The Xbox One summer update is finally here. The new update bring about some massive changed to the Xbox One interface, as well as the addition of the background music feature and Cortana.
The background music update is one of the most highly requested feature for the Xbox One. It allows users to play music while they play games, using sources such as the Pandora app, iHeartRadio, Groove Music and other apps to come. All that’s required is to start playing music and jump right into a game, no need to snap open another app.
Cortana is now also available, in the U.S. and the UK. Not only does Cortana feature greater accuracy with natural language and text dictation, it can be used using both the Kinect and a headset with a mic. Cortana can be used to set up parties, find games and perform many more tasks. To use Cortana, all that needs to be done is to say “Hey Cortana” instead of the usual “Xbox”.
The “games & apps” tab is now on the top right of the screen, as opposed to where it used to be at the bottom of the home page. New sorting options have also been added for games, and the “Read to install” items now have their own section.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcT1dB9J6Rw
Other new feature are the Language Region Independence and the convergence of the Xbox and Windows Store. Language Region Independence allows users to retain their preferred language, no matter their location and the store convergence is Microsoft’s ongoing process of combining both the Xbox and Windows Stores into one cohesive outlet. This will allow Xbox users to access some Windows 10 features on their console, and vice versa.
The Xbox One summer update is now available for all Microsoft consoles as of writing this article, and will be available for the Xbox One S at it’s launch on August 2nd.
