While Microsoft initially announced a Holiday 2021 release date for Windows 11, it is now confirmed that the new operating system will be available sooner than expected. According to a recently published blog post, Windows 11 will be available starting October 5.
While new eligible devices will come with the operating system pre-installed at launch, older devices will have to wait until later. The rollout of the free Windows 11 upgrade will be done gradually and in phases. In addition, priority will be given to systems with newer hardware, whereas others may have to wait a while longer despite still being eligible for the upgrade.
Microsoft expects all eligible devices to get the free upgrade by mid-2022. To know when the upgrade is available for you, simply go to your settings and check for updates just like you’d do for any other update. The update won’t show up for everyone at the same time, so checking for it every once in a while may be the best approach.
If your device doesn’t meet the minimum hardware specs, you’ll still be able to upgrade manually, but there will be some limitations. Most notably, unsupported devices won’t be able to install new Windows updates and Microsoft highly discourages upgrading.
Windows 11 plans to take gaming to another level
Windows 11 will also feature a major design overhaul for a cleaner and sleeker user experience. The upgrade will also introduce a host of new features such as a redesigned Microsoft Store and two new technologies (Auto HDR and DirectStorage) to boost gaming performance. Microsoft claims that its new operating system will be “the best Windows ever for PC Gaming,” making it the fastest option for gamers. There aren’t any independent benchmark results as of now, but we should be able to put Windows 11 to the test once the release date rolls around. We’ll provide some impressions once we get hands on with it.
