Microsoft may require all Windows 10 PCs to have precision touchpads, according to a presentation this week at the WinHEC event in Shenzhen, China.

The change, SlashGear reports, would come in an update to Microsoft's agreement with its preferred hardware makers, who would be required to follow Microsoft's touchpad specifications rather than their own.

Mainstream PCs from companies like Dell and HP already support the standard, which enables Windows 10 touch gestures like the ability to swipe three fingers down to show the desktop or swipe three fingers left or right to switch between your apps. It's not currently a requirement for Windows 10 PCs, though, which means that many budget models have clumsy touchpads similar to ones found on 1990s-era machines.

"We are thinking about to add precision touchpad as the requirements to the compatibility program," Windows 10 program manager Joyce Ho said during her WinHEC presentation.

Apple notebooks have come with multi-touch-capable trackpads for years, but one of the hallmarks of Windows machines is that hardware specifications are left up to device manufacturers. While establishing touchpad capabilities would improve the user experience on lower-end notebooks, it could also drive up manufacturing costs.

Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Besides contemplating ubiquitous precision touchpads, Microsoft is also planning to add four-finger gestures and other improvements to Windows 10, Ho said. With the Windows Creators Update, coming this spring, users will be able to assign custom shortcuts to certain touchpad gestures and take advantage of an overhauled touchpad settings interface.