Microsoft has announced that the first Xbox One update of the year is now rolling out.
The company has kept up a breathless pace with its Xbox One firmware update program, bringing rapid and notable improvements to the core experience.
Now another batch of tweaks and additions is making its way to Xbox One gamers, as outlined in mid-January.
Top of the list (for Microsoft at least) are improvements relating to the Xbox One controller. It’s now much quicker to connect a pad, and this connection should also be much more stable.
Next up on the list (and probably top for most gamers) is a new game hubs feature. Every game on the console will have its own hub which shows you things like friends playing, leaderboards, video clips and broadcasts, and the like.
Microsoft has also made some improvements to party chat, such as new icons to let you know the status of a chat connection, and improved connectivity for those behind strict NATs. You can now also see which of your friends is inviting you to a game in the invitations, and which game it’s for.
Added to the custom backgrounds feature that was added back in November, you can now tweak tile transparency to make these bespoke wallpapers more visible.
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Finally, Microsoft has improved the Xbox One’s TV function. OneGuide TV listings now have “Trending on Xbox” and “Trending on Twitter” recommendations, though only the Xbox one is available in the UK.
Microsoft has also improved the number of compatible devices for remote control, and fast forwarding paused TV now shows the video frames here in the UK. UK users can also now stream live TV to their Windows Phone or Android devices.
All in all, it’s another worthwhile update for Xbox One users.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
