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April's Xbox One Update Will Finally Speed up the Dashboard, and Introduce Better Streaming

Microsoft has made strides towards meeting players' desires, and the April revision is bound to please boatloads of gamers.

By Matthew BaileyPublished 6 years ago 3 min read
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Microsoft has made several changes to the Xbox One software over the past three years, and although it's been a slow process, the improvements have been well received. Since the console's launch in November 2013, gamers have watched as several long-wished improvements have been incorporated.

The most recent changes include:

  • Faster response
  • Vertical scrolling
  • Xbox 360 game availability
  • Social content engagement
  • Quick snapping

Now, this isn't to say that the Xbox One is suddenly perfect, nor that the PlayStation 4 is immune to a similar need for improvement, but Microsoft has made great strides towards meeting their players desires. And the upcoming April revision is bound to please boatloads of gamers.

The Big Upgrade in Streaming Tech

Well, this April's revision will hold more than just a single big change, as was shown during a lifestream by Mike Ybarra, Xbox's head of platform engineering.

During the livestream, Ybarra was playing through some of Telltales: The Wolf Among Us to show off the features as seen below.

The first of the revisions was streamed on the new integration of the Beam platform. Beam is the next step in interactive livestreaming, it's like Twitch on steroids basically.

Beam allows you to integrate audience interaction with gameplay itself. You'll be able to invite the crowd to do things like choose your weapon or even fly a drone around your room in real time. Beam will be integrated into both Windows 10 and the Xbox One, and the reworking of the Xbox One's dashboard will allow for faster interface speeds making Beam services even more impressive.

Upgraded UI

The second improvement is in the upgraded Guide feature. The Guide is accessible by a single button click and will give instant access to all your Games & Apps. Ybarra only showed it for a moment during the livestream, but that was all we needed to see to know it was a great improvement on what we have currently. On the new Guide, you'll have access to the store, your pins, and several new recording options (including managing clip lengths.

Additionally it seems that a new icon has been added in replace of the multi-tasking menu which will enable the instant access to Beam streaming (and presumably Twitch or any other future supported services). Although Beam is the primary support service for the Xbox One console.

Overall, it seems that Microsoft is aiming to focus all their updates on speed - speed in transitioning between menu options, services, games and everything else as well as the speed of details in respect to the games you're playing.

That means:

  • an upgraded Cortana design,
  • an upgraded Gamerscore Leaderboard,
  • and upgraded Achievement tracking

- are all on the docket for this April's revision.

Microsoft's attempts at making a seamless experience are in direct response to the millions of players response of slow dashboard speeds, and it's very clear that they are implementing this for the players they support.

But Microsoft isn't stopping at Xbox One improvements, on the PC side there are many of the same improvements along with a Game Mode in the Creators Update, which will "optimize your Windows 10 PC for increased performance in gaming," according to Ybarra.

Microsoft is taking fan suggestions to heart and the Xbox One has a steady stream of welcome updates and upgrades. What do you think Microsoft will do next?

SOURCE : Polygon

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About the Creator

Matthew Bailey

Husband. Father. Gamer. Cinema Lover. Mix it all together, and there I am. I love all things pop-culture and coffee; but coffee is the best.

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