CreatorsUpdate
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Microsoft expands its accessibility efforts on Windows 10
Microsoft is keen on making sure people with disabilities can use their products, and next year it's only going to expand upon that directive. It starts with some big additions to Windows 10 and Narrator for the Creators Update like support for braille, some 10 news voices for text to speech and volume ducking when Narrator chimes in while you're listening to Spotify or another music program.
Windows 10's virtual trackpad turns tablets into mice
Microsoft has begun testing out a new virtual trackpad feature in Windows 10, allowing users to turn their tablets into mice while using external displays. Chances are it'll form part of the OS's "Creators Update" arriving next spring, with the feature now live in the latest Windows 10 Insider Preview release (build 14965, if you're interested). The virtual trackpad is exactly what it sounds like: A square boundary with left and right mouse buttons sitting below it, performing the function you'd expect but using a device's touchscreen to receive inputs.
Watch Microsoft's Surface event in 10 minutes
Microsoft had no shortage of announcements at its big Surface event. The Surface Studio all-in-one was undoubtedly the centerpiece, but the tech pioneer also unveiled a supercharged Surface Book, low-cost third-party VR headsets, the art-oriented Surface Dial accessory and a major Windows 10 update that's focused on creators. It's a lot to digest, we know. Thankfully, you don't have to spend ages reading our liveblog to see what happened. We've recapped the choicest parts of the announcement in a 10-minute video that you can watch right here -- you just have to sit back and enjoy.
Microsoft built Twitch-like livestreaming into Windows 10
Broadcasting live gameplay to Twitch or Facebook isn't easy. It means setting up special capture software and navigating a mire of complicated bandwidth settings. Microsoft is trying to fix that: The next version of Windows 10 is going to integrate game broadcasting directly into the Xbox App. The streaming experience promises not only to be easy, but also to almost eliminate the communication lag between viewers and broadcasters -- but don't expect to use it on Twitch. Microsoft's game broadcasting tools seem to be designed specifically for Beam, the livestreaming service it acquired back in August.
Lenovo, HP and Dell are all working on $300 Windows VR headsets
Microsoft's holographic computing platform will cross over to the world of virtual reality. The company first revealed its hybrid-VR ambitions at Computex earlier this year and today that vision was solidified on stage at its big Surface event in New York City. Microsoft has partnered with companies like HP, ASUS, Lenovo, Dell and Acer to bring a slew of affordable VR headsets, all of which are said to start at $299.
Windows 10 'Creators Update' arrives free of charge next spring
The star of today's Microsoft keynote may be the new Surface Studio all-in-one, but its world still revolves around Windows 10. At today's event, the company revealed a lot of details about the next release, dubbed the "Creators Update." Microsoft started by showing the 3D version of Paint it previewed earlier this month, and it's indeed quite different from the version you may have done pixelated doodles with. As its name suggests, you can scan objects from the real world and bring them into a 3D environment.
