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The Xbox Summer update starts rolling out

by Mike Ybarra, Head of Platform Engineering
The latest system update for Xbox One and the Xbox app has started rolling out, continuing our commitment to give gamers more choice in how and where they play. Cortana is now on Xbox One, Background Music will be available through music apps like Pandora, we’re bringing the most played PC games to Xbox Live with their own Game Hubs and we’re starting to combine the best of the Xbox Store and Windows Store for a single cohesive experience across devices. And of course, these updates will be available on the new, highly-anticipated, Xbox One S when the 2TB launch edition becomes available on August 2 for £349.99. We also recently announced a Gears of War 4 2TB bundle available for pre-order for £399.99.

Nearly all of the features that were included in Preview in early June are part of today’s update, and there have also been a few additions since then such as Language Region Independence for Xbox One and the recent release of the Xbox app on both iOS and Android. Here are some highlights of the newest features on Xbox One and the Xbox app:

Xbox One

  • Background Music: Today’s update brings the ability for the highly requested feature of Background Music, which lets you listen to your favorite music in the background while gaming on Xbox One. The Pandora app, launching soon, is the first of many partners who will support Background Music, with Groove Music, iHeartRadio and other apps coming later.
  • Cortana on Xbox One: Cortana is now available on Xbox One in the U.S. and U.K. With Cortana, gamers can expect more from voice commands on Xbox. In addition to more commands and greater accuracy with natural language and text dictation, Cortana provides the ability to use a headset or Kinect. You’ll be able to use Cortana to find great new games, see what your friends are up to, start a party, accomplish common tasks, turn on your Xbox One if you’re using Kinect, and more. We’ll continue to build more Cortana features over time as part of our vision to have Cortana be your personal digital assistant for gaming

Cortana_Party-1

  • Improved Game Collection: We’ve updated the Game Collection interface to make it faster and easier to find and launch the games you’re looking for. Now you’ll be able to sort, manage and see more of your Game Collection easily, quickly access your own ‘Ready to Install’ tab, update your games or apps using the new ‘Updates’ tab, and get more information about titles in your queue.

Collection_Games_AtoZ_Installing

  • Language Region Independence: Based on overwhelming fan feedback, we’ve enabled Language Region Independence to give gamers even more control over their Xbox experience. Language Region Independence allows you to choose any supported language on Xbox One, regardless of the location. For example, if you’re in the U.S. and move to Germany, you can now keep your language set to English on Xbox One and enjoy your experiences in English.
  • Xbox and Windows Store convergence: We’re starting to combine the best of the Xbox Store and Windows Store to give gamers a single cohesive experience across their devices. On Xbox One, we’ve streamlined the shopping experience to help you find the games you love faster and at the best prices. You’ll be able to filter search results by genre, read reviews written by fellow gamers – including those voted “most helpful” by the Xbox Live community – easily recognize what titles are on sale with strikethrough pricing in lists, and more. We’ve also added several new channels to help you discover the content you love even faster.

User-Reviews_Store

On the Windows Store, we’re adding support so gamers can soon browse and purchase bundles, episodic games, season passes, virtual currency and other game add-ons and DLC. You can also redeem Xbox tokens, subscriptions, games or DLC through the Windows Store. And developers can make their games available for pre-order/pre-download so you can buy a game any time before it launches, play it right when it comes out, and you won’t be billed for your purchase until shortly before the title launches. This fall, the store integration makes Xbox Play Anywhere possible, so when you buy supported digital games, you can play on both Windows 10 and Xbox One at no extra cost.

  • Facebook Friend Finder: Now on the Xbox One, connect your Facebook account to your Xbox Live account to find your Xbox playing Facebook Friends. You only need to connect your account once via Facebook Login; if you’ve already gone through the steps on the Xbox app for Windows 10, iOS or Android, then you’re all set! Otherwise, now you have the option to log into your Facebook account from your Xbox One, making it easier to find more people to play games and have fun with.
  • Improved sharing on Xbox One: We’ve made it easier to share your screenshots, GameDVR clips, and achievements on Xbox One. Gamers can now share their most epic clips and screenshots with the community right from home. We’ve also updated the Activity Feed settings so you can now decide what will get automatically shared to your feed.

Xbox app and Windows 10 PC gaming

  • Top Windows 10 PC games show up on Xbox Live: We’re bringing the top Windows 10 PC games like League of Legends and XCOM 2 together with the Xbox Live community. Meaning, your favorite Windows 10 PC games will have their own Game Hubs on Xbox Live. Whether you’re on your PC, Xbox One, or mobile phone, you’ll be able to see what PC games your friends are playing, share your own PC gaming clips and screenshots with the community, and message your friends on Xbox Live. On both Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs, you‘ll also be able to party chat with your friends no matter what they’re doing.

Win32_Game-Hub

  • 60 fps game clip recording with the Game Bar: Using the new “Very High” video quality setting in the Xbox app, you will be able to record your game clips in up to 60 frames per second from the Game Bar (Windows + G) once the Windows 10 Anniversary Update starts to roll out on Aug. 2.
  • Windows Game Bar improved full-screen support: One of the most common requests we see for the Windows 10 GameDVR feature is the ability to use the Windows Game Bar with more games running in full-screen.  We’ve added support for six additional games in full-screen mode with Windows Game Bar: League of Legends, World of Warcraft, DOTA 2, Battlefield 4, Counterstrike: Global Offensive, and Diablo III. With those games, once the Windows 10 Anniversary Update starts to roll out on Aug. 2, you’ll be able to use Windows + G to bring up the Windows Game Bar when the game is running full-screen.

Xbox app on mobile

  • Xbox app on iOS and Android: Announced and released during E3, the Xbox app is now available on iOS and Android. The Xbox app brings together your friends, games and accomplishments across all of your devices. Now, you can stay connected to the Xbox Live community, see what your friends are playing, share game clips and screenshots, and view achievements through the Xbox app on Windows 10, iOS and Android devices.

The team has been hard at work to release these features to the broader community and we’re eager to hear what you think – keep the suggestions coming on Xbox Feedback. And stay tuned for more details about the next Xbox system update: we’re planning to bring Looking for Group (LFG), Clubs, Arena, and more to Xbox Live with the update coming this holiday.

In the meantime, dig into the update and gear up for a killer games lineup including ReCore, Forza Horizon 3, and Gears of War, all arriving to Xbox One and Windows 10 as Xbox Play Anywhere games.

Thanks again for helping to make Xbox great. I’ll see you on Xbox Live