Windows 10 update helps crappy Windows Store games, unlocks framerates

Microsoft has a long way to go to gain trust from PC gamers, and some of the mistakes made in introducing the Universal Windows Platform only stretched that time out further. But it seems like the company is in for the long haul and is starting to fix those mistakes. A patch has now rolled out for Windows 10 that PC gamers should like.

The patch allows players to disable V-Sync on games to achieve higher framerates and to use certain manufacturer-specific frame syncing tech instead, such as Nvidia G-Sync or AMD FreeSync.

This feature should already be active in Quantum Break, but the extremely high requirements of that game will make it tough to achieve. Games like Forza Motorsport 6 Apex and Gears of War Ultimate Edition don’t support it yet but should soon. In other words, developers have to support the feature for it to work. But it’d be surprising if anyone releasing a game aimed at a core audience were to leave it out from here on.

In the same post announcing this, another question is addressed. Windows 10 games don’t play in what’s called “Full Screen Exclusive” mode. This mode, in previous versions of DirectX, was meant to give the game in question full access to the video card without the Windows layer getting in the way and taking a chunk out of the performance. It also meant that if you needed to get out of the game for a second, it could cause problems with the game or even with Windows. Windows 10 and DirectX 12, the post explains, were developed to allow games to get the full performance associated with Full Screen Exclusive mode but still have access to things like Alt-Tab. This is something gamers are sure to put to the test in the coming months.

Microsoft still has some hurdles to jump – not the least of which is getting gamers to accept another marketplace – but they’re getting there.