Microsoft recently released a new app in a preview build of Windows 11 called Dev Home, which allows users to monitor how their system is running. Though it’s primarily a developer tool, consumers may find its widget system to be of great use as well – in fact, it could be of particular help to PC gamers.
Once you download the app, it enables a widget feature that lets you monitor various processes for system resources, like how CPU, GPU, system memory, or your network connection are currently performing.
While it runs a bit clunkily and can be a hassle to enable properly, the concept is an excellent one, potentially giving gamers a built-in overlay that could entirely replace third-party monitoring software. If Microsoft chooses to stabilize and flesh this app out more in the future, it could become a great tool for gamers.
How will it help gamers?
It’s no secret that Windows 11 has given gamers the short end of the stick. Between the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D gaming processor bug that prevents owners from installing the OS in the first place, the VBS (Virtualization Based Security) throttling gaming performance, and general Windows performance jankiness, the OS has frequently been a source of frustration for gamers.
However, Dev Home’s widget system is a great way to right many of those wrongs. The widgets provide a simple way to monitor the status of your PC’s CPU, GPU, and other components. According to PCGamesN, there are widgets that report your CPU’s speed and utilization, and your GPU’s speed and temperature. And if you have multiple GPUs installed, you can use another widget to toggle between different graphics cards at will.
There are so many potential uses for Dev Home’s widget system and, due to the actual ease of use once you’ve jumped through the hoops required to install it, it can be easily updated with tons of widgets that offer even more features and tools.
Could it take the place of manufacturer software?
As of right now, your system-monitoring software of choice – be it Alienware Command Center, Asus ROG Gaming Center, MSI Dragon Center, or one of the many other options – is safe and sound in its usefulness.
While the Dev Home app is quite useful as is, it’s still in preview mode and therefore unstable - not to mention the fact that you’ll need to be signed up to access preview builds of Windows 11 in order to download it. There’s a chance that the widgets you set up could become unresponsive or even disappear from the board.
That said, if the Dev Home preview app proves to be popular among Windows 11 users, Microsoft could absolutely turn it into a fully fleshed-out and permanent application for its OS. This would give gamers a powerful, all-in-one tool for monitoring their PC components without having to install tons of separate software. Fingers crossed!
