An optional Windows 11 update(opens in new tab) addresses a handful of issues for some users who are experiencing game crashes or are unable to upgrade to the latest version of Windows 11. It's part of the June 2022 monthly updates for Insiders, who can check out the fix before it's released en masse on July 12th for all.
According to a blog post from Microsoft, the update "addresses an issue that might prevent you from upgrading to Windows 11(opens in new tab) (original release)." The post also notes that what's preventing the upgrade isn't a device eligibility issue but related to certain operation timings in the OS.
The next big fix takes care of issues that cause some games that use the XAudio API in order to play sound effects to crash. The most notable games that use XAudio are Cyberpunk 2077 and the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, though there are some other big names like Doom and Street Fighter 5.
- Addresses an issue that might prevent you from playing video clips in some games.
- Addresses an issue that causes certain games to stop working if they use certain audio technology to play sound effects.
- Addresses an issue that prevents Bluetooth from reconnecting to some audio devices after you restart the devices.
- Changes the name of the Your Phone app to Phone Link on the Settings page.
- Addresses an issue that causes the Microsoft Surface Dial customization settings page to stop working.
- Addresses a known issue that might prevent you from using the Wi-Fi hotspot feature
Since the update is optional, to install you should head to Settings on Windows 11 -> Update & Security -> Windows Update. In the optional updates available area, you’ll see the link to download and install the update.
Since Windows 11 came out, there has been much discussion around its gaming performance. Much of the buzz has been negative, with reviewers claiming to see performance drops on upgrading to the latest version of Windows.
Are these claims true? Or are the performance issues just rumors? How good is Windows 11 for gaming? Let’s take a look.
The VBS Factor
A term you may come across in forums talking about Windows 11’s gaming performance is Virtualization-Based Security (VBS). VBS was designed to allow enterprise users to isolate critical functionality from malware, preventing data theft and allowing them to shut down the system in event of it getting compromised.
This technology provides a layer of protection beyond TPM by running Windows as a virtual subsystem. However, VBS does not come activated on personal or home versions of Windows, whether you are updating from Windows 10 or getting a fresh install. So gamers shouldn’t run into virtualization slowing down their computer.
New Features
Microsoft is touting Windows 11 as the best Windows version for PC gamers. It boasts a bunch of gaming features like DirectX 12 Ultimate, Auto HDR, and Direct Storage. Not many games can actually use the new functionality yet, but we will probably see them coming into play in the coming few years.
Direct Storage
Originally developed for the Xbox, Direct Storage intends to leverage the high-data transfer speeds of NVMe SSDs to deliver game data more efficiently. The API is still new, so details are scarce, but the idea is to use a GPU to quickly decompress game assets and transfer them to the game almost instantaneously
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