Latest from Windows Central in Xbox-one-summer-update

How to use voice control on Xbox One, Series X, and Series S: Command list, Alexa, Google Assistant, tips and more

Jez Corden — Tue, 18 Feb 2020 20:00:00 +0000

You can still use the legacy Xbox One voice commands with Kinect if that's your preference, but if you enable Alexa or Google Assistant on your console you'll be able to issue commands via a headset microphone or a connected smart speaker, and access features that make multitasking far easier. Here's everything you need to know about voice commands on Xbox One.

How to activate smart assistants on Xbox One
How to set up a smart speaker for Xbox One
Full voice command list

How to activate a smart speaker on Xbox One

If you want to use a product like an Amazon Echo speaker, you'll need to first enable digital assistants on your Xbox One.

Double tap the Xbox logo button on your controller.
Select Settings. It is the gear icon.
Select All Settings.
Select Kinect & Devices.
Select Digital Assistants.
Tap the A button on your controller to enable digital assistants.

Note: Alexa support is currently only available in a few regions. You can change your language settings in an unsupported region to enable Alexa connectivity (such as the U.S. or UK), but this might not give you full access to their features, and in the case of an Amazon Echo, may restrict what features you can actually use on your speaker.

Set up a smart speaker for use with Xbox One

To use Alexa with Xbox One, you'll need a compatible smart speaker. or an app on your smartphone. Note that at present, these services are only available in certain regions.

First, activate the corresponding skill on your speaker. Click here to activate the Alexa Xbox skill, and click here to find and activate Google Assistant for Xbox.
You'll have to sign in with your Xbox-connected Google, Amazon, and Microsoft Accounts to both services in order to use them.
Follow the instructions in each corresponding app, and select enable to connect your speaker to your console.

List of Xbox-specific voice commands

If you're using a connected smart speaker or mobile device with Alexa or Google Assistant, you need to say "Hey Alexa/Google, tell Xbox to" or "ask Xbox to," followed by your command.

Turn on your Xbox

"Turn on my Xbox."
"Start my Xbox."
"Xbox on."
"Turn on."

Turn off your Xbox

"Turn off my Xbox."
"Turn off."
"Xbox off."
"Reboot."

Capturing game footage

"Take a screenshot."
"Broadcast."
"Stop broadcasting."
"Record that."
"Record the last (number) minutes."

Find out what your friends are currently doing

"What is (Gamertag / real name) doing?"
"Is (Gamertag / real name) online?"

Invite friends into parties

"Invite (Gamertag / real name) into a party."
"Start a party with (Gamertag / real name)."

Send messages

"Send a message to (Gamertag / real name)."

Select items on screen

"Select."
"Make a selection."
"Select mode."
When you've finished making a selection, say "stop listening."

Open apps and games

"Open (app/game name)."
"Go to (app/game name)."
"Snap (app name)."Note: Universal apps like Baconit and Cast currently cannot be snapped.

Switch between and close snapped apps

"Switch."
"Change view."
"Unsnap."

Media controls

"Pause."
"Play."
"Rewind."
"Fast forward."

TV controls

"Watch/go to TV."
"Watch (channel name)."
"Open/show OneGuide."
"Volume up (number)."
"Volume down (number)."
"Mute."Note: Some TV-specific commands require either the Xbox One S, X, or Kinect's IR blaster to function.

General navigation

"Go home." To return to the dashboard.
"Go back." To cycle backward through previous actions.
"Show/open menu." To open menus in certain apps.
"Show/open guide." To open the Xbox quick guide.
"Show/open notifications."
"Show/go to my Friends List."

Signing in

"Sign in as (Gamertag/name)."
"Sign out."

Search the Xbox Store

"Search the store for (app/game name)."
"Search the store for (movie/tv show name)."

Help

"What can I say?"

Redeem a code

"Redeem a code."

Pairing a specific speaker to a specific console

"Pair my device."

What's your favorite Alexa command? Are there any missing from this list? Do you have any questions? Let us know in the comments!

Need more?

Best smart speakers for Xbox One

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Windows Central Podcast 9: Xboxpalooza!

Derek Kessler — Mon, 08 Aug 2016 13:00:04 +0000

This week, Derek Kessler, Daniel Rubino, Jez Corden, and Zac Bowden gather 'round the microphones for a talk on the week's biggest news in Windows. And what a huge week it was: we've got not just the Xbox One S landing with a compacted design and 4K video, but also it's bringing new software that will show up on the older Xbox One as well: the Xbox One Summer Update.

Plus, you might have noticed this little update for your Windows 10 PC — yes, the Windows 10 Anniversary Update is finally here. After months of Insider builds and user feedback, the biggest update yet for Windows 10 has arrived, bringing advanced inking features, a revised Start Menu, and so much more.

Help us make this show the best Microsoft podcast in the world. Tell your friends, share it on social media using the hashtag #wcpodcast, and give us a five-star rating wherever you download your podcasts! Thank you so much for listening!

Show Notes

Plus: Q&A!

1:11:00: Why do you think W10 mobile has taken so long to party catch up in the app game? — SilverFoxxx1
74:00 - end: Do you think Redstone 2 and 3 with the Surface Phone will help Microsoft regain marketshare on mobile? — SyTheZombie

Download directly: Audio
Listen via: Windows Central app Windows 10 | Android
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Subscribe via Pocket Casts

Hosts

Make this show great by participating!

Send in your comments, questions, and feedback to:

Email: wcpodcast@windowscentral.com
Twitter: @WindowsCentral with hashtag #wcpodcast
Or leave a comment below!

How to play music from a USB drive on Xbox One using Simple Background Music Player

Matt Brown — Thu, 04 Aug 2016 19:52:26 +0000

The Xbox One Summer Update added support for the highly anticipated background music feature. As suggested by the feature's name, select Universal applications on the Xbox One can now output audio while minimized off-screen.

Currently, only a limited number of applications support the feature, including Microsoft's Groove Music service and podcasting application, Cast. A developer at Microsoft has now debuted a new application that utilizes the feature, known as Simple Background Music Player.

As you'd expect, Simple Background Music Player only has a minimal set of features but allows for music to be played off any USB drive. The app's current offering is far from glamorous but acts as a reliable method to play locally stored music.

For now, the application is limited to a select number of countries, with more to follow as the developer localizes for additional languages. As of release, the app is only accessible to those in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Here's how to get started with Simple Background Music Player on the Xbox One:

Preparing your USB drive and music files:

Format a USB drive as either NTFS or FAT32.
Open the USB drive's root folder (the lowest-level of the USB drive in Explorer).
Create a new folder.
Name this new folder 'Xbox Music Library'. This folder will be used as a fixed location for Simple Background Music Player to fetch your files.
Add your music files to the Xbox Music Library folder. Currently, Simple Background Music Player only supports MP3, WMA, and FLAC file formats.

How to play background music off a USB drive on your Xbox One with Simple Background Music Player

Ensure the Simple Background Music Player is closed
Insert the prepared USB drive into your Xbox One.
Open Simple Background Music Player.
When prompted, press Y on your controller to search for music. All music contained with the Xbox Music Library folder should appear on-screen. Press Y to refresh your music collection at any time while using the app.

After locating your files, Simple Background Music Player will automatically start playing your music. Using the analog stick, music can be paused, skipped and scrubbed using the controls in the lower left of the screen. If you're yet to use the Xbox One's new background music feature, make sure to take a look at our in-depth overview and guide!

Need more?

Check out our other articles for more info on the Xbox One Summer Update.

Windows Maps is now live on Xbox One Preview, here's how it works!

Jez Corden — Thu, 04 Aug 2016 01:51:22 +0000

Windows Maps is built into Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile. Powered by Bing and HERE mapping technologies, Windows Maps provides directions, rich mapping data of the entire world, and even 3D aerial views. Windows Maps also allows you to sync favorite places and use them with Cortana, who in turn lets you refer to places simply as "home" and "work" and so on while using her locational commands. Additionally,

Windows Maps is now available on the Xbox One Preview thanks to the Summer Update, and here's how it works on the console.

Update: I previously reported that Windows Maps was live for all consoles on the Summer Update. At present, it seems that Windows Maps is only available on the Xbox One Preview. If you're able to find it in the public store, leave us a comment!

Windows Maps has all the same features that it does on PC and Windows 10 Mobile. Favorite locations sync using your Microsoft Account, you can search for directions, browse 3D maps and discover rich information about places all over the world.

Windows Maps doesn't utilize a mouse-like cursor seen in apps like Baconit and Cast. Instead, its controls are mapped directly to the Xbox One controller and handle fairly similarly to browsing the map screen of an open world video game. The left joystick moves your position, and the right joystick controls the tilt and rotation of the map. 'A' is your left click, 'Y' is a global search key, and 'B' is your back button. The triggers zoom and the view button cycles between map controls and Windows Maps' more complex user interface elements.

When out of map view, you can search for locations, get directions, discover rich features of the current vicinity and switch the view between aerial photographs and regular map data. Universal Windows Platform apps don't have access to the full breadth of Xbox One hardware power, so some of its more complex 3D maps like the skyline of New York City caused the app to lag out a little. Still, there's always room for optimization.

