Microsoft Aims to Enhance GamePad Gaming Speed on Chrome for Windows 11

Enhancing GamePad Latency in Windows 11: What’s New from Microsoft

Microsoft is taking significant strides to enhance the user experience for gamers in Chromium-based applications on Windows 11. The recent updates aim to drastically reduce latency, ensuring that users get a seamless gaming experience.

Understanding the Current State of GamePad Input

While it is possible to utilize a GamePad in browsers like Edge and Chrome for playing games, gamers have experienced noticeable input latency. This delay can hinder gameplay, making it difficult to match the responsiveness typically associated with traditional keyboard and mouse setups.

As highlighted in a Chromium post, Microsoft is committed to making GamePad input faster and more reliable, particularly in web environments on both Windows 10 and Windows 11.

The Technical Shift: Transitioning to Raw GamePad Input

The current GamePad API operates on a polling system, whereby the game checks repeatedly to recognize input from a GamePad. This traditional method contributes to a noticeable delay between the action of pressing a button and the game’s response. Microsoft is preparing to revolutionize this process.

By implementing a “rawgamepadinputchange” event, developers can now listen for real-time input data from the GamePad. This approach eliminates the need for constant polling and promises to significantly reduce latency. Microsoft states:

“Instead of relying on frequent polling via navigator.getGamepads(), developers can now listen for a rawgamepadinputchange event, which fires whenever new input data is available.”

What This Means for Gamers

This change has the potential to make the GamePad as responsive as keyboard and mouse inputs. Previously, users might experience lag when interacting with web games, but this update aims to ensure that GamePad inputs are registered nearly instantaneously, enhancing the gaming experience dramatically.

Benefits for Web-Based Gaming

Microsoft’s crucial focus on reducing input latency is particularly beneficial for cloud gaming and web-based platforms, largely dependent on real-time responsiveness. For example, a cloud gaming client needs quick registration of user inputs to replicate them seamlessly on the server:

“The overhead of potentially handling a rawgamepadchange event on every input frame is acceptable for these applications.”

Complementary Changes: HDR Video Enhancements in Chrome

In addition to GamePad improvements, Microsoft is also enhancing HDR video support in Chrome. Overcoming issues where colors appear washed out, this update ensures vivid color reproduction during HDR video playback on Windows 11.

These HDR enhancements are part of the Windows 11 24H2 rollout and are set to provide a much richer visual experience for gamers and media consumers alike.

In summary, as Microsoft rolls out these impressive updates, gamers using GamePads on Chromium-based applications can look forward to faster, more reliable input, making web-based gaming both feasible and enjoyable.

Stay tuned for more updates as Microsoft continues to refine GamePad performance on Windows 11!

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How does the new GamePad API improve latency in Windows 11?

The new GamePad API introduces a rawgamepadinputchange event, allowing games to receive input data in real time instead of relying on frequent polling, which reduces latency significantly.

2. Will all browsers benefit from these changes?

Yes, the improvements are targeted at Chromium-based browsers such as Chrome and Edge, ensuring a smoother gaming experience across these platforms.

3. What other updates should I expect in Chromium for Windows 11?

Besides the GamePad latency improvements, Microsoft is also enhancing HDR video support in Chrome, ensuring better color reproduction for HDR video content.

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