Microsoft has unleashed a major new update for its Xbox app for Windows 10. The latest update makes the app more social by allowing gamers to find more friends to play with and enhance their interaction with the gaming community with gaming DVR voice narrations.
In a blog post, Mike Ybarra, director of program management for Xbox, writes that the ability to link Facebook to a gamer's Xbox Live account is one of the most requested features by beta testers.
"Facebook friend finder (is) a top requested fan feature," says Ybarra, "we're bringing two of your favorite social networks together — Facebook and Xbox Live — and making it easier than ever to find more people to play games and have fun with."
To link Xbox Live with their Facebook accounts, users simply have to go to Suggested Friends or in the app's Settings and click the Facebook icon. By linking these two accounts together, players can invite more friends to play with as their Facebook friends start showing up in the Suggested Friends area. Ybarra says the more people use this new feature, the more people will start showing up as Suggested Friends.
Microsoft is also bringing game DVR voice clips, allowing gamers to record their games and narrate with their own voice using a headset. The feature is helpful for people who like recording their games or creating tutorials and sharing them with their friends. Users can easily turn on the microphone for a single recording session by pressing Win + Alt + M. They can also turn on the microphone for every session by default by going to Settings > Game DVR > Audio or Game bar > Settings > Audio.
The update also brings a persistent search box, which also offers suggestions for top matching search results. Once gamers find what they are looking for, the app will offer contextual action options. For instance, if a user searches for Halo 5: Guardians, the app will offer a Play on Console button to let them stream the game to their Xbox One. Or if they don't have the game yet, the app may provide a Buy button.
Gamers can also now redeem codes sent to them via email straight from the Xbox app. They can also now purchase games, including specials, sales, Deals with Gold and Games with Gold titles, straight from the app through its Xbox Store section.