Frankly put, Windows Maps on Xbox One is another victory for UWP. You might be asking yourself, "why would I want Windows Maps on my games console?" and for many, there may not be a good reason, but the sheer option is powerful. The whole point of UWP is the mobility of the experience.

For instance, you might be playing a game, but decide to go out to a new restaurant in your local area later in the evening. Instead of reaching for a phone or a laptop, you can now access it straight from your console. And who knows? In the future, you might be able to use Uber's UWP app to schedule a taxi cab too.

The Universal Windows Platform is opening up all sorts of exciting possibilities for computing in the living room, and Microsoft hopes developers will agree. Let's wait and see.

Thanks Leon and Zack for the tips!

Need more?

Check out our other articles for more info on the Xbox One Summer Update.

How to use the Xbox app for Windows 10

Lauren Relph — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 13:00:03 +0000

The Xbox App is the most comprehensive way of having complete control over your Xbox while you're not even playing – bringing together your games, friends lists, achievements between your Xbox and Windows 10 devices. The Xbox Windows 10 App is your home away from home, where the Xbox One is concerned.

Using the app is really simple, but we've made a guide for you in case there are some things you weren't aware of!

What is the Xbox app?
Social sharing
Xbox game management
Buying Xbox games
Connection
Controls
Settings

What is the Xbox Windows 10 app?

The Xbox Windows 10 app is an application available on all your compatible Windows 10 Devices – even if that's phones, tablets, PCs or laptops. Whether you use it just to keep up with what your friends have been playing while you're offline, or to stream games from your Xbox to your Windows 10 device, the Xbox Windows 10 app has you covered for these things and a lot more.

Please note: An active Xbox Live Gold membership is still required for multiplayer on Xbox One.

One of the main things you'll notice about the Xbox app on Windows 10 when you're using a tablet or the desktop app is that your friends list always stays with you. Whether you're browsing through your game library, or checking which achievements you have left to get – your friends are always within reach.

Here, you can:

Instantly access your entire friends list and find the people you're looking for faster by typing their name in the search bar.
Start a party, regardless of whether they're on Xbox or PC.
Send a message.
Check on your Activity alerts.

You can also create posts and share them to your Activity timeline, as well as like, share and comment on your friend's posts.

If you feel like showing off your best self, you can change your profile information by selecting your profile picture on the top of the menu stack. Customize the look of your profile, your biography, and other details on this page.

From here you can also check in on your Activity page, Achievements, Followers & Following and your Captures.

Achievements

Check the Achievements Leaderboard to see who among your friends has unlocked the most over the last 30 days, compare scores and find a list of all the games you've ever unlocked an achievement on.

Followers & Following

This is a list of every person you have added as a friend and on your list currently, and every game you either own on Xbox One or Xbox 360 Backwards Compatibility. Selecting a game will take you to a synopsis page of the game, with a button to the store or to Follow the game. Perform a side by side comparison between you and one friend. In a nice competitive touch, the friend with the higher Gamerscore will celebrate while the other weeps.

Captures

All of your screenshots and game-clips recorded on your Xbox One are accessible from your Windows 10 device. Share your Xbox screenshots to Facebook or Twitter, as well as to your Activity stream.

What's good on Xbox right now? The most popular creations people have made using Xbox One's Studio are all here waiting for you to get some ideas for your own top quality content. Here, developers will also post community challenges that anyone can be involved in. Watch other people's videos they've made using Studio Upload, comment, like or share.

Xbox game management

There are multiple ways you can currently manage your games library using the Xbox Windows 10 App.

Unlike your Games Library on Xbox One, My Games shows you any games you have installed on your desktop or laptop, which you can launch and play from within the Xbox app. These aren't limited to Microsoft or even Xbox games, specifically. Your Xbox Play Anywhere titles will live here, and you've now got a cross-device multiplaying platform whether you're on Xbox or PC. Forza and Killer Instinct are ready for you all. The game installed on your Xbox One are found in your Followers and Following.

Adding a game

Adding a game from your Windows library is easy – with just one click of Add a game from your PC button, you can select the game you want to add from your installed list. And that's it! If you have purchased games from platforms such as Steam or Origin, you will be required to log in before the game launches. A link at the bottom of the page will take you to the store if you're saving your energy from selecting the store from the sidebar menu.

Game hubs

You can find the game hub by selecting the game you're interested in, which brings you to its page. The button under the page will take you to the hub. Game hubs are your go-to places for updates from developers, seeing which of your friends also plays the game, your Achievement score and ranking, as well as captures. If you don't already follow the game, you can do so here, too. This enables posts from the game to appear in your Activity feed on your Home page.

Streaming

Yep, you can stream your Xbox One games to your PC.

Recording game-clips

You can still access you GameDVR from your Windows10 device, you can even make your Xbox One record while you're playing as well as streaming. Pretty neat, huh?

When you're ready to record a clip, simply select the Connection tab, which looks like a front view of an Xbox One. If you haven't already linked your console to your app, follow the link above. Once the connection is made, you'll have details of your Xbox One on screen. Beneath the game picture is a round red record button. Hit that, and you're remotely recording Xbox One footage! You wizard!

With background recording set on from the settings, you can record the games you play while you play them through the Xbox app – even PC games. When firing a game up, it will ask you if you want to begin recording your microphone and give you the keyboard shortcuts. If you ever wanted to be a YouTube gaming star, this one (free) app gives you all the recording software you need to capture your best sessions. Select the best encoding options in the General settings and there is absolutely no reason for you not to be making Xbox Fail Compilations and Best Of's in no time.

Recording non-gaming content

The Xbox app for Windows 10 also lets you record clips of more than just games.

Buying Xbox games

The Xbox app has a store through which you can buy Xbox One games (which will immediately download to your console), and its laid out exactly as you find on Xbox One, and it includes support for promo code redemption as well as Games With Gold and Deals With Gold. There is even a bar showing the free games.

Not only does the store cater for Xbox One, but you will also find the Windows 10 store. Here are all the games that you can play through Xbox Live on your PC, tablet or in some cases, even phone.

Connection

Connecting your Xbox to the app

If your Xbox One is on the same network as your Windows 10 device, it should automatically pair the two. If this isn't the case, you can select the Xbox you wish to connect to, or add a new one. If you are having issues connecting the Xbox One to the app, the most common way to remedy this is to hard cycle the power on the Xbox One (hold the power-button for ten seconds until it turns off).

OneGuide

If you've set up OneGuide to control your TV with your Xbox One, then you'll be able to also control your TV through your Xbox One by using the Windows 10 Xbox app.

Controls

The Xbox app allows you to use the app itself as a controller, or a TV remote.

Controller

You probably won't choose to play games with the on-screen controller. This is a quick, responsive and easy way to navigate menus onscreen, rather than using your Xbox One controller. If you have a touchscreen device, you can swipe to move, and the on-screen buttons are spaced well.

Remote

If buying a remote for your Xbox One media isn't an option you want to pursue, you can use the remote in the Connection tab to manage it for you. This requires Oneguide to already be set up and working

Volume

What happens if you don't use Cortana and Kinect and there's no remote in sight when you need to adjust the volume? Use the app!

Settings

The Settings tab manages all your personal information, GameDVR, Notifications and Network settings.

General settings

This covers all your sign in details, and your social media links - if you want to share things beyond Xbox Live, this is where you go. Here you can set up adding your Facebook account, which will import all of your contacts who are also on Xbox Live. You can also set up your Twitter connection here, and once this is set up, you can directly share any screenshots or clips you record to your followers.

You can also attend to your notifications here, to select which notifications from Xbox that you can receive to you Windows 10 device. Pick and choose from here which activities you want to be told about, maybe all of them, perhaps none. This is the easiest way to get to these settings without actually being on your Xbox One.

GameDVR

This will cover all of your keyboard controls for using GameDVR via the Windows 10 Xbox app. You can get it to record in the background while playing, capturing and instantly saving up to two hours of footage straight to your hard-drive. You can use the app to even record your microphone while it records your gameplay, so you can essentially create the meat to your new YouTube series without even needing a capture card and various devices.

Do you want to only access the clips you've recorded on Xbox One or through the Xbox app? Select the filter at the top to bring up your preferred platform. You can download the clips straight off of the app to your hard-drive, share them to your Showcase, feed, or Twitter.

Xbox One

Only two settings to be found in this sub-section. Your streaming encoding level, and a setting to use your Windows 10 device as a keyboard instead of using the controller to input from the screen.

Network status

If you want to check that you're connected to the internet, or what the Xbox Live status currently is, this tab will give you the run down of how each service is performing. These will be Network connection, Xbox Live status, Teredo address, packet loss and latency.

Download the Xbox app from the Windows Store

Windows Maps appears on the Xbox One app store, but you can't access it yet

Jez Corden — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 01:24:44 +0000

Windows Maps is built into Windows 10 on PCs and phones, allowing users to favorite locations to their Microsoft account, get directions and browse rich cartographical data powered by the HERE mapping platform. The same data powers Cortana's mapping search queries in addition to the maps section on Bing.com.

Windows Maps is currently downloadable from the Xbox One Summer Update version of the app store, but it's sadly inaccessible for the time being.

