Today was Microsoft’s Windows 10 October event, dedicated to showcasing the latest innovations and products that Microsoft has been working on in conjunction with their spring Windows 10 Creators Update for their Windows OS platform. Full of surprises and interesting ideas, the event demonstrated the company’s plans for integrated Windows abilities and competitive hardware on the computer market. Here’s some of the top highlights from the stream:
Microsoft demonstrated Paint 3D, a brand new version of Microsoft Paint found in the Windows 10 Creators Update. Paint 3D allows for 3D model creation through ease-of-use abilities, such as a magic select feature. There’s also model scanning and manipulation for a “true 3D” feel. Alongside Paint 3D, Remix 3D will also launch as a community resource where creators can share 3D creations for users to put into Paint 3D.
Gaming news was limited at the livestream event, but Microsoft did unveil their brand new Twitch competitor. Beam, which was acquired by Microsoft earlier this year, is a livestreaming service which allows for enhanced interactions between streamers and their viewers. Chat plays out in real-time, and spectators can even make suggestions for the streamer during gameplay. Microsoft plans to integrate Beam into Windows 10 for seamless streaming. Suffice to say, it’ll be interesting to see how Twitch responds.
Xbox also unveiled Arena, a tournament system where players can setup rules to challenge one another without the administrative worries of tracking and monitoring brackets. Killer Instinct was shown, with the variety of tournament styles that players can experience. The feature isn’t exclusive to a particular platform either, meaning Killer Instinct fans on both Xbox and PC can use Arena. And, in Killer Instinct‘s case, they can fight against one another across platforms.
Lastly, Microsoft announced a brand new Surface Book i7. Geared towards laptop gaming fans, Microsoft promises enhanced battery life and twice the graphical capabilities for a $2,399 USD price. While designed with gaming performance in mind, the laptop is also intended for any kind of creative enterprise: video editing, painting, streaming, just to name a few. Pre-orders go on sale today, with the Surface Book shipping next month.
That’s all the major news from Microsoft’s Windows 10 Creators Update event. Stay tuned as more news about these features and offerings come out over the next couple weeks.