Windows 10 PCs aren’t the only ones receiving added features with the Anniversary Update. The Xbox One’s much awaited Summer Update is available right now.
The latest system update lets you finally play background music on your Xbox One, brings Cortana to the console and visually overhauls your game collection. It also allows for language region independence which lets you keep your language settings on the console independent of the country you’re in.
Perhaps most importantly, the Xbox One Summer Update now lets you see how big and how much time it would take you to download a game on the Xbox One. A handy addition that’s been missing since the console’s launch in 2013. Sharing screenshots and finding friends has been improved as well.
(Also see: As Microsoft’s Xbox One Turns 1 in India, Is It a Good Time to Buy?)
The storefront now converges with that of the Windows Store adding user reviews, and the ability to filter search results.
On the topic of the Windows, popular Windows 10 PC games such as League of Legends and XCOM 2 will be visible on the Xbox Store and have their own Game Hubs on Xbox Live.
“Whether you’re on your PC, Xbox One, or mobile phone, you’ll be able to see what PC games your friends are playing, share your own PC gaming clips and screenshots with the community, and message your friends on Xbox Live. On both Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs, you’ll also be able to party chat with your friends no matter what they’re doing,” posted Mike Ybarra, Head of Platform Engineering at Microsoft.
And when the Windows 10 Anniversary Update hits tomorrow, users will be able to record game clips in up to 60 frames per second via the Game Bar (Windows + G) as well as improved Windows Game Bar support for popular titles such as Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Diablo 3, and Battlefield 4.
The Xbox One Summer Update weighs in at 1070MB. In case you haven’t got it yet, here’s how you can force the download immediately.
- Scroll left from Home to open the guide.
- Select Settings.
- Select All Settings.
- Under System, select Console info & updates.
- Available updates will show in the second button down in the first column.
- If an update is available, the button will read Update Available. If your console is already on the current release build, the button will be grayed out and will read No update available.
Our initial impressions are mixed. Unlike last year’s solid update there’s a little more input lag and sluggishness introduced to the Xbox One while the revamped storefront reminds us of Steam. Look out for a more thorough overview in days to come.