Microsoft has recently released their first big update for the Xbox One and further to this the way software updates work on the console has also been changed. The new system that has been implemented by Microsoft means the new update system aims to reduce the impact on owners.
All gamers will need to use is the “Instant On” (the low power state that allows you to instantly power up your console) feature in order for the console to automatically check for updates whilst sleeping. The really clever part is that the console won’t just download straight away; it will wait until off-peak times (generally late at night, like 12am-4am) to perform the download. Now that the February update is available, the next time you turn your console off it will download the update during off-peak hours on local time, so the update will land whilst you’re sleeping and blissfully unaware, then your console will power itself on and start updating.
With the latest February update a host of new features and changes will be brought to the Xbox One, including:
- The ability to see and manage your storage space: With this update, you will find it easy to see how much space your content takes up and better manage your content.
- You can also control your install lineup and manage your download queue in a much easier way. Microsoft has separated My Games and My Apps into separate lists, so you can create separate queues for both. Now you can pick the order in which you want your content to download and there’s also a boot progress indicator so you can better track updates while they load.
- The battery power indicator is back! You can see it right on the home screen, so you can easily track how much battery life is left on your controller.
- USB keyboard functionality is added to the Xbox One, allowing users to stick a regular keyboard into the side USB port of the console to use it as a peripheral for typing.
Tip: Once you get the update, you can press the Xbox button to see the battery indicator on screen in the lower right next to the clock.
What’s more, a few tweaks and updates have also been added, so here are some notes about what else is in this release:
- Ability to delete game and application save data
- Improved installation and DLC management
- Improved UI for accessing friends, achievements, messages, and party chat
- Game DVR app to be included in the Xbox OneGuide as an app channel
- Update to the boot progress indicators for system update
- Improve consistency of UX for update & install progress
- Separate game, application, and install queue lists
- Addition of USB keyboard support
- Improved NAT detection
- Network Troubleshooter improvements
- Blu-ray quality improvements
- Significant performance and stability improvements
The update (and all future updates) will be landing automatically on the Xbox One consoles from now.