New Xbox One System Update Brings A Handful Of New Features

Microsoft has made it a habit of releasing feature packed software updates for its latest console, the Xbox One, and the latest release is no different. It brings a handful of new software features for the console that has been having a hard time beating Sony’s PlayStation 4 as far as sales are concerned. The new features are geared towards improving multitasking capabilities of the console and enabling owners to connect with their friends in much better ways.

The Snap, SmartGlass and Achievement functions have all been updated. Snap Center now provides access to Friends, Messages, clock, battery indicator and Game DVR when playing a game. Double tapping Xbox button on the controller will bring up a menu through which a new app can be opened in snap mode, it also allows switching of focus between snapped app and the game.

The Friends section has received an update as well and it now lets Xbox One owners see at a glance what their friends have been up to. Among the things displays are most popular games being played by friends, and a Gamerscore leaderboard to see at a glance who improved their Gamerscore over the last month.

Support for DLNA and MKV has been added, and in markets where OneGuide is available, a new MiniGuide will be displayed on the bottom of the screen which shows details about TV content currently being played. OneGuide has been expanded to 11 new countries through this update.

Find my Controller is another neat feature. It makes the controller vibrate allowing Xbox One owners to see where they misplaced their controller or to simply identify theirs when multiple controllers are connected. It is now possible to assign accessories like headsets to specific users.

The full changelog is available here. This Xbox One system update is rolling out today and it weighs in at around 250MB.

Adnan Farooqui
Categories: Gaming
Tags: Microsoft, Xbox One