When you download the app, you're greeted by the splash screen above (thanks, Alex Kaine!), indicating that the app is still in development. Groove Music used a similar "coming soon" message while the team added some additional polish before setting it loose onto the Xbox One Preview earlier in the week.

If you have never used Windows Maps before, it should look a little something like its PC version depicted below.

One of the coolest things about Windows Maps is that features fully 3D locations. It'll be interesting to see how Microsoft adapts Windows Maps' input methods and features for use on the console.

With the Universal Windows Platform now on the Xbox, there really is no limit when it comes to new apps and functionality. There's little doubt in mind that we'll eventually see the new UWP version of Skype, social media apps like Twitter, and even Microsoft Office eventually hit the console.

What UWP app would like to see hit Xbox One? Let us know in the comments.

Need more?

Check out our other articles for more info on the Xbox One Summer Update and Xbox One S!

How to hide your unused games after the Xbox One Summer Update

matt@windowscentral.com (Matt Brown) — Tue, 02 Aug 2016 19:01:03 +0000

With the rollout of the Xbox One Summer Update, we've started to find a number of hidden changes to smaller features within the operating system. The 'My Games & apps' application saw a massive overhaul as a part of the release, but some minor alterations are yet to be acknowledged by Microsoft.

One of the undocumented changes after the facelift changes how applications are hidden from the 'Ready to Install' section of My Games & apps. As a feature unknown many Xbox One users, the change has mostly gone unnoticed. It should be noted that items can only be hidden from the 'Ready to Install' section, as a method of hiding obsolete applications.

Here's how to hide and recover your Xbox One games and apps following the Xbox One Summer Update:

Hiding items from the 'Ready to Install' tab

Scroll down to the Ready to Install tab in 'My Games & apps'.
When hovering over the title you wish to hide, press the Menu button to open a contextual menu.
Select 'Hide from list' and approve the onscreen confirmation step.

Recovering hidden items to the 'Ready to Install' tab

Scroll down to the Ready to Install tab in 'My Games & apps'
Press the LB + RB + X buttons simultaneously to display your hidden apps. If successful, your collection will reload with the excluded applications.
Press the Menu button over any of the applications you wish to recover. Scroll down to 'Unhide from list' for the app to permanently return to your collection.

Games and applications can still be installed while items are hidden by finding the corresponding listing on the Xbox Store.

Need more?

Check out our other articles for more info on the Xbox One Summer Update.

Xbox One Summer Update review: Apps and Cortana come to the big screen

jez@windowscentral.com (Jez Corden) — Tue, 02 Aug 2016 13:04:48 +0000

Microsoft previously committed to monthly updates for the Xbox One interface, but has more recently opted to launch fewer, but larger feature packages to improve the experience across the board.

The last big update we received was back in November 2015, dubbed the New Xbox One Experience. It laid the groundwork for Windows 10, the Universal Windows Platform and Cortana while polishing the interface with the addition of a dedicated Guide menu. The Summer Update brings similar levels of new features, but honestly, the full impact of this update will take months to manifest. Through UWP, the Xbox One has now wholly joined the Windows 10 device family.

Many of the Xbox One's newer features were shaped by fan feedback on the console's UserVoice website, in a similar fashion to Windows 10's Insider Feedback Hub. Eventually, the Xbox One Preview will be merged with the Windows 10 Insider Program, bringing all feedback for Windows 10 products into a single place.

For gamers, the Xbox One's Summer Update's biggest highlights include background audio and a revamped Games and Apps section – both hugely requested features. Other features, such as Cortana and the inclusion of Universal Windows Platform apps, arrive as Microsoft attempts to converge its ecosystem further, adding another screen by which Windows 10 Store developers can target their services.

Some of these changes are for the better, and a few probably need more work. Xbox One as a platform is constantly evolving, and knowing that the current Xbox One and Xbox One S are forward compatible with Microsoft's next console – Project Scorpio – expect a lot of these features and services to carry forward.

See our Review of the Xbox One S

Refined

System Changes

The main Xbox dashboard has undergone a few minor refinements since November. For the most part, the interface is the same: the main tile remains front and center, giving you access to your active content. The tiles beneath that catalog your most recently used apps and games and your pinned favorites are still present beneath that.

The biggest change that you'll see immediately is that the "My Games & Apps" button has moved from the bottom of the dashboard, up to the top right. This is a welcome change, particularly for new Xbox One owners, for whom the previous placement was needlessly obscure.

While the change might seem subtle, the new positioning also sets the stage for additional features available in the Summer Update, and in the near future. Beneath the Games & Apps button, you'll be able to see updates that are currently downloading, complete with percentage and speed. Additionally, this column will also provide countdown timers for the upcoming Looking For Group and Arena features, which will arrive later in the year. With the addition of Universal Windows Platform apps, the Xbox One's feature set is destined to grow even more complex, so anything that improves the clarity of the console's features is a welcome plus.

I still think that the dashboard has unnecessary amounts of wasted space, and I would like to see the opportunity for more customization, given the extent to which we can customize the Windows 10 Start Menu using UWP apps. It seems strange that one of the greatest aspects of UWP apps — Live Tiles — is unavailable on Xbox One. Still, there's no reason why these features can't come later.

Beyond the main dashboard, not a great deal has changed. The Community section remains the same, although you'll be prompted to select what content you wish to share automatically into your feed. By default, achievements and clip sharing are now turned off. Previously, the Activity Feed has just been a spam of literally every shred of activity you and your friends commit to on Xbox Live. These changes should make the feed far more meaningful.

The store sections have been consolidated into a single tab, similar to OneGuide's app channels. Games, Apps, Movies, TV and Music all display the most recent content and link out to a separate store app for purchasing and browsing.

The new store unifies Windows 10 and Xbox One — to a degree. At least for now, apps still have to be approved by Microsoft before hitting the Xbox One version of the store, so don't expect every half-baked UWP app to begin cluttering up your console. That said, the UWP apps we do have could use some improvement (more on that later). But is the new store an improvement?

The store pages suffer from similar issues seen in other Xbox One Universal apps, where joystick navigation isn't always intuitive due to the sporadic placement of some selectable elements. Still, the pages contain a lot of rich data and information, with screenshots, game clips, broadcasts and much more. Universal products, such as the podcasting app Cast, show the user which platforms the app is available for. In this case, we can see Xbox One, PC, Mobile and HoloLens.

There's definitely room for improvement, but the new store represents a step in the right direction.

There's definitely room for improvement, but the new store represents a step in the right direction. Bringing in written reviews, merging the content stores and the additional features like backward compatible games, sales prices, and download speeds bring some much-needed modernization. With this many new features in the store, polish can come later — and we really hope it does.

Overall, the user experiences changes are vast improvements. Uncoupling regions from languages will improve the console for hundreds of thousands of gamers across Europe and beyond. Some of the minor improvements, like moving the Games & Apps icon, or adding an activation tone when you remotely boot the console, all make the experience feel more complete. There's plenty of rough edges to smooth out, but as far as functionality goes, this update is rock solid.

Revamped

My Games & Apps

Perhaps the greatest usability improvement of the Xbox One Summer Update is the revamped Games & Apps section. Since launch, the Games & Apps library has become increasingly unwieldy as more and more games hit the console. While it has enjoyed a couple of minor refinements, the Summer Update has completely revamped the way it works, massively improving its usability.

The first thing to note is that the 'Ready to Install' list has been separated out into a dedicated tab, and each list of installed apps and games now displays vertically, rather than horizontally. Giving 'Ready to Install' its own section negates the need to navigate all the way through your currently installed list to find your deleted content. As someone with well over 200 apps and game licenses, I was surprised at how quickly the Ready to Install list loads, given how notoriously slow it could be in the previous version.

Additional tabs aren't the only way Microsoft is improving the usability of the Games & Apps section. You can now filter and sort the content in various ways, making managing your ever-growing content library far easier than was possible previously. The Games & Apps section also utilizes Windows 10-like alphabetical jump lists to make navigation even smoother.

Beyond management improvements, Games & Apps has a brand new download queue which gives far more in-depth information, such as download speed and progress, both on the queue tab and in the sidebar of the Games & App section itself. Additionally, current downloads display directly on the main dashboard beneath the Games & Apps button's new home at the top right of the home screen.

Overall, the update to the Games & App section has been long needed. As the Xbox One library grows to encompass not only new games but backwards compatible Xbox 360 games and Universal Windows Platform apps, improving the sorting and management features of this section was critical.

There's simply little to complain about with the new Games & Apps interface. Microsoft has done a tremendous job, which should future-proof the Xbox One against its ever-expanding library.

Exciting Possibilities

Universal Windows Platform

One of the biggest additions to the Xbox One's Summer Update is the inclusion of Universal Windows Platform apps (UWP). The Xbox One has had the technical capability for a while, with the Avatars app being a prime example, but now we're seeing third-party UWP apps appear in the store for the first time. The first wave of apps comes from major players like Netflix and DailyMotion, but also independent developers, with apps like Cast and Baconit.

