This Week on Windows: A look back at this year

[Guest Elana Pidgeon]

This Week on Windows, we’re taking a look at some of the biggest Windows news of the year, including the Windows 10 Anniversary Update and the things you can do with it, Xbox Play Anywhere, HoloLens and much more. This year was a big one for Windows 10, from game-changing updates to Windows Holographic.

 

Let’s take a look at some of this year’s highlights:

 

 

The launch of the Windows 10 Anniversary Update

 

 

The Anniversary Update gave us several key features and brought us easy notetaking and screen sketching with the Windows Ink Workspace. It also improved the power and efficiency of Microsoft Edge and introduced us to extensions – the web add-ons designed to help you get the most out of your internet experience. Our favorite digital assistant, Cortana, also got in on the update game with new above-lock functionality. The anniversary update also brought us tools to help educators, such as “take a test” – true innovations for a modern classroom.

 

Xbox Play Anywhere begins with ReCore

 

 

The launch of ReCore also marked the launch of Xbox Play Anywhere—a big day for Xbox gamers, everywhere. As an Xbox Play Anywhere title, ReCore (along with titles including Gears of War 4 and Forza Horizon 3) launched simultaneously on both Xbox One and Windows 10 PC, allowing you to play on both platforms when you at no additional cost. Plus, you can pick up where you left off on another Xbox One or PC, bringing all your game saves, add-ons, and achievements with you.

 

A new wave of creativity with the Windows 10 Creators Update and Surface Studio

 

 

At the Microsoft Event, we showcased some of the most exciting devices coming to market – including Surface Studio, Surface Dial and the new Surface Book – an update to Windows 10 with tools to make 3D and mixed reality accessible to everyone, as well as ways to empower gamers to easily stream their gameplay and connecting people faster to those they care about most.

 

Device innovation at WinHEC 2016

 

 

Windows Hardware Engineering Community event (WinHEC) – a conference all about Microsoft’s vision for the future of hardware – saw innovations from mixed reality, gaming, and a new concept for many: cellular PCs. Whether it’s a partnership with Intel to co-develop PCs to power the first mixed reality headsets, or the expansion into China, or all the Universal Windows apps ready for HoloLens users, it’s clear Windows is the platform that will help make mixed reality mainstream.

 

Here’s what’s new in the Windows Store this week:

 

 

Minecraft Ender Update & Festive Mash-Up Pack

 

 

Now you can brave The End in Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition! Explore the outer islands of the End and its mysterious End Cities, loot the Elytra glider, and battle the Enderdragon. Plus, we have igloos and polar bears, and world height is twice as high for your tallest builds.

 

Windows Store collections to get you in the holiday spirit

 

 

We’re excited to share that the Windows Store team has put together awesome collections of apps, movies, TV shows, games and more in the Holiday Roundup, sure to get you in the holiday spirit! Learn more about these collections here.

 

Pre-Order Assassin’s Creed

 

 

Using groundbreaking technology to access his genetic memories, Callum Lynch (Michael Fassbender) discovers he is descended from a secret society known as The Assassins; as he explores the memories of his ancestor Aguilar, Callum takes on the skills and knowledge of a Master Assassin. Pre-order Assassin’s Creed ($14.99) now in the Movies & TV section of the Windows Store while the film is still in theaters!

 

Have a great weekend!

 

The post This Week on Windows: A look back at this year appeared first on Windows Experience Blog.

 

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