Before the holidays hit, the Xbox One will receive a massive update that brings backward compatibility for over 100 Xbox 360 games and several major overhauls to the platform's operating system.
The November update will upgrade the Xbox One's framework to Windows 10, which will elevate the console's gaming experience, according to Mike Ybarra, director of program management for Xbox.
"At Xbox, we put games and gamers at the center of everything we do," said Ybarra. "We are inspired by your passion and continue to listen to your input."
Highlighting the hefty parcel of platform enhancements is backward compatibility, one of the Xbox One community's most requested features. More than 100 Xbox 360 games will be available when the update rolls out, and there will be hundreds more to follow, according to Ybarra.
"This includes the added benefit of Xbox One features including screenshots, streaming, and game DVR—for your favorite Xbox 360 games," Ybarra said. "You can even play multiplayer with friends still using their Xbox 360."
Maybe not nearly as high up on the list of requested features as was backward compatibility, an all-new Community section will be crossed off the Xbox team's to-do list in November. The new section is meant to make the Xbox One more social and encourage players to chime in issues that concern the community.
Home has also been remodeled so that the interface is faster and there are less steps needed to move around inside.
The Xbox team has also revamped OneGuide so that it will serve as the central hub for TV, video apps and movies—and next to it will rest the revamped Store. The team is also adding Guide, a new menu that centralizes utility features such as notification and system settings.
The Windows 10 experience will arrive in November. Preview members will have the first crack at it.
"We'll start with a set of Preview members who have historically submitted the most feedback—it will not roll out to everyone at the same time. Our goal is to start with a group, get feedback, then roll out to larger groups for additional feedback over time."