The pressing question is whether or not the Windows 10 UWP-based apps beat the previous Windows 8-based apps, which were designed for use with a controller and Kinect gestures. Many apps hitting Xbox One so far have been adapted from apps designed for use with touch or computer mice. Check out the video of the Baconit below for an example of a Universal Windows Platform app running on Xbox One.

Background Music / Video

The most valuable addition in support of UWP on Xbox One is background audio. If Microsoft wants to entice media companies onto the Universal Windows Platform through Xbox, ensuring that the feature set across Windows 10, HoloLens and Windows 10 Mobile remains consistent. There would be little point in companies like Pandora, Deezer and Spotify developing native UWP apps without background audio in tow. Thankfully, the Xbox One Summer Update solves the issue, which has been one of the console's longest standing problems.

When utilizing a supported app that plays audio, the media controls appear in the guide menu, under the multi-tasking menu accessible by double-tapping on the Xbox One controller. When you have background audio running, the guide intuitively selects the multi-tasking menu automatically.

The new background audio menu in the guide provides access to a volume mixer, track skipping, and pausing, and also displays metadata for the audio is currently playing. Background sound works flawlessly and entirely as you'd expect.

Background sound works flawlessly and entirely as you'd expect.

The only complaint I can muster is the fact there's no global mute for background music in games, meaning that you have to dive through each game's setting manually if you want to replace the background music like on Xbox 360.

Also, there's not many apps that utilize background music right now. There's Pandora and Groove for music, as well as the podcasting app Cast. Developers of third-party media apps like Spoticast for Spotify and myTube for YouTube have expressed interest in bringing their apps to the console, and representatives of Xbox have expressed that more are on the way soon.

Apps

Speaking of apps, they are quite obviously the most important aspect of UWP on the Xbox, as they have the potential to work across the entire Windows 10 device family. However, it's up to developers to ensure their apps remain intuitive and functional when ported to Xbox One, and thus far I would say it has been a bit of a mixed bag.

The central benefit of having a unified platform across all Windows 10 devices is the idea of getting more apps into the store. For the first time, Windows devs will be able to target TV screens traditionally out of reach of Windows. Apps on UWP are supposed to be easier to port between device types, and now we've got an idea of how universal apps will work on the Xbox One.

Some apps, like the podcasting app Cast and the Reddit app Baconit, utilize a joystick-bound cursor for navigating the app, not unlike Microsoft Edge. In some cases like Edge and Baconit, the cursor is a necessity due to their complexity and ability to display websites. In Cast's case, bespoke controller functions would have been far more welcome. Microsoft's own Movies & TV app is a direct port of the Windows 10 PC version, and you navigate by snapping between clickable elements with the joystick. Using the Xbox One's controller buttons to open menus and perform other shortcuts is clearly preferable when possible.

I'm not sure any of the apps currently available via UWP are as polished for use on the console as the older apps designed directly for the Xbox One. Movies & TV of yesteryear features large buttons that are usually spread out in a grid-like pattern, making them stylistically pleasing without impeding the usability and feel of the apps when you navigate with element snapping. The newer apps were often designed with a mouse in mind, which looks a little messy when using joystick highlighting as different elements will come in all manner of shapes, sizes and positions. Moving between elements diagonally in this manner isn't always intuitive.

On the plus side, the universal apps are just faster. They load faster, navigating within them is faster, and cycling between a UWP app and a game is also far faster. Design polish can quickly come later, but the speed boost makes the transition worth it alone.

Moving forward, I'd like to see the Xbox One support Live Tiles in some form, which not only makes apps like MSN Weather far more useful, but ist still one of the best overall features of Windows Store apps.

But of course, UWP has far deeper implications for Xbox One than being able to listen to music over games.

Future Possibilities

With UWP in place, Cortana, and unified APIs, the Xbox One truly becomes a PC for your living room. With keyboard and oft-teased mouse support, nothing is stopping the Xbox One running the UWP versions of Office, OneNote, Skype, and so on. With Cortana in tow, the Xbox One could be the home automation hub of the future. Services like Insteon, which recently hit UWP, could leveraging her natural language commands to control all sorts of IoT devices in your home.

Microsoft hopes that by allowing developers to target the living room, long-term holdouts like YouTube might consider developing for the Windows Store in tandem with Xbox One. It could also become a distribution center for VR games across console and PC, considering the upcoming Project Scorpio is being developed with high-end virtual reality experiences in mind.

Like many things Windows 10, this is another "wait and see" possibility, but it's another significant pillar in Microsoft's grand convergence journey that has taken years and years to complete. The potential is truly limitless, but only if developers are keen to optimize their apps properly for the different devices across UWP, rather than just publishing them across and falling back on the clumsy joystick-based cursor.

Personal Assistant

Cortana

Cortana is the final piece of the UWP jigsaw for the Xbox One. Not only is Cortana supposed to bring natural language commands to the console, but developers will be able to utilize her voice commands in much the same way as they can on Windows 10 PCs and Mobile devices.

During the preview, Cortana has been the subject of some criticism on the console. Given the fact that Cortana connects to the internet and can search for information with Bing, the margin for error is sometimes far bigger than it was with the native "Xbox..." triggered voice commands. When Cortana misunderstands what you're trying to stay, she'll snap and open up a Bing search query, which is a little annoying when it's unintended. Thankfully, she doesn't become the active window, but she can cause your game to hang very briefly while trying to work out your command.

Microsoft wants to bring Cortana to every language, but the rollout has been slow.

My experience with the UK version of Cortana hasn't been that great when compared to the legacy voice commands. She misunderstands my commands often, both on a properly calibrated Kinect and via a high-quality headset. Perhaps this is, in part, due to the awkwardly spelled Gamer Tags my friends have chosen, but even when asking "What is Daniel Rubino doing?" it took a few attempts to get it right. That said, Daniel Rubino and other US-based writers on Windows Central have enjoyed a much better experience, making me wonder if this is a regional problem.

Indeed, Cortana is only available in a few markets right now, and her features are often restricted by country. The UK version has less functionality than the US version on Windows 10, but I should count myself lucky considering many countries are locked out entirely. Microsoft's goal is to bring Cortana to every language, but given the slow global rollout on Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile this could take a while.

If you're fluent in English and living in an unsupported country, you can activate Cortana by changing your console's region to the US or the UK. And since the Xbox One no longer restricts language settings per country, it no longer changes your store region when switching.

When Cortana is working correctly, she's an incredible addition to the Xbox party. Cortana can provide information on which friends are online, when they were last seen, invite them to parties, and she comes with all of the search-based voice commands you'd expect to find on PC and Mobile.

I found it useful to ask Cortana what the weather was going to be like tomorrow without having to interrupt my multiplayer game, as well as perform unit and currency conversions. I'm not sure how often the average gamer will utilize these sorts of commands, but the option is unquestionably helpful.

The full potential for IoT, applications and other voice-activated services could never be realized without making these first steps.

Like UWP, perhaps the key takeaway when it comes to Cortana is the potential she brings. On Windows 10 Mobile and PC, Cortana can trigger app functions, such as calling a cab using Uber, sending a Tweet via Tweetium, or playing music in Microsoft Groove. Naturally, developers have to support that functionality within their apps, but the opportunities are clear.

The future of Cortana will hinge on the pace of her development and rollout, which hasn't been the fastest. The full potential for IoT, applications and other voice-activated services could never be realized without making these first steps, though. The pieces are in play — we just have to wait and see how she grows over the months, and years ahead.

Bright Future

Final Thoughts

When it comes to features, this is one of the best updates for the Xbox One so far. UWP will bring an avalanche of new apps and functionality to the console, and the Games & Apps section is finally geared up for the future. When Cortana is firing on all cylinders, she streamlines many of the Xbox One's basic tasks with her understanding of natural voice commands.

Pros:

Background audio for your own music
Cortana integration is great — and has huge potential
Store updates bring backward compatible games to the party
New Games & Apps section is a huge, huge improvement

Cons:

Current Universal apps unpolished — including the new Store
Cortana still is unavailable or incomplete in many regions
Old "Xbox" voice commands were faster, if limited
No Live Tiles of UWP apps

In the coming months, we'll see the Xbox get even more social, with new features such as Looking for Group and Clubs to help players connect, play together, and share content.

This latest Xbox One update is a milestone step for the entire company, as Microsoft's ecosystem convergence is now officially complete. Developers will be able to target every Windows 10 device with their responsive apps, taking advantage of all sorts of screens, input methods and more. For many gamers, this update will probably be remembered for background music, but this summer could be remembered as a pivotal point in the history of Windows.

The Xbox One Summer Update represents a victory for Microsoft, as their mission to bring Windows to the living room has finally been achieved — a goal that began with the original Xbox all those years ago. You should expect the coming months to be very exciting for the platform.

Need more?

Check out our other articles for more info on the Xbox One Summer Update.

Groove UWP is now live in the Xbox One Preview, here's some first impressions

Jez Corden — Tue, 02 Aug 2016 02:14:38 +0000

Available initially to testers, the Universal Windows Platform version of Groove will eventually roll out more broadly to those who have updated their consoles to the Xbox One Summer Update. Until then, here's a quick rundown of how it works.

