The Windows 10 Xbox app has come a long way since its original release. What was once a barely-functional program now works brilliantly: just about every single feature on the Xbox One can be controlled from the PC app, and streaming from a console to a computer is fast and reliable.
It's almost like having a universal remote for your home console ... but there's always room for improvement.
As part of its Spring Showcase, Microsoft has just detailed the next major update headed to its Xbox One app. Don't expect a grand redesign in the same vein as last year's New Xbox One Experience — this is a smaller, more incremental upgrade. Even so, Microsoft's finally adding in some features that fans have been requesting for quite some time now.
First and foremost, party chats are getting a big upgrade: for the first time since launch, 16-player parties can now talk back-and-forth across both the Xbox One console and the Windows 10 app. For anyone who's ever tried to get a big group of friends together, getting everyone in the same party could be a nightmare — hopefully, this new update should help alleviate that.
Achievements are also getting another update, as Gamerscore Leaderboards will now be featured in the Achievements section and Game Hubs. Basically, comparing your Gamerscore with your friends' just got a whole lot easier, as players won't have to navigate through menu after menu just to see how many Achievements their friends have unlocked. Xbox 360 Achievements will now automatically appear in the Activity Feed as well, right next to standard Xbox One Achievements.
There's also a number of smaller changes coming to a host of other features as well, including Avatar support and improved Game Hubs. Microsoft's full list of updates is as follows:
• Gamerscore Leaderboard in the Achievements section and Hero Stat Leaderboards in Game Hubs
• See Avatars in your Activity Feed if you've chosen to replace your gamerpic with your Avatar
• An updated "Featured" section spotlights games, deals, community events and more
• 16-person Party Chat is enabled across both Xbox One and the Windows 10 Xbox app
• Xbox 360 achievements will automatically post to your Activity Feed
• More interactive Game Hubs with Web-linking
• Compare your Avatar with your friends' Avatars
• Reputation interface changes, players with "good" profiles will no longer feature a reputation gauge
Of course, Microsoft ended its update with big plans for E3 2016, and it'll be interesting to see what the publisher has up its sleeve — for now, players can expect the next Xbox One and Xbox app update to launch in coming weeks.
