Next major update for Windows 10 coming in May with enhanced raytracing support

Microsoft has been beavering away at the next major feature update to Windows 10. Although not quite in the class of the Creators update, it will being some important features and interface tweaks along with bug fixes and improved overall system performance. The update has been informally dubbed Windows 10 20H1 or version 2004 with a final build number of 19041.207 but will be officially known as the Windows 10 May 2020 Update.

One feature that we are glad to see included is a new Cloud reset function which is similar to the approach Apple has had in place for a few years with macOS. If you’ve ever found yourself in a hole trying to reset Windows, especially without a USB stick or optical media version of the Windows 10, this will prove a life saver. Another useful feature, particularly for developers is the introduction of a new Windows Subsystem for Linux which will also be available in the ARM64 build, although this is an optional update.

From a gaming standpoint, the biggest new feature will be the introduction of DirectX 12 Ultimate. It will include DirectX Raytracing (DXR) tier 1.1 which brings support for inline raytracing, Variable Rate Shading (VRS) tier 2 and mesh shaders without handing off the process to other parts of the OS subsystem. This will arrive in time for AMD’s next-generation of RDNA2-based GPUs which will be compatible with DirectX 12 Ultimate. The update is already available for Windows Insiders to try out.