In a post today on Xbox Wire, the Xbox One team outlined changes that are coming to the console starting in June. Some of the inclusions in this update have long been requested by the Xbox One community.
Real names
With the ability to have 1000 people on your friends list, it is tough to remember who is who. Soon, you’ll be able to share your real name with all of your friends, a small portion of your list, friends of other friends, or none at all. They have also ensured your name will not show up in games, and at any time you can revert your settings in case you change your mind about
External storage support
Already own too many Xbox One games and therefore you can’t fit them all on the 500GB drive? Well, Microsoft has heard numerous complaints on this issue and now they’re finally going to allow external storage devices. In fact, they will now allow two external hard drives to be used at the same time. You will need a 256 GB or larger USB 3.0 external hard drive. When plugged in, the Xbox One will format the drive, which will allow you to copy, moves games, install apps, and download DLC.
SmartGlass
OneGuide and Universal Remote Control are now part of the set of SmartGlass features. You’ll be able to view TV programs on your SmartGlass device, as well as program and watch your channels and apps on your phone, tablet or PC. The Universal Remote Control will add such features as switching channels, set new recordings, as well play through programs you have saved on your DVR. Lastly, they will be rolling out the ability to organize your pins into categories or favorites. The changes you make on your device will be reflected on the console as well.
Social
In an effort to be on equal footing as Sony and the PS4, there have been some improvements to how your activity on Xbox Live is shared with friends. Hero stats and an activity feed are the two prominent changes. This will allow friends to compare achievements via SmartGlass, when on a friend’s profile, or viewing a game from the activity feed. Notifications when friends come online can now be sent to your phone, PC, or tablet. You will also be able to watch friend’s broadcasts from your devices.
Xbox Live Gold
The Xbox One team will soon be launching an Xbox Live Gold hub where members can check out the Games with Gold and Deals with Gold programs. The pay wall for certain Xbox gaming and entertainment apps will come down which will allow non-Xbox Live Gold members to view apps like Netflix, HBO GO, and more.
Lastly, it will now be possible for you to choose an account for automatic sign-in on your Xbox One, didn’t we have this before on the Xbox 360?
via Xbox Wire