There's no mouse-like joystick cursor in Groove. Instead, it uses element snapping similar to Movies & TV and other Microsoft-produced apps on the console. The main screen shows featured playlists, recent and most popular content, as well as Groove's new mood and activity-based playlists.

In this version, some of the elements have a square box, perhaps indicating a missing icon. This is a preview version after all, and it'll be refined further before heading out to the public.

Pressing the menu button on your controller opens the hamburger sidebar, which gives you access to your personal content. You can also just move your joystick to the left of the screen until it opens up the main menu.

Everything functions exactly how it does on the PC version, save for the fact that selecting a song automatically puts the app into full-screen mode, which plays a slideshow of photographs of the band or artist in question. The icons for media controls are currently missing in this version, but they'll no doubt arrive in the next update.

You can cycle through tracks by pressing the right and left bumpers, or fast forward and rewind using the triggers. The 'A' button selects, the 'B' button reverts to a previous action like in other UWP apps, 'X' stops music entirely, and 'Y' allows you to search from anywhere within the service.

Almost every feature available on the Windows 10 PC and Mobile version of the app is available. Background audio, Groove Music Pass, OneDrive integration, Radio, Playlists and "Your Groove" all work as expected.

Fans of the previous version of Groove might be disappointed to hear that music videos appear to have been removed. I tested the app with a few albums that I know featured music videos previously to no avail. You can't download music for offline playback either. It seems that Groove on Xbox One will remain an online streaming service, at least for now.

Note: If you're in the Xbox One Preview, you will need to update Groove to get this working. Press the menu button while highlighting Groove in your Games & Apps to get it running. If you have the previous version of Groove installed, you might have to uninstall that first and then reinstall it from the 'Ready to Install' list to obtain the correct version.

If you're in the Xbox One Preview, jump on Groove and let us know what you think! Check out the links below for more information on the Xbox One Summer Update and Groove Music.

Xbox One Summer Update

A new Xbox One Preview build should be landing soon to provide fresh fixes

Jez Corden — Tue, 02 Aug 2016 01:17:25 +0000

The Xbox One Summer Update has rolled out to the public, but those of you in the Xbox One Preview still have new builds to look forward to.

This latest update, set to arrive at 6 PM PDT and 1 AM GMT brings some fixes to payments, USB keyboards on the Xbox One S and repairs an issue with Party Chat while using Kinect.

As usual, to force this update go to All Settings, then System, then select Console Info & Updates. As noted by the official Xbox Forums, the full details are as follows:

DETAILS

OS version released: rs1_xbox_rel_1608.160730-2312

Available: 6:00PM PDT 8/1 (1:00 AM GMT 2/8)

FIXES

Payments & Billing

When adding a new payment method, the "View terms" button should now function correctly.

USB Keyboard

Resolved an issue which caused the Xbox One S to fail to recognize USB keyboards after powering on.

Party Chat

Resolved an issue which could cause party chat to crash when using the Kinect.

CURRENT KNOWN ISSUES

My Games & Apps

If a universal app version of an app is available, the version which is not currently installed may appear under Ready to Install (causing what appears to be the same app both installed and in Ready to Install).
You may encounter an installation error (0x800700002) when attempting to install or update universal apps.
Workaround: Uninstall and reinstall the app. If you have the app installed on both the internal hard drive and an external hard drive, be sure to uninstall from both.

Pins

If you have pins on your Home to movies, TV shows, or music, they will disappear from Home. The pins for the apps will stay on your Home, easy to get to.

We're still waiting for Microsoft Groove UWP to break cover, which is slated to enter Xbox One Preview any day now. For more coverage on the Xbox One Preview and the Xbox One Summer Update. , check out the links below.

Need more?

MyTube is on its way to Xbox One with background audio, here's an early look

Jez Corden — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 15:00:04 +0000

MyTube isn't just one of the best YouTube apps on Windows 10 and Mobile — it's one of the best ways to browse YouTube, period. Not only has MyTube provided Windows Phone users with YouTube Red's premium features for years, such as background audio and downloads for offline playback, but it's arguably more intuitive than Google's official apps on Android and iOS. And now, it's coming to Xbox One.

YouTube famously refused to allow an official app on Windows Phone a few years ago, forcibly blocking a Microsoft-developed solution with a somewhat spurious excuse. Considering YouTube's streaming push into Twitch territory with YouTube Gaming, the company is arguably unable to ignore Xbox as a platform, given its living room dominance. Whether or not the Universal Windows Platform leads to a responsive YouTube app for Xbox One, Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile remains to be seen, but at least in the interim, Ryken Apps is bringing MyTube to Xbox One in a big way.

Ryken Apps is hard at work building MyTube 3.0, which is gearing up to deliver YouTube to the Universal Windows Platform across Windows 10 Mobile, Windows 10 PC and Xbox One. Unlike some of the other UWP apps currently available on the Xbox One Preview, MyTube will have an interface optimized for use on the console.

MyTube for Xbox One will allow you to navigate different category panels with the joystick. You'll be able to select between your subscriptions and YouTube's own trending recommendations, and browse YouTube as you'd expect from its website.

While MyTube 3.0 is only around 10% complete for Xbox One, it already plays videos in the background utilizing the Xbox One's all new background audio feature. This will be handy for listening to podcasts, interviews or music playlists while multi-tasking or gaming. Using the Xbox One's background audio media controls, you'll be able to skip through videos in a playlist, as well as adjust the volume mixer between MyTube and game audio. Since YouTube's official Xbox app isn't based on UWP, it will remain unable to access background audio.

When MyTube 3.0 is completed, Ryken Apps is targeting support for the following features on Xbox One:

Background audio.
Playlist management.
Downloading for offline playback.
Comment posting.
Acting as a casting target from MyTube on Windows 10 phones and PCs.
Live streaming video playback.

MyTube 3.0 is currently in beta for Windows 10 PC and Windows 10 Mobile, and you can pick it up and contribute feedback using the link below. Ryken Apps is targeting a late 2016, early 2017 launch window for MyTube on Xbox One, so keep an eye on Windows Central for further updates!

What other popular UWP apps from Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile would you like to see on Xbox One? Let us know in the comments.

Microsoft: Any developer will be able to upload UWP apps to Xbox Store 'soon'

John Callaham — Sun, 31 Jul 2016 16:59:03 +0000

Microsoft plans to allow any UWP Windows 10 developer to upload apps to the Xbox Store in the near future.

The release of the big Summer Update for the Xbox One this weekend now supports the use of Universal Windows Platform apps in the Xbox Store. However, the apps that are currently available are few in number and have been hand-picked by Microsoft.

However, it looks like Microsoft will open up the Xbox Store for UWP app submissions in the near future. A Twitter post from Mike Ybarra, the Partner Director of Program Management for both Xbox and Windows at Microsoft, stated:

We're working out details on when any developer can upload UWA apps to Xbox. More details in near future. It will happen soon. #XboxWe're working out details on when any developer can upload UWA apps to Xbox. More details in near future. It will happen soon. #Xbox— ♏️ike Ybarra (@XboxQwik) July 30, 2016 July 30, 2016

It's possible that Microsoft will make submitting an app to the Xbox Store harder than on the Windows Store, since console and PC audiences tend to be very different. However, the fact that Microsoft will open up the closed platform of the Xbox One to these kinds of apps is a huge step for developers and the Universal Windows Platform in general.

Need more?

Check out our other articles for more info on the Xbox One Summer Update.

These are the five biggest changes with the Xbox One Summer Update

Matt Brown — Sun, 31 Jul 2016 09:45:25 +0000

With the arrival of the Xbox One Summer Update, a number of significant changes have made their way to the console. Arriving shortly ahead of the Windows 10 Anniversary Update for PC and Mobile, the Summer Update continues to unify the Xbox One with the overarching Windows ecosystem.

Alterations have been made to numerous aspects of the Xbox One experience, with a focus on media consumption and refined accessibility. While these changes can be seen system-wide, we've picked the five biggest changes you'll see after upgrading to the latest version of the operating system.

One Size Fits All

Universal apps and the new Store

One of the biggest features to hit the Xbox One with the Summer Update is support for Windows Universal apps, which have become a growing focus with Windows 10. Simply put, developers are able to design applications for the Universal Windows Platform and with only a few minimal changes, the application can run on any Windows 10 device. This rebuilds the experience around the device in use while maintaining a majority of its original functionality.

While this hasn't proven to be an entirely seamless process on Microsoft's closed console, a number of functional apps are now on the Store. As of right now only a select range of apps have made their way to the Xbox One, with more to come in the near future. Apps currently available on Xbox One include video services such as Netflix and Hulu and social apps such as Baconit.

Here are all the Universal apps launching with the Xbox One Summer Update

Hidden Tunes

Background Audio support

Since the launch of the Xbox One back in 2013, a major criticism of the platform has been its inability to play music in the background. As a console that initially pushed itself as a universal hub for entertainment, playing background music became a highly demanded feature.

The Xbox One Summer Update has finally delivered on this promise, allowing any supporting app to play audio in the background. As long as the feature is enabled, Universal Windows apps can now be taken off-screen while still providing audio to the console. This isn't limited to music apps either, with any applications able to take advantage of this functionality.

