Games By Russell Holly Apr. 15, 2014 9:30 am
Now that the big Titanfall update has come and gone, Microsoft has focused on updating the rest of the console with some much needed usability fixes.
With a third update in as many months, each bringing great new fixes and features to the console, the Xbox One is barely recognizable from the console that launched in November. Microsoft has worked hard to fix a lot of problems that probably shouldn’t have made it to consumer release in the first place, but they have done so swiftly and efficiently.
The April update brings several more badly needed enhancements to the existing feature set, including one that will make sure future updates don’t interrupt gameplay by forcing you to update as soon as the console thinks it is time.
For starters, the Kinect, controller, and Blu-ray player have all received updates to improve their functionality. Blu-ray playback now supports 50Hz video, controllers now have less audio static and better connectivity, and both the gesture and voice system on the Kinect has been retuned for better accuracy and less false positives.
You’ll need to connect your controller to the console to get the firmware update, but everything else will just happen on its own. GameDVR now also has some new compression algorithms that offer up better recording when you need to grab a few seconds of video.
The Friends area of the Xbox One has been updated to support some user requested features, like notifications when favorites sign in or are playing a game you have. It’s a small but highly requested feature, so it serves as a good reminder that the Xbox Team has been actively listening and adjusting the console to the needs of their users.
This update is probably the last big update we’ll see for a while, especially since it is coupled with the big Xbox One SmartGlass update, but it’s a great step forward for the console in general.
More...
With a third update in as many months, each bringing great new fixes and features to the console, the Xbox One is barely recognizable from the console that launched in November. Microsoft has worked hard to fix a lot of problems that probably shouldn’t have made it to consumer release in the first place, but they have done so swiftly and efficiently.
The April update brings several more badly needed enhancements to the existing feature set, including one that will make sure future updates don’t interrupt gameplay by forcing you to update as soon as the console thinks it is time.
For starters, the Kinect, controller, and Blu-ray player have all received updates to improve their functionality. Blu-ray playback now supports 50Hz video, controllers now have less audio static and better connectivity, and both the gesture and voice system on the Kinect has been retuned for better accuracy and less false positives.
You’ll need to connect your controller to the console to get the firmware update, but everything else will just happen on its own. GameDVR now also has some new compression algorithms that offer up better recording when you need to grab a few seconds of video.
The Friends area of the Xbox One has been updated to support some user requested features, like notifications when favorites sign in or are playing a game you have. It’s a small but highly requested feature, so it serves as a good reminder that the Xbox Team has been actively listening and adjusting the console to the needs of their users.
This update is probably the last big update we’ll see for a while, especially since it is coupled with the big Xbox One SmartGlass update, but it’s a great step forward for the console in general.
More...
