Announced almost a month ago, Microsoft held its annual Windows Developer Day today, where it confirmed that the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update software development kit (SDK) is now available to download. It"s also included as part of Visual Studio 2017 version 15.4, which is now generally available.
The Fall Creators Update brings a number of new features for developers, such as Windows Mixed Reality. The new VR/AR platform was available for developers to work within the Creators Update, but now it"s going to be available for everyone to use, with headsets shipping on October 17, which is the same day that consumers will be getting their hands on the Fall Creators Update.
And of course, there"s the new Fluent Design System. Announced at Microsoft"s Build 2017 developer conference, it adds elements of transparency (and much more) to your apps, and is meant to provide one design language that can translate across standard desktop environments, along with augmented and virtual reality environments.
For example, you"re not using a mouse to control the shell when you"re in a Windows Mixed Reality headset. With Acrylic, you can see what"s behind things. Some buttons don"t have an outline around them, so when you hover over something, an outline will be shown, and when the pointer gets close to the next button, the edges of it will light up.
And then there"s Project Rome, which is meant to bridge the gap between your Windows app, and your mobile application for Android or iOS. Remote Systems and Remote Sessions APIs will allow you to "do truly delightful device relay scenarios to help your customers use the right device for the task."
Finally, there are gaming improvements, of course. Developers now have access to six cores, 5GB RAM, and full GPU access with DirectX 12. And with the recently-launched Xbox Live Creator"s Program, anyone can build a game for the Xbox One family of consoles.
You can download the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update SDK here, or you can check out Visual Studio 2017 15.4.