Background audio can be controlled via an easy-to-use interface on the Xbox Guide, with standard media controls and a volume slider on offer. As of right now only a limited number of apps support the feature, however, more are scheduled to arrive in the coming weeks. One of the first to arrive will be Microsoft's Groove music service, based on its original Windows 10 counterpart.

How to control background audio on Xbox One

She's here to help

Cortana's arrival on Xbox One

The Xbox One Summer Update also brings a major change to navigation and accessibility, with the introduction of Microsoft's digital assistant, Cortana. As a somewhat modified version of the PC and Mobile equivalent, Cortana for the Xbox One integrates directly with a connected Microsoft account. While traditional voice commands and shortcuts still remain, they've been altered for more natural interaction. Instead of using fixed 'Xbox' commands, voice shortcuts now combine natural language and the 'Hey Cortana' phrase.

While this will supposedly create a more streamlined and flexible solution, Cortana's implementation on the console still has its flaws. Due to this, reverting to the original Xbox commands is still possible, through the console settings.

How to turn Cortana on the Xbox One off and on

More Games, Less Fodder

Improvements to 'My Games & apps'

While the Xbox One games library continues to grow, the 'My Games & apps' interface has remained mostly unchanged since launch. In an attempt to deliver improved efficiency, the new application introduces enhanced menu navigation and filtering.

The My Games & apps interface has also seen a significant facelift, including a new vertical scroll and reworked distribution of apps across the screen. Tiles for games can also be altered, to change the amount of information displayed on-screen at a single time.

New tabs have also been added to sort items ready to install, pending updates and ongoing downloads. This distributes the game and application management across multiple tabs, to create an information-rich, yet intuitive experience.

How to use the new Games & Apps section

Around the globe

Independent Language and Location settings

For folk located outside of the United States or the United Kingdom, one of the biggest changes with the latest update the introduction of isolated language and locale options. Previously language and location were coupled together, which restricted language choices for those living in many countries.

With these changes the console's language and location can be changed independently, allowing users to access their country's store and feature set while choosing a language of their choice. This removes the previously controversial barrier between content and preferred languages.

This can also be used to access Cortana on the Xbox One, who is currently restricted to the English language. By changing your native language to English (United States) or English (United Kingdom), Cortana can be accessed from unsupported countries.

How to unlink and set your language, region, and keyboard settings on Xbox One

Need more?

Check out our other articles for more info on the Xbox One Summer Update.

How to find your Facebook friends on Xbox Live for Windows 10 and Xbox One

Lauren Relph — Sun, 31 Jul 2016 02:12:38 +0000

You can now get Xbox Live friend suggestions by linking your Facebook account to Xbox Live. It will then suggest your Facebook friends who have also connected their accounts to the network. Here's how you can join the party.

On your Xbox One, double-tap the Xbox button on your controller to open the Guide menu.
Navigate to your friend list and select Suggestions.
Select Find Facebook friends.
Enter your Facebook credentials.
Add any friends who are on the list.

It's as easy as that!

Alternatively, you can achieve the same functionality on a Windows 10 PC or Windows 10 Mobile device using the built-in Xbox app.

Using the app:

Find the app on your PC by typing "Xbox" into the Start Menu, or by searching through your app list on a Windows 10 Mobile device.
Go to the settings section at the bottom of the hamburger menu, depicted as a cogwheel.
Select Link Facebook account, and then enter your log-in details.

The Xbox One is set to get even more social in the future with the addition of Clubs, Arena and Looking for Group. Additionally, thanks to the Universal Windows Platform, the console could one day receive the Facebook app itself, currently available on Windows 10 PCs and phones. We'll just have to wait and see!

Need more?

Check out our other articles for more info on the Xbox One Summer Update.

How to set your newly independent language and region settings on Xbox One

Lauren Relph — Sun, 31 Jul 2016 00:04:05 +0000

If you have, you may have stumbled across some rather inconvenient barriers. Until now, things like the interface language and the keyboard language were locked by region. This created issues when living abroad while maintaining a Microsoft Account and payment options in your home country, as well as for nations which practice multiple languages. Additionally, some titles simply have poor localization in certain countries, with multi-lingual users preferring to play games in a language separate from their console's store region.

Thankfully, Microsoft has listened to user feedback and opted to grant language independence from the console's store region.

You can follow the steps below to unlink your console's region from its language. You can use this method to activate Cortana if you're in an unsupported region too by selecting the United States or the United Kingdom as your console's language.

Here's how:

Double tap the Xbox logo button on your controller. Or, if you're using a Kinect just say "Xbox, go to settings" and skip to step #3.
Select Settings. It is the gear icon.
Select All Settings.
Select System, then select Language & Location.

Here you have multiple options.

You can:

Change the system language.
Language region.
Location.
Spoken language.
Keyboard language.

After making any changes, restart your Xbox One console for changes to take effect!

Need more?

Check out our other articles for more info on the Xbox One Summer Update.

The Xbox One Summer Update is rolling out today, here's everything you need to know

Jez Corden — Sat, 30 Jul 2016 17:42:50 +0000

The biggest features of the new Xbox One Supper Update include the addition of Microsoft's digital assistant, Cortana, the arrival of Universal Windows Platform apps into the store, background audio support, and a revamped Games & Apps section.

Xbox Support noted that the Summer Update would start rolling out on July 29th, 2016, but it was slightly delayed through to today. You should see the update arrive on your console by 10 AM PDT / 5 PM GMT, but remember that usually these updates arrive in waves, so don't worry if your console hasn't received it on the listed time. To check whether your console is ready, follow the steps below.

Double tap the Xbox logo button on your controller. Or, if you're using a Kinect just say "Xbox, go to settings" and skip to step #3.
Select Settings. It is the gear icon.
Select All Settings.
Select System.
Select Console Info & Updates. Then it will inform you if there's an update available.

Here's the full changelog for the Summer Update:

OS version: 10.0.14393.1018 (rs1_xbox_rel_1608.160725-1822)Release date: 7/29/2016Cortana available in the U.S. and UKTalk to Cortana on your Xbox One with your headset or Kinect. To start, just say "Hey Cortana" or launch the Cortana app. If you're not sure what to say, try "Hey Cortana, what can I say?"If you're using Kinect, turn on your console by saying, "Hey Cortana, Xbox on."Background musicMusic apps will now be able to play music in the background. In an app that supports background music, just start some music. You'll be able to switch to other apps and games while the music plays.After starting your music: To play, pause, skip, and adjust music volume from anywhere, double-tap the Xbox button to open the guide, choose Multitasking, then select your music controls.The app must support background music. An updated Pandora app in the U.S. is the first app to support background music—and more are coming soon.My games & appsYour stuff is closer. From Home, move right and select My games & apps. In My games & apps, there are new sorting options. "Ready to Install" has its own area, so you can quickly find the games and apps you've purchased but haven't installed. Game and app updates will show up in their own area, when available. The queue area now tells you what's been recently installed in addition to what's in your queue.Language & location settingsYou can now choose your location separately from your system language. To change your language and location, double-tap the Xbox button to open the guide, select Settings > All settings, then choose System > Language & location.All languages aren't available for all locations. When you choose a language that isn't usually associated with your location, most of the system will be in your chosen language, but you may see a mix of languages in areas like Store or online content.Top PC games on Xbox LiveTop PC games now have game hubs on Xbox Live. Whether you're on PC, Xbox, or mobile, you'll see what PC games your friends are playing, share PC game clips and screenshots, and message friends on Xbox Live. On Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs, you can join a party chat with your friends no matter what they're doing.New StoreXbox Store and the Windows Store have come together, making the shopping experience more streamlined. From Home, move right to Store to start browsing all content.Preorders now get charged closer to game launch instead of at time of purchase. You can also cancel and change your payment option for preorders anytime at account.microsoft.com.Customers in the U.S., Switzerland, Norway, Italy, Germany, and Finland can now use mobile operator billing to make purchases. Customers in China can now use China Union Pay.Find Facebook friendsFind friends from Facebook by linking your Facebook and Xbox Live accounts. In the guide, go to the Friends tab, then choose Friends > Suggestions. Select Find Facebook friends and follow the steps. Your Facebook friends that have done the same will start showing up in your suggestions.Control automatic sharingYou can now choose to automatically share your achievements, screenshots, and game clips to your activity feed. To change your sharing settings, go to Settings > Preferences > Activity feed.

While many will remember this update as the build that gave us background audio, it's actually a major milestone for Microsoft's Windows 10 vision. Developers will finally be able to target their UWP apps across Windows 10 PC, tablets, mobile, HoloLens, and Xbox One, finding an audience in living rooms traditionally available only to major companies working directly with Microsoft.

On both Xbox One and Windows 10, fans have helped shaped these updates with feedback through the Windows 10 Insider Program and on Xbox One's UserVoice page, making the platform a truly collaborative effort between Microsoft and its customers.

Future Xbox One updates will bring improvements to the console's support for eSports, new features for connecting to other players in the form of Looking For Group and Clubs, and, as usual, more refinements to the console's new and existing features. Find out more about what's in store for the next big update at the link below.

What's your favorite feature of the Xbox One's Summer Update? Let us know in the comments!

