On stage at its biggest event of the year, Microsoft executives unveiled the future of Windows 10, Xbox, and HoloLens, as well as dozens of updates and teasers for developers.
Here’s a list of everything the company announced at the event so far. We’ll update this story all week.
Windows 10 Anniversary Update
Microsoft shared details on its Anniversary Update for Windows 10. The company detailed a slew of new features coming to its latest and greatest operating system, for free. In fact, the Anniversary Update is also coming to Xbox One, bringing Windows 10 apps to Microsoft’s gaming console.
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Windows 10 surpasses 270 million devices
Windows 10 is now installed on over 270 million active devices, Microsoft said. It took the latest operating system from Microsoft about eight months to hit the new milestone.
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HoloLens starts shipping
Microsoft said today it has begun shipping hardware development kits for its HoloLens augmented reality glasses today.
Kudo Tsunoda and Alex Kidman, two of the leaders who spearheaded the project, came out on stage to announce the shipments at the Microsoft Build 2016 conference in San Francisco this monring.
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Your Xbox One will turn into a devkit this summer
Microsoft’s gaming console will finally work as a development kit this summer following the major upgrade for the company’s operating system that powers all of its devices. During its Build developers conference in San Francisco today, the company revealed this improvement will hit Windows 10 for free. Microsoft is working to capture a bigger piece of the $99.3 billion gaming industry by approaching it from console, PC, mobile, and future devices like HoloLens.
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Facebook is launching universal Windows apps
Above: Microsoft executive vice president of the Windows and Devices Group Terry Myerson on stage at the Build 2016 developer conference in San Francisco, Calif. on March 30, 2016
Image Credit: Screenshot
Facebook will soon launch new universal apps for not only its core service, but also Instagram, and Messenger. In addition, the social networking company is extending its Facebook Audience Network and App Install SDK to developers on the Windows platform.
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Xbox one gets Universal Windows Platform apps
Microsoft announced that developers can start bringing their Windows apps to the Xbox One. Last year at Build 2015, the company promised app makers would be able to bring their apps to the console, and now it is finally delivering. The functionality will come as part of theAnniversary Update that will let you turn your Xbox One into a devkit.
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Bash shell is coming to Windows
Microsoft is bringing the Bash shell to Windows. Bash is a common Unix command-line tool for working with source code. It ships with Macs. And for Microsoft to do this is big because Bash runs on Linux.
“This is not a VM. This is not cross-compiled. This is native Ubuntu binaries running on Windows through the magic of Windows subsystems,” Kevin Gallo, corporate vice president for Microsoft’s Windows and Devices Group, said onstage today.
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Desktop App Converter: Bring Win32 apps to Windows Store
Microsoft today unveiled the Desktop App Converter, which lets developers bring existing Windows applications to the Windows Universal Platform (UWP). The company is hoping to bring the 16 million existing Win32/.Net applications to the Windows Store.
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Microsoft answers Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney’s fears
Microsoft responded to criticism that it was moving to close down the open PC platform. Terry Myerson, executive vice president for Windows and Devices, said during the opening keynote that the platform has been open for 30 years and will continue to be so.
The future of Windows — and Microsoft’s stewardship of it — was called into question a few weeks ago by Tim Sweeney, CEO of Gears of War creator Epic Games and one of the best-known technical experts in the game industry. Sweeney said that he worries that Microsoft is making it hard for developers to create games and programs that do not use its Windows app store — and that move could close off what to date has been an open platform.
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