Right now, every system update is hugely exciting for Xbox One and PS4 owners. Those who have adopted new consoles early on can expect fixes for glitches, improvements and new features, and Microsoft is already doing just that with two updates down already.
The next update in line is the March update, which still doesn’t have an official date but is expected to arrive mid-way through this month. Whilst the last update brought support for Titanfall and a few improvements, the March update looks to add a number of features that gamers have been wanting.
The update itself is already in testing around the world, so naturally its contents have been revealed by the lucky testers to eager Xbox One updaters via Reddit and NeoGAF Forums. One of the key additions with the March update is support for 50Hz TV sets, which will mainly affect those in the UK who use the console alongside a Sky or Virgin cable box via the HDMI passthrough. Right now the console works natively in 60Hz, but the likes of Sky and Virgin use 50Hz, so changing between the two isn’t as smooth as it could be. That will change with the March update as the console will automatically switch to 50Hz for TV and back to 60Hz for gaming.
Also coming is support for Dolby Digital audio, allowing for 5.1-surround sound output via the Optical out port. For those who like to use Kinect voice commands to do everything, Microsoft has also built in a setting that allows the user to choose by how many increments the volume will go up or down for each Kinect voice command. There’s also a new setting to turn off Kinect gestures whilst watching a video, so you wont keep need to sit completely still throughout the movie for fear of pausing it unwillingly with your flailing limbs.
Twitch game streaming will also be added with the March update, which will no doubt please Xbox One gamers and lead PS4 users to claim Microsoft has copied Sony’s idea. The app will allow gamers to live stream their gameplay for others to watch via the Twitch app, which will become available via the Store.
Elsewhere there are also improvements to the Party app and Friends app, plus a controller update which is said to make the analog sticks in particular feel much more responsive and less laggy.
The update is rumoured to be arriving on March 11th.