One of Microsoft’s biggest goals with the next version of Windows on ARM systems should be to eliminate as many low-level snags and “gotchas” as is humanly possible. The shift to supporting 64-bit x86 applications should include better driver support at every level, from anti-cheat software to accessories and peripherals. Low-Level Driver and API Support: API support can overlap with app support depending on the context, but I decided to group it up with drivers for thematic purposes. x86 has a four-decade lead on ARM when it comes to the total number of native applications, and throwing some cash at this problem is the most straightforward way to make it go away. This may require straight-up paying the Top 500 most-commonly installed PC app vendors to port their software. Native Apps: One of the ways to make 64-bit x86 emulation more attractive is to reassure people they’ll hardly ever need to use it. In order to make 64-bit Windows on ARM an attractive prospect, Microsoft needs to deliver four specific things: Microsoft has a full list of the current limitations here.

Games that rely on anti-cheat software don’t work, because that software hasn’t been ported to ARM yet. Many games don’t work (emulation support is limited to OGL 1.1). There are a handful of native applications that run well and everything that falls into the x86 emulation flavor winds up varying degrees of bad. Check reviews of the Surface Pro X, and you’ll note that none of them have very nice things to say about the software side of the experience. But how effectively will 64-bit x86 applications be able to run on ARM CPUs? Customers resist being stuck in situations where a piece of software they need to run might be incompatible with their processor. On paper, getting x86-64 emulation into ARM is absolutely a big deal. Finally, the company writes: “We will also expand support for running 圆4 apps, with 圆4 emulation starting to roll out to the Windows Insider Program in November.” This is a Big Deal… if the CPUs Can Handle It In a recent blog post, Microsoft said future versions of Microsoft Edge will use less battery, and that the company is building a native Teams client optimized for Windows on ARM.

Now, however, some of these restrictions are going away.

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