Windows 10 to enable live TV streams from Xbox One, PC Game DVR
Microsoft has detailed the May update for the Xbox One, with a particular focus on how the console will play nice with Windows 10 smartphones, tablets and PCs.
The monthly updates usually bring a host of improvements to the Xbox One console itself, but the May boosts are mainly centred around interoperability between the gaming machine and other Microsoft devices.
Perhaps most interesting is the forthcoming ability for Xbox One owners using a digital TV tuner to stream that live TV content wirelessly to a Windows 10 device.
Elsewhere within the latest preview versions of Windows 10 will be a new Game DVR application similar to the one on the new-gen Xbox One console.
The Xbox app will allow PC gamers to use a ‘record that’ button to save the last 30 seconds of gameplay. Manual recording and screenshot capture will also be available within the Windows 10 Xbox app.
Also, Windows 10 now has an Xbox Avatar customisation app available within the Windows Store.
Read more: PS4 vs Xbox One
On the Xbox console side of things, Microsoft has also announced the inclusion of a new Wireless Display app for the Xbox One, which will be enabled later this week for Xbox preview members and later this summer for the wider community. This will enable Miracast streaming support so content can be sent directly to the Xbox One from compatible Android phones and Windows devices.
The May update will also bring a new user-selectable power mode, which enables Xbox One owners to select their preferred power mode when setting up the console.
This comes following the controversy over how expensive it can be to run an Xbox when the voice controlled instant-on mode is in operation. The energy-saving mode, which requires users to press the Xbox button on the console, can now be selected as default.
In a similar vein, the new beta versions of the Xbox One SmartGlass app for Windows, Windows Phone and Android have been updated to allow users to turn the console on and off through the app.
You can see the full feature list on Major Nelson’s blog and preview some of them in the YouTube video below.