At its October Microsoft Event in New York this morning, Microsoft revealed the next update to Windows 10, the Creators Update, which will release in early 2017 for free. Windows Insiders can begin previewing the new features in the coming weeks.
The Creators Update features three core concepts: 3D and mixed reality, 4K gaming and in-game broadcasting, and faster ways to share and connect with family and friends. “We think in 2D and we output in 2D, but the next generation is growing up with 3D from the start,” said Terry Myerson, executive vice president of Microsoft’s Windows and Devices Group, who opened the presentation.
“With Creators Update, we want to have the effect of the Gutenberg Press on the computing industry,” Myerson said.
3D and mixed reality
To demo the new 3D capabilities of Windows 10 in the Creators Update, Megan Saunders, Microsoft general manager of HoloLens and other emergent technologies, was on hand. First, she demonstrated how to use the new 3D-capturing app for Windows 10 mobile. With this new app, you can capture multiple angles of an object, and then save it as a new 3D model.
Next up was Paint 3D, and new Paint app for creating and manipulating 3D objects. To demonstrate the process, Saunders took the image she had captured with the 3D-capturing app, and played around with it in Paint 3D. This can then be printed in 3D.
A HoloLens mixed reality demo finished off the 3D presentation, by taking that same castle and moving it throughout the world using the headset. HoloLens also was used to interact with Microsoft Edge, which now supports 3D objects. Additionally, Microsoft announced a partnership with Dell, Lenovo, Asus, and Acer to produce virtual reality headsets, which will start at $299 USD and run on Windows 10.
4K gaming and in-game broadcasting
In regards to gaming, the Creators Update is almost entirely focused towards e-sports and broadcasting. Microsoft announced Beam, a platform that will allow gamers to stream themselves playing by just tapping the Windows key and G while on Windows 10. This will directly compete with Amazon’s Twitch, and Google’s YouTube Gaming.
Microsoft announced that it is continuing 4K support for gaming on the Xbox One S and on Windows 10 computers, but provided few details on the steps it is taking to do that.
Faster ways to share and connect with family and friends
Microsoft’s principal group program manager, Alyson O’Mahoney came out to introduce improvements to sharing across Microsoft platforms. The Creators Update will add SMS relay from Android and Windows phones, and help put all your messaging in one spot.
With the update, you can also filter your most important people across all social networks, including email, so that you see their messages and responses first. This will be shown by your most important contacts being displayed on the bottom right of your Windows 10 display. To share quickly with them, you can drag and drop files, pictures, and send messages by clicking on the contact icon.
