Microsoft’s Xbox team is continuing to deliver on their promise of monthly updates to improve the Xbox One software and build a better experience based off of user feedback. If you’re a part of the Preview program that allows early roll-outs of to-be-released Xbox One updates, then you may have experienced some of the additions that the August update for the Xbox One software already. For those that aren’t fully aware of what is being downloaded onto your machine, here’s what the August update brings:
Activity Feed Updates: If you’ve felt a bit disconnected with your friends and what activities you all are engaged in then you’re in luck! August’s update brings an enhanced activity feed that aligns your Friends list into a single column feed that includes more details about games being played, apps being used and information about when a player was last seen online. Much like Facebook, you will be able to post comments/messages into these activities and “like” posted activities. You’ll also be able to share your friends’ accomplishments or videos, potentially giving greater visibility to awesome in-game moments that you captured with your “Xbox, record that” command. Notifications will also be triggered whenever someone likes, shares or comments on your personal feed. Lastly, you’re now able to view the same activity feed that you have on your Xbox One from your smartphone with the Smartglass app on Windows Phone, Android and iOS. Speaking of Smartglass…
Mobile Purchases: Also coming with the August update is the ability to make game and content purchases remotely from your mobile devices. If you’re wanting to queue a game purchase for download, simply use the Smartglass app to make the purchase and, if your console is on, you’ll begin the download of the game/content. This same feature is available via Xbox.com like it was on the Xbox 360.
3D Blu-Ray Support: Microsoft have been teasing support for 3D Blu-Ray movies for some time now. With the August update, you can now take advantage of this feature, provided that you have a 3D-capable TV.
Low Battery Warning: Microsoft brought back the much-desired battery life icon to the dashboard in a previous update. However, the warning notification that alerted you to a low-battery situation while in-game or in-app wasn’t also included. This new update remedies that missing feature, so play with confidence until that warning notification pops up!
Disabling Notifications: Tired of notifications popping up while watching a movie? Now you’ll be able to disable some/all notifications while using apps like Netflix, allowing you to watch your favorite TV shows or movies without interruption.
Microsoft will continue to roll out additional updates that will further enhance and smooth out the Xbox One software and its interface on a monthly basis. Preview participants will certainly continue to see updates prior to general release and the monthly release cycle should hold through the end of 2014. Stay tuned for what Septembers update will hold for the Xbox One.
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