And so is Windows 10.
It's a good OS if you don't mind the flaws. I do mind the flaws, so I don't think it's good. (For me.)
On a broad level, Windows 10 gives you DX12
I don't need DX12 because I don't plan on playing any exclusive titles. If a company makes a DX12 exclusive game, that's their own loss, not mine.
and a much more capable touch interface for a touch device
I don't use a touch device with windows and honest to god never want to. I've tried it before (Yes, with windows 10) and I hated it. Mouse and keyboard all the way.
as well as general performance and battery life improvements.
That's very much debatable, on some hardware you get better performance and on some other hardware it's equal or worse. Experiences vary. And as far as I know the only real proven battery life improvement was on their new browser, which even if I did switch to windows 10, I have absolutely no desire to use.
Granted this isn't much to really warrant switching, but if you're gaming on Windows 7 still you're doing it wrong unless your GPU doesn't support DX12.
Yo, there is no "right" way to game, and when I do buy my new GPU (i will eventually) it'll have Vulkan support. DX12 and Vulkan are, as far as benchmarks are concerned, pretty much on equal ground.
For me personally, I like Win10's UI way more than 8.1's.
I like the icons better but with a modern-looking start menu installed on 8.1, this is honestly my ideal. Windows 7 is a step below. I personally feel that overall the UI is a downgrade, but slightly above Win7.