Microsoft held a special event today in New York, where it detailed the upcoming Creator’s
Update for Windows 10, and launched new hardware including the Surface Studio all-in-one PC.
There was big news in everything from VR, to Microsoft Paint and gaming.
So take a breath, because there’s lots to cover.
The Windows 10 Creator’s Update is set to arrive sometime early in 2017, and will add
a lot of improvements to Windows 10, including Paint 3D, a new social layer called “My
People,” Hololens and VR improvements and a slew of new gaming features.
Microsoft’s new version of Paint is called “Paint 3D,” and supports easy creation
of 3D images, using methods including Surface Pen input.
The app is built-in to Windows 10, and Microsoft wants to use it to make 3D graphics creation
accessible to everyone.
The app lets you share to a variety of social networks, and import the creations made others.
A big part of Microsoft’s pitch today was “3D for everyone,” which includes the
creation of 3D content, sharing it and also consuming it, both on traditional flat screens
and in immersive environments including mixed reality and virtual reality.
3D has long been a futurey buzzword so great to see it coming back in style.
HoloLens will be a big part of Microsoft’s push to make 3D more of an everyday computing
experience.
We’ve seen HoloLens, Microsoft’s mixed reality headset, before, but the company showed
off a demo where you use Houzz to preview how furniture will actually look when placed
in your home.
Microsoft also showed us virtual reality applications in Windows, including HoloTour, a new app
that lets you virtually visit distant locations.
The immersive experience also includes a sense of where you are in the space.
A lot more Windows 10-compatible VR headsets are on the way, including offerings from partners
like Lenovo, Dell, HP and Asus.
The new headsets will be priced as low as $299, and will including built-in space sensors
so that you don’t need any additional hardware to achieve room-scale VR.
On the gaming front, The Creator’s Update will include built-in game broadcasting courtesy
of Microsoft’s newly-acquired game streaming company Beam.
Beam’s streaming includes an interactive element for observers, letting them suggest
what a player does next, or directing players to pay attention to the chat window, for instance.
Gamers will also be able to make their own tournaments, which means you can create your
own timed events or set up your own fantasy football-style leagues for whatever games
you want.
Finally in the gaming category, games will support true Bitstream audio for Dolby Atmos
encoding on Xbox One and compatible PCs, which is huge for gamers who want the best possible
audio quality on their hardware.
Keeping folks constantly-connected, Windows 10 Creator’s Update will introduce a new
persistent interface for connecting with the people you talk to most called “My People.”
It’ll let you communicate with contacts quickly across multiple platforms, including
Skype, email and more.
This could get a lot more powerful with third-party integrations and the addition of more Microsoft
tools like LinkedIn.
Now let’s talk hardware…
The Surface Book, Microsoft’s hybrid tablet/notebook device, didn’t get a visual update but it
did get improved specs, including a big 30 percent boost to graphics performance and
longer battery life.
The biggest news of the day, however, was probably the Surface Studio, a new all-in-one
PC that combines a 28-inch, high resolution PixelSense display with touch input, an adjustable
base and a new controller devices called the Surface Dial.
The Surface Studio also supports Surface Pen input, making it a very attractive option
for creative professionals.
Starting around $3,000, it’s available for pre-order now, but likely won’t ship in
any real volume until early next year.
Overall, Microsoft is betting big on communication and creativity.
The company is putting 3D functionality front and center for many of their core products
and building hardware that backs these tools up.