It's unclear when the two apps arrive on home consoles

Jul 6, 2015 21:48 GMT  ·  By

The team at Microsoft in charge of the ever-increasing integration between the Xbox gaming platform and the coming Windows 10 operating system is announcing that it is renaming two of the core applications linked to the consoles in order to make them more appealing to PC users.

Xbox Music is now titled Groove and has received a range of new features, with the chosen name designed to reflect "what people feel and do with music".

The app has been designed to be more intuitive for Windows 10 users, and the new version will also be offered on home consoles.

Groove can be used with a mouse and keyboard setup, a controller or a touch screen and features integration with OneDrive to make it easier for gamers to access their collection of tracks.

The company states in a blog announcement, "Upload all your MP3’s to OneDrive, even songs purchased from iTunes, and access them all for free with the Groove app on your Windows devices, Xbox, the web — and even on your Android phones and iPhones (coming soon)."

Microsoft is also announcing a Groove Music Pass subscription a streaming service which comes with a 9.99 dollars or Euro price point and will be delivered for free to those who have a Xbox Music Pass already.

Xbox Video becomes Movies & TV

Once again the change of name reflects the fact that a wider audience will soon get access to the app.

Gamers can import their collection, and the support options have been tweaked to support the .mkv extension.

As with groove Microsoft is using OneDrive to make sure that the application works seamlessly on all Windows powered platforms and allows users to pick up playback exactly from where they left off.

The Groove and Movies & TV apps will be introduced for those who are insiders and part of the Fast ring and the company asks them to offer feedback in order to make sure that the apps work well when Windows 10 arrives on July 29.

It's unclear when both applications will be introduced on the Xbox One and the Xbox 360.

Both were renamed to contain the Xbox brand less than one year ago and the move seems to be designed to make sure that the name remains associated only with gaming in the future, as entertainment moves more to the Windows side of the business.

Groove and Movies & TV Images (2 Images)

Xbox Music is now Groove
Xbox Video is now Movies & TV
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