Microsoft is live in New York City, where it is holding a hardware event.

While at the event, the company revealed the next major Windows 10 update would be available in "early 2017" and that it would be called Creators Update. Keep in mind the last major update to Windows 10, the Anniversary Update, just rolled out in August with a bunch of new features, including the new Windows Ink workspace and Edge extensions, among other things.

Like the Anniversary Update, Microsoft said it wants everyone to become a Windows Insider in order to test the Creators Update to Windows 10. Here's a look at some of the key features in the upcoming update. 

Microsoft Windows 10 Creators Update: What’s new?

3D creation

The Creators Update will be all about creating and playing, Microsoft suggested. And it'll be free to every Windows 10 device. After announcing the update's name and shipping target, the company launched into 3D creation, saying it hopes to expand its for "vision for mixed reality with 3D for everyone". With the Creators Update, Microsoft asked what 3D can do to "unleash the creator in each of us".

Microsoft then introduced the new Paint 3D app. After a brief demo of the app, in which we saw the ability to move objects to the top of what looks like 3D layers, as well as a magic selection tool that creates shapes and objects and automatically removes backgrounds of photos, Microsoft declared "3D is for everyone" with the Creators Update. You'll even be able to export Minecraft creations and 3D print them.

You'll also be able to scan and create 3D objects and create your own personal emojis. Microsoft said it will integrate 3D into its popular applications as well, including PowerPoint, which will have a new 3D models option. For more information on Microsoft's 3D capture experience that will be available in the new Paint 3D app with the Creators Update, check out this separate piece.

VR headsets

Microsoft said 3D objects are holograms, so you can create a chair, and then use the HoloLens headset to see how it'll look in your house. From there, Microsoft launched into a pitch about wanting VR headset makers to start using Windows Holographic. It also said, "With the Creators Update, our partners including HP, Dell, Lenovo, Asus, and Acer will be shipping VR headsets."

All these new VR headsets will ship with six degree of freedom sensors, and they'll start at $299.

Game broadcasting

Microsoft also started talking about Xbox and gaming, and it related this all back to the Creators Update, saying it designed the update for e-sports. Broadcasting will be part of the Xbox app in the update, for instance. So, you'll hit the Game Bar inside the Xbox app, then hit broadcast, and it's immediate. A chat window will hover over the top of the game, and you can see your stream in real-time.

The company is essentially going after Twitch. After demoing broadcasting, Microsoft announced Arena on Xbox Live, which will let you host your own tournament, and then it went to a Xbox One S recap, including mentions of how Windows 10 is built for 4K gaming. It also said Bitstream audio pass-thru, with Atmos support, is coming with the Creators Update for Windows 10 and Xbox.

MyPeople

Next up, Microsoft said people are typically confined to individual apps, but the Creators Update will place people "at the center of the windows experience", and then it said most of our communications happen with a few key people buried in our apps. Now, these favourite people will be put into the Windows 10 taskbar. It's basically a quick-access menu for your contacts.

You can share with someone via mail, messenger, Facebook, Twitter, and of course, Skype. The Skype app and Mail app, for instance, will float on your desktop when you get a notification, and you can respond with the app of your choice. This feature in the Creators Update will be called MyPeople. It's described as a faster way to connect and share with people right from the taskbar.

Want to know more?

Check out Pocket-lint's piece on Microsoft's event to see what else was announced.