14 DAY TRIAL // The first system update for Xbox One for 2015 has just been announced by Microsoft, and from the list of changes, it looks like this one is going to come with some improvements in the gaming and TV departments.
The changes will be available beginning today to all members of the Xbox One preview program, so if you are one, then you should check out for this update on your console.
The only improvement pertaining to gaming is the addition of Game hubs, “the go-to centers for all sorts of interesting content around your favorite games.”
With the implementation of this new feature, each game will have its own hub where Xbox One owners will be able to check out which of their friends are playing the game, compete with friends in game leaderboards, watch related clips and game broadcasts, as well as follow the game's VIPs and top players.
In order to check out a game's hub, simply search for a game in your pins, recently player list, or My games and apps, and then press the Menu button and select View game hub. In addition, Xbox One owners can also search for a game in the Xbox Store and click on the game hub title from the game's store page.
According to the list of changes, Microsoft also added some customization features in the February update list. Additional tile transparency to the Home tiles to make the background images more visible have been implemented. In order to set a custom background, make sure you head to Settings / My Xbox / My background.
Now onto the second part of the Xbox One system update, which is focusing on TV. The TV updates made available to Xbox One owners include some features and experiences that will be launched to additional countries in preview later this month.
New TV features and experience will be made available to additional countries
Here is the full list of TV updates that will be made available in Xbox One February system update beginning later this month, along with the countries where they will be available:
OneGuide for the Netherlands - support for OneGuide will continue in preview for the Netherlands and the missing channels for the Netherlands OneGuide listings will become available over the next few weeks.
TV trending in OneGuide - as you scan the detailed OneGuide TV listings, you can see which shows are trending by a “Trending on Xbox” note and associated icon. Xbox – live TV trending is based on the number of Xbox One owners currently watching that show in each country, pulled from anonymous data collected at a national level. Currently, Xbox TV trending is available to all members in the U.S., UK and Canada.
Live TV trending (new countries) - France, Germany, Brazil and Mexico will begin seeing live TV trending data in Xbox OneGuide.
Improved control of TVs, set-top boxes and audio/video receivers - Xbox One will work even better with more devices. This month’s preview release contains updates to the IR blasting database for new models and addresses issues reported by our fan community.
“Trick play” with Xbox One Digital TV Tuner - preview members with the Xbox One Digital TV Tuner in supported countries (UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain) will now be able to see video frames when fast-forwarding or rewinding paused TV on your Xbox One consoles.
Live TV streaming on Windows Phone and Android - We are continuing the preview of live TV streaming on Windows Phone and Android devices for Xbox One Digital TV Tuner owners in the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
That being said, make sure you try out the new features included in this update if you have been accepted into the Xbox One preview program and leave your feedback in case you want Microsoft to add, fix or remove any of the new features coming in this update.
