UWP vs Win32 - Question about direct access to hardware

[diego3336]

As a newbie, I would like to ask about some things I've noticed since the advent of WinRT (the runtime, not the Windows RT) and then the UWP.

Almost everytime I use a Windows Store app, I don't feel as it is using the full amount of power that my hardware has to offer, as I feel when using a similar Win32 software. It feels like the UWP app is running way further the hardware layer than the Win32 program, resulting in a noticeable performance penalty. The UWP has less performance penalty than the early WinRT apps, but it's still lagging compared to Win32.

I'll take the VLC as an example: on the same PC, some videos, especially x265 ones, are almost unplayable due to the low framerate and hiccups on the VLC UWP, but perfectly playable on the Win32 one. I know the Win32 version is being developed and polished for much longer than the UWP, but even on ridiculously simple apps like the UWP Calculator and the Win32 Calc.exe, the UWP takes a little time to launch when the Win32 is instantly launched.

So my question is: is UWP more limited than Win32 in terms of direct hardware access and other resources?

Thanks