Microoft has released the New Xbox One Experience and it includes the much awaited backward compatibility with games that ran natively on the previous generation of Xbox. Changes to the home screen user interface, the store, community section and more have all been made.
The changes made, as Xbox claims, were based on user feedback. Moreover, the company notes that new Xbox One Experience is a complete transformation. With the Xbox One revamp comes the versatility and speed of Windows 10, which was done to improve user experience.
Xbox Director of Program Management Mike Ybarra detailed all the changes made to the Xbox One in an interview.
Backward Compatibility
A lot of gamers have been waiting for this and hence, it only makes sense to put it on top of this list of Xbox updates. With backward compatibility that will be implemented at 12 p.m. PST today, games that ran natively on Xbox 360 can now be played on Xbox One. Moreover, the perks of playing on an Xbox One can now be enjoyed by over a hundred supported games. In-home streaming, Game DVR and screenshots all apply.
There are two ways to go about porting the Xbox 360 titles to Xbox One. For the digital copies, users must refresh the Game Collection so that the list of pre-purchased titles get populated. If the title is listed as Backward Compatible, proceed to installing it on the Xbox One. It's a lot simpler for those who have the game disc; insert it on the Xbox One and enjoy the game.
Microsoft will also provide multiplayer benefits, which should only be available for those who have an Xbox Live Gold subscription and to owners of the Xbox One who have backward compatible titles. This promotion will run for a limited time.
At the moment, there are 104 backward compatible titles. Users can vote for the games they want to have backward compatibility.
Revamped Xbox One Home
The new Xbox One Home is designed to make everything accessible and enable users to do things faster. This is certainly true for the recently used games and apps. The friend's list, which usually takes four steps to complete, will take two after the Xbox Home UI revamp gets implemented. Moreover, the games the user's friends are playing, granted that the user has friends, will be displayed. Recorded game clips and achievements can be shared with the Xbox Live community. News and updates from the community and developers will be featured on Game Hubs.
Furthermore, Notifications, Messages, Profile, Settings, and Friends are available through the guide. By tapping the left on the D-pad or the left thumbstick, users can bring up the guide from Home. To make the guide pop up while in game mode, simply double tap the controller's Xbox button. The guide will come up as an overlay and thus, lessens gameplay disruption.
The Community section also got some love. The redesigned activity feed will allow players to keep track of their friends' activities and the games they follow. There's also a Trending section which will display the most popular conversations started by other players within the Xbox Live community.
Tweaked OneGuide
Changes made to the OneGuide have made it the focal point for video, movies and TV. Aside from browsing new TV shows and videos from apps that run on Xbox One, the revamped OneGuide also features app channels that keep users updated with the new changes made to their favorite apps. TV listings, which include over-the-air channels and the soon-to-come Sling TV, are available for instant viewing. Picture-in-picture that allows browsing without compromising the playing video content came with the OneGuide revamp.
The New Store
Just like the Xbox One Home, the revamped Store is designed so users can quickly find what they want. Four basic sections were implemented within the store. Games, Apps, Music and Movies & TV. A new vertical gallery was also added. Staff picks, Top Played, New Releases, Top Rated, Recommendations and Coming Soon are some of the new categories that came in order for users to discover new apps, games and video content within Xbox One.