Need more?

Check out our other articles for more info on the Xbox One Summer Update.

How to use the new Games & Apps section on the Xbox One Anniversary Update

Jez Corden — Sat, 30 Jul 2016 17:42:32 +0000

The Windows 10 Anniversary Update is hitting Xbox One, PCs and phones on August 2nd, bringing a broad range of changes and new features to each platform. For Xbox, it brings Cortana to the console, background music support, and lays the groundwork for Universal Windows Platform applications.

It also brings a much needed revamp to the way Games & Apps are cataloged on the system. Here's what you need to know.

Where is it?

The location of the Games & Apps section has moved slightly since its previous incarnation. In the previous builds, the Games & Apps section was located at the bottom of the home screen next to your pins. Microsoft has listened to feedback regarding its positioning, and the company has moved it up to the top right of the main dashboard, making your content the primary attraction.

This new segment of the home screen also displays handy information, such as recent downloads, updates, and it will also show countdown timers for the upcoming Arena feature, set to launch later in the year.

What's changed?

In the previous Games & Apps section, games were listed in two horizontal rows. As the Xbox catalogue has grown, coupled with the addition of backwards compatibility, this horizontal list view became increasingly unwieldy. If you had a lot of games installed, scrolling to the right side was needlessly cumbersome, and the 'Ready to Install' list added extra content to scroll through as well, combined with the main list.

Microsoft has finally added multiple ways to sort and catalog your purchased content, doing away with the annoying layout of the previous app.

Games are now sorted in a vertical list, and you can change the size of the thumbnails to get more columns. This way you see more content in a single space.
You can sort your content using various types of filters, such as alphabetically, storage device, or by date.
Games, apps, ready to install content, updates and the download queue now have their own tabs, with the familiar storage meter at the bottom of the sidebar.
Downloads now display the percentage in addition to the actual speed of the download, making life easier.

How to manage your games and apps

Here's a quick overview of how to manage your games and apps using the Windows 10 Anniversary Update version of the Xbox One, currently available in the Xbox preview program. These features will roll out more broadly on August 2nd, but here's a handy guide to help you prepare.

Games and Apps

The games and the apps tabs function similarly, giving you an overview of what content is currently installed and ready to run on your Xbox One.

Select the Games & Apps section from the top right-hand side of the main dashboard.
Initially, you'll be able to see all of your installed games in a horizontal list, beneath different sorting options.

Using the Xbox controller and pressing A, you can select games and apps, sort your collections alphabetically, by letter, by last used, last updated, or by size. You can also change the size of the thumbnails to get more on screen, or filter your collection by a storage device if you're connecting multiple drives.
Selecting a game or app with A will launch it as expected.
Selecting a game or app with the menu button on your controller will open the context menu, giving you additional controls. From here, you can pin them to your home screen, check out a title's game hub, manage the app or game, or uninstall them entirely.

You can also dive straight into the game or app management page by selecting a title with the view button on your controller, instead of the menu button.
The game management pages allow you to view easily all of a title's installed DLC, and ready to install DLC. Sometimes when you use freebies such as pre-order promotional codes, they won't always automatically download to the console. You'll always be able to find them on this screen.
From this screen, you can move and copy content to different storage devices, or uninstall them entirely.
You can also view the save data for each title, and remove that if you wish to start over fresh.

Press B to cycle backward through these screens.

Ready to install

The "Ready to Install" tab works similarly to the games and the apps tabs, and it's from here where you'll be able to reinstall titles you own, but have either previously uninstalled or haven't yet installed.

Selecting this tab might take a little while to load depending on how much content you have, as it pulls your licenses from the internet.
When the list has fully populated, you can filter them in similar ways to games and apps, with the addition of hiding either games or apps from view.
Selecting a tile with A generates an installation prompt, allowing you to download the game or app to your storage devices.
If you choose a title with the menu button, you can pin it, view it in the store, see its game hub, manage it, install it, or hide it completely from your ready to install list.
If you hide it from the list, you won't lose the license. You'll simply have to go and find it again in the store instead if you want to reinstall.
You can also toggle hidden games and apps by pressing the Left Bumper, Right Bumper and X simultaneously.

Updates

If your console is in instant-on mode, updates will download automatically while your console is on standby.
If you're currently using your Xbox One, it appears that potential updates get queued in this tab and wait until you either trigger the download manually by pressing A or for when you put the Xbox in standby mode.
When there's a download running, you can now see the speed and the amount of data being transferred for the first time.
The download percentage even appears on the home screen, under "My games & apps" on the top right.

Queue

Finally, the Queue tab shows the four most recent updates, and which updates, games, and apps are pending download and installation.

A huge leap forward!

The new Games & Apps section on the updated Xbox One dashboard makes for a far more pleasant experience than previous builds. Not only is it faster, but it's also more intuitive and responsive, putting your content at the forefront. It's not the flashiest interface ever made, but it's extremely functional and provides a solid basis for refinement as we head towards Project Scorpio in 2017.

How many games are in your Xbox One library? Let us know in the comments. I'm rocking 165 as of writing!

Need more?

Check out our other articles for more info on the Xbox One Summer Update.

Here is a list of all the Universal Windows 10 apps launching with the Xbox One Summer Update

Matt Brown — Sat, 30 Jul 2016 17:16:12 +0000

With the arrival of the Xbox One's Summer Update, a range of new features has been introduced to further merge the console into the Windows ecosystem. Among the additions is a new universal storefront, which unifies the existing Xbox Store with its Windows counterpart.

As a part of the update, support has been added for Universal Windows applications on the Xbox One. At this point in time, the rollout has been slow but steady, with only a few apps currently on the console. We've compiled a list of all the Universal Windows apps available on the Xbox One today.

With the new Xbox Store, it's not currently possible to link to apps for the console. As a workaround, applications installed on your Windows 10 devices will appear in the 'Ready to Install' section on your Xbox One console. Alternatively, applications can be searched for on the console via the Xbox Store.

Apps Available Worldwide

Baconit

Type: Social // Price: Free

The highest rated reddit client for Windows Phone has been rewritten from the ground up and is now available for all Windows 10 devices. Now with a dynamic new UI, faster speeds, and features you have been asking for. Welcome to the new Baconit. We know you're going to love it.

Download Baconit from the Windows Store

Netflix

Type: Video // Price: Free

Netflix is the world's leading subscription service for watching TV episodes and movies. Get the free app as a part of your Netflix membership and you can instantly watch thousands of TV episodes & films.

Download Netflix from the Windows Store

Cast

Type: Music // Price: Free

Cast is your definitive tool for managing your audio podcasts on your desktop, tablet or mobile. Your library is synchronized over your devices. You can organize your collection and use it everywhere you are!

Download Cast from the Windows Store

MSN Weather

Type: Productivity // Price: Free

MSN Weather: The best way to plan your day. Get the latest weather conditions, whether you're hitting the slopes or the beach, or checking the forecast for your commute. See accurate 10-day and hourly forecasts for whatever you do.

Download MSN Weather from the Windows Store

Dailymotion

Type: Video // Price: Free

Dailymotion is the best way to find, watch, and share the internet's most popular videos. Use staff picks and personalized suggestions to discover world class content and creators. Then share your favorites and follow the channels you love to make sure you never miss a moment. You can also share your own videos with the world by uploading directly in app.

Download Dailymotion from the Windows Store

Xbox Avatars

Type: Games // Price: Free

Use the Xbox Avatars app to change your avatar, start fresh with a brand new one, or take pictures of your avatar to share with your friends.

Download Xbox Avatars from the Windows Store

Movies & TV

Type: Video // Price: Free

All your movies and TV shows, all in one place, on all your devices. The Movies & TV app brings you the latest entertainment in one simple, fast, and elegant app on Windows. Play and manage videos from your personal collection. Plus, browse and play movies & TV shows you've purchased from the Movies & TV Store.

Download Movies & TV from the Windows Store

Xbox Accessories

Type: Utilities // Price: Free

The Xbox Elite Wireless Controller and the Xbox Accessories app gives you nearly unlimited ways to play. Create and edit configuration profiles for any number of gaming scenarios—one for the way you play Halo, another for fighting in Killer Instinct, and still another for how you drive in Forza.

Download Xbox Accessories from the Windows Store

Windows Camera

Type: Utilities // Price: Free

The redesigned Camera app is faster and simpler than ever. Just point and shoot to take great pictures automatically. The same great camera experience is available across Windows 10 PCs, tablets, and phones.

Download Windows Camera from the Windows Store

Groove (Coming Soon)

Type: Music // Price: Free

Enjoy all your music on all your favorite devices with Groove. Just add your music—even iTunes—to OneDrive, and you're all set to play, sync, and organize it—even offline—with the free Groove app. Make playlist that suits your mood, or find live and artist-based radio of any flavor with our free, built-in iHeartRadio feature.

Download Movies & TV from the Windows Store

Region-Locked Apps

The following applications have made their way to the Xbox One, but are only available in the United States or Canada. So far, this is due to the region where the related services are available.

