PC Gamers Are Warming Up to Windows 11, Steam Survey Reveals

Unfortunately for Microsoft, Windows 11 has historically had a pretty rough time with Steam Surveys…and in general. When Windows 11 launched in October 2021, it earned a bad rap almost immediately. This was partly due to dubious choices Microsoft made regarding the system’s design and defaults, but it was also thanks to the way Windows 11 security features affected game performance. These concerns mainly involved the operating system’s new Virtualization-Based Security (VBS), which negatively impacted CPU performance. Though VBS could (and still can) be disabled, the damage was done: VBS, along with the system’s other flaws, made Windows 11 largely unappealing to PC gamers.

Now it appears Windows 11 is making a comeback—albeit a slow one. In September, 24.84 percent of PC gamers who responded to the Steam Survey were running Windows 11. That’s up more than one percentage point from August and over 11 percentage points since January, when Windows 11 first began to see a bump in usage among Steam users. Windows 10 still claims the lion’s share at 71.04 percent, but that number is decreasing.

It might be that PC gamers are growing tired of declining Microsoft’s constant update reminders. More likely at play, though, are the gradual improvements Microsoft has made to Windows 11. The operating system no longer ignores non-Edge browsers as it did at the beginning, and a new update is bringing forth long-awaited changes to the Taskbar and File Explorer. Still, Windows 11 has more robust hardware requirements than its predecessors—without a TPM 2.0 chip, there’s no install—so gamers with older hardware might stick with Windows 10 a little longer.

Continue reading

Sony May Let Users Move Games Off PS5, Xbox Series X SSD Is User-Replaceable

Microsoft is using a user-replaceable SSD for the Xbox Series X, while Sony is researching PS5 game transfers.

Microsoft: Bethesda Games ‘Either First or Better’ on Xbox, Not Exclusive

Microsoft's Tim Stuart doesn't think the company will try to cut PS5 gamers out of future Bethesda titles. The company wants Xbox to be the best destination for its games, but not the only one.

Best Games for Laptops and Low-End PCs in 2020

Just because you've got an older or low-end PC doesn't mean you can't enjoy gaming. There are thousands of back titles in the PC catalog. Here are some of our favorites.

Cyberpunked 2077: CDPR ‘Apologizes’ For Releasing Broken Game, Offers Refunds

Cyberpunk 2077's PS4 and Xbox One S version is so bad, the company is now offering refunds. We recommend last-gen console gamers take them up on it, rather than waiting.