Microsoft has laid out its vision for Windows 11, highlighting a load of performance improvements and optimisations already available to game developers, while giving users a taste of what awaits them in future. Be it on desktops, laptops, or handhelds, 2026 is set to be a year packed with optimisations, according to Microsoft. It’s arguably about time, after years of subpar care when it comes to gaming performance.
One of the most notable optimisations mentioned by Microsoft is background workload management, which has been in the spotlight lately due to its Windows’ performance cost compared to Linux. The Redmond giant aims to lower this overhead as much as possible to funnel more performance toward churning our higher frame rates. One such system is the Xbox full-screen experience (FSE) debuted on handhelds, which minimises background activity and defers non-essential tasks in order to smooth frame pacing.
Early tests of FSE showed it can reduce RAM usage by around 9%, while boosting fps by around 8%. Improving resource management should also reduce power consumption, helping battery-powered devices to run for longer. Performance aside, FSE also focuses on controller experience, offering console-like menus where your games take centre stage.
The next element brought up by Microsoft is the Advanced Shader Delivery (ASD), which provides precompiled shaders during game installation, thus eliminating most of the wait time and stuttering when you first launch a game. This is especially handy on power-constrained machines like handhelds, where the first game launch can eat a large chunk of battery life while compiling shaders.
According to Microsoft, this feature reduced Avowed’s first-run load time by 80%, and Black Ops 7’s time by 95%. About 30 games have or are set to get this feature soon, with more joining in later.
Next, we have Auto Super Resolution (Auto SR), an OS-level AI upscaling method shipped with Copilot+ PCs and Snapdragon X-powered machines. Like DLSS, FSR, and XeSS, this tool takes a low-resolution game render and upscales it to the screen’s native resolution using AI algorithms, delivering better visual quality while improving frame rates. However, unlike the aforementioned branded upscalers, Microsoft’s system doesn’t require developers’ intervention.
Other tweaks include ROG Xbox Ally-specific power tuning to improve efficiency without sacrificing performance, as well as improved unified memory behaviour on Ryzen APUs, plus lower CPU overheads from controller inputs and RGB lighting. Lastly, the company is paving the way for wider adoption of neural rendering, enabling more efficient denoising, upscaling and material enhancements.
“We’re committed to making Windows the best place to play, and we will continue refining system behaviors that matter most to gaming: background workload management, power and scheduling improvements, graphics stack optimizations, and updated drivers,” said Microsoft.
A public preview for a lot of the new tech is planned for the ROG Xbox Ally X in early 2026.
