Xbox One April update to bring yet more user experience improvements

Microsoft is actively working hard to fire out regular updates for the Xbox One, the company's next-gen video game console. Lucky participants are engaged in the early preview program, which has revealed some features that could well be on the way to consoles in a April release. ​This is a follow-up to the rather large March update we previously covered.

So what's new in this Xbox One April update preview?

Game and app saves/updates

When saving a game, a progress bar will be displayed on-screen, showing the status of said save states. It'll also be easier to decipher which apps and games have been updated recently on the console.

Friends improvements

Notifications will be added to see when favorites and friends sign in to Xbox Live. Being a highly requested feature, friends who are also in multiplayer will be identified in the friends list. The ability to view friends’ most popular apps will be available too, just in case you feel there's a lack of ways to stalk others.

Blu-Ray

Blu-Ray 50 Hz video output support for content recorded at 50 Hz will resolve video playback issues some Xbox Live members in Europe are experiencing.

Kinect

Kinect voice and motion improvements will continue to fine tune the quality and reliability of Xbox One commands. Perfect for those who have issues with the Kinect experience.

GameDVR

"Improved GameDVR video quality through compression algorithm improvements."

Connectivity

Miscellaneous updates to Xbox One device management to address issues controlling TVs, set top boxes, and receivers that users have reported. New audio settings will let you tune how sharply the volume is lowered when Kinect is used in communications.

Xbox One

Some notes for this 1404 (last month was 1403) preview:

  • The 1404 update preview will run a bit longer than the 1403 preview.
  • As a result, not all of the features listed above will be available in the first 1404 update.
  • Some features will be enabled in 1404 updates that are rolled out later in the preview.
  • Some of the features listed above will be enabled outside of a console update.

Who's looking forward to this next update for Xbox One?

Source: Reddit

Rich Edmonds
Senior Editor, PC Build

Rich Edmonds was formerly a Senior Editor of PC hardware at Windows Central, covering everything related to PC components and NAS. He's been involved in technology for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about the magic inside a PC chassis. You can follow him on Twitter at @RichEdmonds.