That's probably why Microsoft all but replaced it with Teams in Windows 11. Today, Skype seems lost in a sea of similar and sometimes better video calling alternatives. Skype was the first application to popularize peer-to-peer video calling. Thankfully, such effects are (somewhat) toned down in the latest versions. The right-click menu is much more restricted, hiding the 'true' classic menu behind yet another click.Īlso, the transparency and shadow effects initially felt 'too much' and hurt what matters more: the clarity of other on-screen elements, like text, menus, and buttons. However, Windows 11's desktop is also 'simplified' in some ways that may irk longtime Windows users. You can run it on older hardware even if, when officially unsupported, you have to 'get your hands dirty' (by applying unofficial and unsupported tweaks). Thankfully, although Microsoft's new OS requires a GPU at least compatible with DirectX 12, with a WDDM 2.0 driver, in reality, it's not much more demanding than Windows 10. Usually, that translates primarily to 'games.' For more information on this new and exciting tech, dive into its details to discover what is DirectStorage and how it can make gaming faster.

DirectStorage is the equivalent for PCs.ĭirectStorage was expected to eventually lead to massive boosts in performance for applications that juggle vast amounts of data. One of the most touted features of the new Xbox and PlayStation is how their CPU, GPU, and storage subsystems are interconnected. Still, it's nice to have (or, as pessimists would say, 'better than nothing'). In action, it feels more like another marketing bullet point instead of a useful feature.

Worse, it's only compatible with a fraction of the software available there. Practically, Windows 11's 'compatibility with Android apps' is restricted to Amazon's store.

When finding out about the feature, you'd expect to be able to install almost any Android app or game, click on it, and have it pop up on the screen.

Windows 11 pro release date