The latest Windows 10 Insider Preview sheds more light on Microsoft's 'Game Mode'

The Window 10 Creators updates will be bundled with quite an assortment of new tricks, which Microsoft has spoken extensively about in the past. One thing that Microsoft hasn’t spoken about at length is the Windows 10 ‘Game Mode’. Someone on Microsoft’s Insider program first spotted the feature, and since then, the internet has been rife with speculation on what the mode actually does. The only thing we’ve learnt is that this Game Mode will “boost performance” of games by prioritising game processes and suppressing unnecessary background tasks. That sounds good on paper, but in practice, we doubt it’ll be of much use . Microsoft’s Mike Ybarra eventually commented on the mode, saying that it will “optimise” your PC for “increased performance” in gaming. PCGamesN reports that the mode makes yet another appearance in the latest Insider Preview build (15007) of Windows 10. Here, the mode can’t be selected, but it appears to work when Game DVR is enabled (Win + G). For those not in the know, Game DVR is a Windows 10 feature that’s used to record on-screen gameplay, much like Nvidia ShadowPlay or AMD’s ReLive. The Game DVR mode is designed to use as few resources as possible while doing this to limit its impact on the system. Microsoft’s Game DVR has, however, been a resource hog compared to other screen recording options. It seems that Game Mode’s purpose is to reduce that consumption. While we’ve never actually understood the purpose of Game DVR, especially when Nvidia’s and AMD’s offerings are so much better, it’s an in-built tool that will probably help out in a pinch. One can also expect it to tie into the Xbox One’s streaming features.