The leveled-up Windows 10 Game Bar could eventually give Discord real competition

Microsoft's offering on PC is in a strange, transitionary place. I've been hearing for years at this betoken how internal politics between the upper echelons of Xbox and Windows actively prevented Microsoft from improving basic gaming features on PC, like the Windows 10 Microsoft Shop. The internal push towards the immature Universal Windows Platform (UWP) ultimately led to an app shop that wasn't gear up for the prime fourth dimension when it came to delivering big AAA games, although information technology is far meliorate now, the catalogue and discoverability aspects leave a lot to be desired.

Across the Microsoft Store, the Xbox app for Windows ten also managed to disappoint. Although Microsoft was early to the game when it comes to creating online gaming communities, even going every bit far back equally MSN Game Zone in the late 90s, Redmond has been unable to stop the meteoric rise of Discord, despite owning Skype, and Xbox Live. The Xbox app for Windows ten does support community creation, messaging, and voice, but it'southward all so slow and clunky, defective bones features, that Discord'southward ascension was all only inevitable. The new Windows 10 Game Bar is a the first real sign that Microsoft is taking this attribute of its gaming network a little more seriously.

Related: How to join the Windows Gaming Insider flight ring

Game Bar in name just

The new Windows x Game Bar is quite honestly more than like a dashboard than a "Game Bar," fully overlaid on pinnacle of Windows ten at a system level, rather than tied to specific windows as was the case with its previous incarnation. Hitting Windows Central + 1000 summons the overlay from anywhere within Windows, granting you access to its wide array of features.

Crucially, it's speedy and lightweight, taking up minimum system resources.

Using the new Windows 10 Game Bar, you can exercise nevertheless things you lot were able to do previously, such as streaming directly to Mixer, and capturing game clips and screenshots, but there are a range of new features on meridian. Y'all tin now command and scan Spotify media without leaving your game, transport messages and voice chat on Xbox Live far faster than the existing Xbox app, and check handy functioning monitors and a audio mixer for skilful measure.

Crucially, it'south speedy and lightweight, taking upwardly minimum organisation resources. Although results will vary depending on your usage, when but idle, the Windows x Game Bar takes upwards only ~50MB of RAM, versus Discord'due south ~250MB and Steam's ~200MB. Even setting the Game Bar to record footage just increases its RAM usage to ~67MB, with negligible impact on the CPU. The Game DVR service for clipping the previous xxx seconds of footage reserves around 250MB of RAM, but it can exist disabled easily in the settings if yous then fancy, reducing its footprint to zero.

Beyond the system resources, the Game Bar is also highly customizable. If yous don't use the Spotify integration you can just plow information technology off, for example. Closing each widget reduces the resource footprint on your PC every bit well, you tin can shrink it all the way downwards to the basics if you lot then cull. The modularity of the platform should lend itself well to calculation new features without assuasive it to become bloated.

Tin it actually replace Discord?

Discord has go the de-facto community tool for the entire games industry. Microsoft itself uses information technology for its communities, the biggest game streamers and influencers use it, and groups of friends apply it. Information technology's easy to use, has an awesome array of tools for chat and content sharing, and is faster than competing choices on PC, especially the Xbox app for Windows 10. Its focus on customs tools also makes it a ameliorate selection than Skype for many gamers, which has seen its dominance eroded against the ascent of competing messaging and calling services.

Information technology'south crucial that Microsoft takes this aspect of its platform more seriously.

As of right now, the Windows 10 Game Bar update is only available in preview for Xbox Insider hub users, and fifty-fifty then, the modules for Xbox Live messages and party voice chats are listed as a beta, inside the app itself. Even at this early phase, they're quite polished, fast, and practice exactly what y'all'd expect them to. They even accept a permanent on-screen overlay choice, similarly to Discord, which lights up users when they are chatting.

There are a few bugs here and in that location, besides equally layout oddities and missing features. For example, it doesn't seem to exist possible to change the privacy settings on a vocalism call, and at that place are a couple of menus you can expand out that but have no options in them (nonetheless), merely it'due south a truly encouraging early on try. It's already far preferable to use over the Windows 10 Xbox app, with centered notifications and faster access to the most important features.

It'southward missing things like Xbox Clubs customs support, which information technology would demand to truly become a lighter culling to Discord, just there's no reason to recall it wouldn't come across somewhen. Xbox Clubs themselves are missing a lot of basic features Discord enjoys, similar image sharing, gifs, custom community emotes, then on, merely the integration it has inside Xbox Live gives it a few advantages. Being able to send "Looking for Group" ads that allow you to instantly jump into games, fix competitive tournaments, are aggressively underused, simply I believe office of that underuse is the difficulty of admission. On Xbox, you take to navigate and type using a controller, on PC, Xbox Clubs are buried in a clunky UWP app that simply isn't fit for purpose. The Windows 10 Game Bar looks set to alter all that.

An encouraging emphasis on PC gaming

If Microsoft can brand the case for using the Game Bar, congenital into Windows ten and accessible via a quick keyboard shortcut from anywhere, it might prove to be an first-class tool for people who don't fancy installing a divide program. It'southward not actually in a position to provide a neat alternative to Discord today, given the light feature set and lack of Xbox Clubs support, but if Microsoft is as serious as it seems to be, these features are probably on the way.

Microsoft wants to earn back that trust, and probably knows it has a lot to exercise.

I don't think it's any blow how Microsoft undersold the new Game Bar when information technology was announced this by week. They didn't talk over many of its features, announcing it in a small, fairly understated blog post. Clearly the efforts represent a grander vision for a more than cohesive PC-oriented gaming strategy from Microsoft, and the new font typing and rounded edges probably offer a hint at time to come design language for the side by side-gen Xbox "Scarlett" consoles. Microsoft wants to earn back that trust, and probably knows it has a lot to do.

With Microsoft fix to bring Xbox Game Pass to PC, aslope a widely-expected overhaul of its maligned PC gaming shop, Project xCloud for mobile devices and lower-end laptops, and a new generation of Xbox hardware, social and customs features are the systems that will necktie it all together. It'southward crucial that Microsoft takes this aspect of its platform more seriously, especially given its investment in Mixer streaming and beyond. Thankfully, these early signs are incredibly encouraging.

Cheap PC accessories nosotros dear

Take a gander at these awesome PC accessories, all of which will enhance your Windows experience.

Anker iv port USB three.0 hub ($10 at Amazon)

Whether on a desktop or laptop PC, yous ever demand more ports to connect things to. This hub gives you an additional iv USB 3.0 Type A ports.

Ikea Fixa Cable Management System ($xi at Amazon)

This IKEA cable management kit is your ticket to a clean setup. It's simple and functional.

NZXT Puck ($20 at Amazon)

This clever little accessory has powerful magnets on the rear to make information technology stick to any of the metal panels on your PC case or anything else. It's great for hanging accessories like headsets.

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