Microsoft’s now Monthly update for the Xbox One, has landed. The October Xbone system update is now rolling out to all consoles and comes packing new features such as Snap Centre, Achievements, Friends, TV functions and more.
The update brings a lot of user-friendly changes to the Xbox One’s interface, particularly as regards apps, Snap and Friends management. There are also a few cool features like the ability to make your controller vibrate, to help you find the remote or to distinguish which one is yours.
First up Microsoft have updated the controls and features on the Snap function, now by double tapping the Xbox button on the controller, the console provides easy access to the Friends list, game DVR, clock, achievements, messages and battery power.
You can also communicate and see your friends better with the Snap app, as you can now open, read and respond to messages in Snap mode and the friends list can be accessed without leaving the game.
On top of this the Friends section has seen a overhaul with a new Achievement Leader board and information what your friends are up to, and the most popular game sin your network.
Achievements are now more social too, so that if you unlock an Achievement you can now share your achievement with friends and add a Caption to it. You can also see a list of all your friends that have also won the same achievement with when they unlocked it.
One very popular update has come in the form of the Media Player, as the Xbox one can now playback .MKV file formats from both internal and USB storage, and DLNA streaming is now supported. With this update, you will be able to easily access and play music, watch photo slideshows or movies stored on home media servers and devices that support the DLNA server protocols.
Microsoft have added a few extra feature to the Devices and Accessories page including the previously mentioned Find mode for controllers, but you can also assign accessories to specific users, such as assigning a headset to a specific gamer, and you can update the firmware for an individual device.
See also: Vine Now Available on Xbox One
And finally MS have updated the password recovery system, where, in the net month Microsoft will be prompting account holders to provide an alternate email address or phone number so that password reset can be sent out easier for users.
Currently the Xbox One October update isn’t available in all territories, as Microsoft likes to use a staggered release schedule, but you can see your region’s progress by checking the system update button in the system section of the console’s settings menu.
Full breakdown of the update is below:
Xbox One 6.2.11653.0 (xb_rel_1410.141009-1809) fre – Released: 10/15/2014
Snap Updates
- Updated the Snap Center to include quick access to:
- Friends
- Messages
- Game DVR
- Clock
- battery indicator
- A double tap of the Xbox button on your controller will bring up a menu that allows you to open a new app in snap mode, close the current snapped app, or switch focus between your game and your running snapped app.
- Two apps have been optimized for Snap mode:
- Friends Snap App – Access your friends list without leaving the game. Quickly check your friends list to see who’s online right now and take actions like send message, invite or join.
- Messages Snap App – You’ll be able to open, read and respond to messages in Snap mode, and messages will now be displayed in a threaded conversation view.
Achievements App
- Updated to enable sharing of achievements you’ve unlocked with captions
- See a list of friends who have unlocked specific achievements
- Updated achievements Snap landing page that that shows Achievements on recently played games, when a user is not actively playing a game.
Friends section
- The new Friends hub enables you to see at a glance what’s going on with your friends.
- Stay up-to-date with your friend’s current activities
- View most popular games your friends are playing
- View the Gamerscore leaderboard to see who has improved their Gamerscore over the last 30 days.
New SmartGlass features
- View a list of your top games in your profile.
- View a list of your friend’s most popular games in the Friend’s section of SmartGlass.
- Universal remote control functionality add for the 11 countries that are getting OneGuide TV listings, these users will be able use your mobile device to control your Xbox, TV, and/or Cable/Satellite box.
Media Player app update
- DLNA streaming is now supported. With this update, you will be able to easily access and play music, watch photo slideshows or movies stored on home media servers and devices that support the DLNA server protocols.
- MKV files are now supported.
Live TV MiniGuide
- For markets where OneGuide is available, a new MiniGuide on the bottom of the screen will display details about the TV content that is currently playing.
- You can quickly change channels
- See what’s on other channels.
- Tune to the previous channel or other recent channels.
All while watching your current TV show.
- You can also launch Miniguide using voice, by saying “Xbox Select – MiniGuide”, or by using the thumbstick on your controller.
OneGuide in 11 new countries
- Live TV listings and schedules will be made available to customers on Xbox One and SmartGlass for:
- Belgium
- Chile
- Columbia
- Denmark
- Finland
- Norway
- Portugal
- Poland
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Russia
Internet TV Apps
- Apps with live TV channels can now include their TV listings within OneGuide.
- The first app to support this feature will be Zattoo with an upcoming content update for their app. The Zattoo app is available in Germany, Switzerland, Spain and Denmark.
Live TV initial setup experience
- Improved by attempting to automatically detect the set-top box connected to the HDMI-In port on a user’s Xbox One
- Enable users to select “On start, go to TV” for their Xbox One consoles.
- For existing users a one-time message will appear on next use highlighting this new capability,
Updated Devices & Accessories page
- To access the new page, go insideSettings, select Devices & accessories
- Select a device to
- Find – You can also more easily find (or identify) a controller by making it vibrate
- Assign – “assign” accessories to specific users, such as assigning a headset to a specific gamer.
- Update – You can update the firmware for an individual device.
Password resets just got better
- We’re making it easier and more secure to reset your password and add protection to your accounts. Starting around the 3rd week of October, if you haven’t set up security info, we’ll ask you to provide an alternate email or cell phone number to use if you ever need their password reset.
- You’ll only need to set this up once per account, and you won’t need it every time you sign in.
- To avoid us asking you, add your security info ahead of time athttps://account.live.com/proofs/and get more info at
http://support.xbox.com/my-account/security/add-security-contact-information