Microsoft under Satya Nadella might not believe much in the Xbox brand where hardware is concerned, but that is not stopping the company from improving the console's gaming and social features. The latest update is set to land in August, and it is aimed at adding a lot of features from the Xbox 360, and some new ones as well.
The new features coming to Xbox One focuses a lot on social activity. Microsoft aims to expand the activity feed with a new single column interface that is consisted of more sharing options and more content being shown on-screen. The whole thing reminds us of Facebook with the option to leave likes on posts of other players, and a personal feed for every profile.
Additionally, the new update will add a new friends column to the Xbox One's home area. This new area will show trending games on a leaderboard, and current activities. Users will also have the option to see the last time a friend was online, though it is not certain if users can turn it off so that no one can tell when they've been online.
Apart from the social features, the new update will allow Xbox One owners to purchase digital video games and add-ons via the SmartGlass app, or on Xbox.com. With this feature, users will have the ability to purchase a game via their mobile device if they are not at home. Whenever the content is purchased, the Xbox One at home will automatically come alive to download and install the new content, then return to sleep.
Furthermore, users can now enjoy 3D Blu-ray movie playback. It also allows Xbox One owners in Brazil, Mexico, Austria and Ireland, to take advantage of the OneGuide feature.
The new update also brings forth a notification on-screen that tells when the controller's battery life is low. It's something that should have been around from day one, and it only proves that Microsoft rushed the Xbox One so it wouldn't fall behind the PlayStation 4. That plan didn't seem to work out well where sales are concerned.
Xbox One owners who are part of the preview program, should get to enjoy the update in beta form come July 21. The full release is expected to be release in August.
