an unpleasant reality, but very realistic, despite the, I consider, good work of the Windows team during the launch of this new version of the virtual windows operating system.
“I hardly notice the difference in performance between Windows 10 and Windows 11 and I think that is positive”
News such as the increased memory consumption due to a failure in the management of the file explorer in Windows 11 made me grow a certain terror, but I confess that, for now, my experience has been very stoic, I hardly notice the difference from Windows 10 to Windows 11 to the other when playing games, and the performance of my computer shows it to me.
But what better than some numbers to show what I am saying. The tests performed before and after the installation of Windows 11 were performed on my faithful test team, a true veteran of my texts, and who continues to perform as usual, with marginal losses in some tests in games, variations that I attribute to the reasonable variable margins.
Although my experience is being relatively similar to what I had in Windows 10, there is no doubt that the new Microsoft OS has a drastic influence on gaming performance.
Media reports such as PC Gamer talk about how certain security options such as VBS drastically affect the gaming performance of Windows 11 computers. A problem that I have not faced in my clean installation of the operating system, but that I think it is important to comment.
As a special note, I will take advantage of this space to announce that all future tests of my texts will be carried out hereinafter in Windows 11 by default, although I will recover the previous version of the OS for concrete tests.
Windows 11 is here to stay. What do we expect from it?
It is clear that Microsoft wants the new operating system to be adopted at cruising speed, until it reaches a point where the bulk of the current population of Windows 10 migrate to the eleventh version. But this, considering the retention rate of successful MS OSs in the past, promises not to be an easy task. It is true that it is difficult to find solid options to play outside the Windows offering, but this same offering is wide enough to weigh down the adoption rate of the new OS among its audience.
As a point of reference, according to data from NetMarketshare there are still around 20% of Windows users who still using Windows 7 as its default operating system, an OS that is currently practically unsupported and released more than ten years ago. The reasons for them are diverse, but I think it is a good example of how Windows tends to compete with itself with its most successful versions.
That is why I think it is important that if Microsoft wants the regular adoption of its new OS to take effect, it is essential that we begin to see, as it has already happened with Windows 10 in the past, exclusive options of said OS that cannot be executed in a conventional way in its predecessor. Tricks such as Auto HDR and DirectStorage seem to be coming to Windows 10, so Microsoft’s proposal seems insufficient to me when trying to install an operating system that, for gamers, does not currently bring any real appeal beyond the convenience of the promise of its future support.
“The experiences of many users in the network show that not all have had a change as placid as mine. The best thing is still to wait”
Much more interesting seems to me, in order to see how W11 gains ground in its space, the integration of the Microsoft store together with third-party elements, the current improvement in the detection and management of additional screen, or the appearance of utilities such as W11’s revamped Game Mode, which in my opinion does a much better job with system resources than said mode in Windows 10.
In any case, there is no doubt that Windows 11 is here to stay and, although my first contact with it has been positive, it is in the hands of Microsoft that we, the users, make the decision to migrate to the new operating system with the joy that this should entail, something that it will only happen if the problems are fixed current compatibility, a procedure that we will have to go through.