Pandora (Coming Soon)

Type: Music // Price: Free

Explore a universe of music with Pandora on Windows platform. This app brings you the Pandora you love and gives it a unique Windows twist, allowing you to pin your favorite stations to the Start screen, or see what's playing by glancing at your Pandora Live Tile. Take your favorite personalized radio service to a whole new level!

Download Pandora from the Windows Store

Hulu

Type: Video // Price: Free

Experience unlimited instant streaming of current hit TV shows, exclusive original series, all-time favorites, hit movies, and more. Plus, you can choose between our Limited Commercials and No Commercials plans. With your subscription, you'll have access to Hulu's full library of content – wherever, whenever – on your favorite devices including TVs, game consoles, tablets, phones, and PCs.

Download Hulu from the Windows Store

Need more?

Check out our other articles for more info on the Xbox One Summer Update.

Xbox Discussion Forums

How to play background music and audio on Xbox One

Jez Corden — Sat, 30 Jul 2016 17:00:41 +0000

Background audio is now available on the Xbox One thanks to the Summer Update, here's how it works!

First, you need an app that supports background audio. At present, only Universal apps such as Cast and the Xbox One Preview version of Microsoft Groove. In the future, more apps will be joining the background audio party, such as the Windows 10 YouTube app myTube.

How to play audio in the background on your Xbox One

First, download an app that supports background audio. Search for Groove Music (only on the Xbox One Preview) or the podcasting app 'Cast' in the store. More background audio apps are on the way, including Pandora, and more. We'll update this article with all the background music apps once they go live!
Using Cast as an example, open the app and find a podcast to listen to using its search tools. Use your cursor and select play.

When the audio is playing, you can then begin multi-tasking, moving into games and other apps.
To access the background audio controls, double-tap the Xbox button on your controller. This will snap the guide. If you have background audio running, it will automatically select the Multitasking tab.
From this menu, you can select track skipping, background audio volume mixer, and select the full-screen button to jump back into the app delivering background sound.

The Xbox One Summer Update also brings Cortana, various other Universal Windows Platform applications and much more to the console. For more information on this summer's update, see the links below!

See Microsoft Groove UWP in action on Xbox One

What's the first thing you'll play on the Xbox One's background audio? Let us know in the comments!

Need more?

Check out our other articles for more info on the Xbox One Summer Update.

Hands on with Baconit for Xbox One, one of Windows 10's best Reddit apps

jez@windowscentral.com (Jez Corden) — Sat, 30 Jul 2016 15:23:50 +0000

Thanks to the Universal Windows Platform, many of the biggest and best apps on Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile can now make their way across to Xbox One. Baconit is one of the most popular apps on Windows for phones, having supported the platform from as long ago as Windows Phone 7.

Baconit made its way to UWP around a year ago, having been completely re-written for Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile. With the Xbox One's Summer Update, Baconit is now available to Xbox One owners in the preview program.

Baconit works pretty much as you would expect. It's a direct port of its PC interface, utilizing mouse-like Xbox One controller functions. If you have used Microsoft Edge on Xbox One before you will already be familiar with the controls. The left stick moves the cursor, the right stick lets you scroll, and the triggers allow you to zoom. The 'A' button acts as a left click, the menu button works as a right click, and the 'B' button cycles backward through the app, similarly to the back key on Windows Phone.

You can use the on-screen keyboard to reply to comments, and you'll receive notifications on-screen and via the Xbox One's notification list. As a direct port, Baconit retains some of its non-functional menu items like copying links to the clipboard and saving images — neither of which are possible on Xbox, at least for now.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Baconit is the fact that it all just works with minimal code changes. Gifs, YouTube videos, image galleries and even websites inside the in-app browser all function properly. The app's developer, Quinn Damerell, praised the minimum amount of work required to get Baconit functional on Xbox One.

"I must say I'm really impressed with the Universal App technology - I only had to make 3 code changes and 2 or 3 manifest changes to make this happen. 99% of the code is Baconit is common to all 5 platforms it runs on, phone, tablet, desktop, HoloLens, and now Xbox. Most other cross-platform tools for developers allow devs to share some code, but no other toolkit allow developers to write cross plat UI that dynamically fills the device and feels like native. THE UNIVERSAL APP DREAM IS HAPPENING!!!"

The Universal app dream really is here. With the Xbox One Summer Update, developers are finally able to send their Universal apps across the entire Windows 10 device family — from Xbox One, to Windows 10, and even HoloLens. There's no telling what new functionality the Xbox One will gain in the coming months as developers begin leveraging UWP and Cortana to power their app experiences. There are certainly exciting times ahead.

If you haven't already, make sure you check out Baconit on Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile using the link below. If you're in the Xbox One Preview, you should be able to find Baconit in the app store with a simple search. If you've downloaded it on other platforms previously, it will appear in your 'Ready to Install' list in your Games & Apps section.

Download Baconit from the Windows Store

The Xbox app for Windows 10 has been updated with new features

Jez Corden — Sat, 30 Jul 2016 02:20:52 +0000

As part of the Xbox One Summer Update, the Xbox app for Windows 10 can now upload edited GameDVR clips, share directly to Twitter, link your friends to the Windows 10 People app and much more.

As listed by the Xbox One app's changelog, here are all the latest features:

Edit and share GameDVR clips with any editor
Share to Twitter from Xbox app
Top PC game support, including online presence and game hubs
Customize your profile - enhanced!
Better suggestion engine for friends
See your Xbox friends in the People app on Windows
Performance and bug fixes

Additionally, this update disables achievement and GameDVR clip sharing by default, as detailed by the message you'll see in your feed depicted above. The app was also recently updated for Windows 10 Mobile, bringing about similar levels of polish in addition to some of the newest features that are relevant for mobile.

The Xbox app now features game hubs for dozens of major PC games, including Overwatch, Counter Strike Global Offensive, and League of Legends. By pressing the Windows key and 'G', you can save, edit, and share clips with friends on Xbox Live, even if you game solely on PC.

This latest update prepares the app for the Xbox One Summer Update, which should land any day now. Stay tuned to Windows Central for the latest Xbox One news.

Hit the link below to update the Xbox app on Windows 10, and let us know what you think in the comments!

Download Xbox from the Windows Store

Xbox Support's official YouTube channel now features piles of Xbox One S help videos

Jez Corden — Fri, 29 Jul 2016 21:55:36 +0000

Xbox Support has been posting dozens of guide videos on its official YouTube channel ahead of the Xbox One S and Xbox One Summer Update's launch.

If you're planning on picking up an Xbox One S, or want some video guides on how to access some of the Summer Update's latest features, you ought to hit that subscribe button.

The Xbox One S features 4K video playback, HDR support, and a few other features not available on the current Xbox One. The Kinect port has also been removed, requiring that users pick up a USB 3.0 adapter instead which you can do over here. Xbox Support has put together a few videos that detail the Xbox One S's new features and functions, as well as videos that explain the upcoming Summer Update.

Some of the videos include:

Use the link below to check out Xbox Support's full YouTube channel. We're also putting together our own Xbox guides and how-to content for the Xbox One S and the Summer Update right over here.

Will you be picking up the Xbox One S? Let us know in the comments!

DailyMotion receives a much needed update on the Xbox One Preview

Jez Corden — Fri, 29 Jul 2016 02:01:59 +0000

DailyMotion is among the first Universal Windows Platform apps to hit the Xbox One. Unfortunately, the video hosting site's app isn't the most polished we have ever seen, as Richard Devine attested in his recent overview.

Thankfully, the app has already received an update, which brings some much-needed improvements.

Here's everything that today's update contains, courtesy of the Xbox One Preview Forums:

Today the Dailymotion universal app received a new update which resolves a number of issues.

If you haven't yet tried out Dailymotion, you'll find it in the Store :) .

Fixes

Navigation fixes for the Home page, User page, and My user page.
You can now disable the mini player by going to the Settings page.
Resolved some user interface issues with the mini player.
Resolved user interface issues on the Home page, User page, and Search.

Unlike many first wave UWP apps to hit the Xbox One, DailyMotion has adapted its interface for the console, adding bespoke commands for the controller buttons in place of a joystick-bound cursor. Despite today's welcome update, there is still a ton of work that could be done to improve the app, which suffers from unintuitive navigation and unresponsive media controls.

Other Universal apps that recently hit the Xbox One Preview include Microsoft's Windows Camera app, and the popular Reddit app Baconit. Thanks to UWP, the Xbox One is set to receive tons of new apps and features in the coming months, as developers can target their Windows apps at the living room for the first time. Stay tuned for more.

Baconit arrives on Xbox One Preview, bringing dank Reddit memes to your console

Jez Corden — Fri, 29 Jul 2016 01:26:45 +0000

If you're a long-time Windows Central reader, you're no doubt acquainted with Baconit, which remains one of the best ways to browse Reddit on Windows 10 PCs and Mobile. The app has now appeared on the Xbox One Preview, just in time for the Summer Update.

Baconit on Xbox One hasn't been adapted for the console in any way. It is instead a direct copy of the PC version. Apps that arrive on Xbox One in this manner utilize a joystick-bound cursor, using the controller for scrolling and the 'B' button in place of the back button on phones, and in the title bar of UWP apps on PC. If you have used Microsoft Edge on Xbox One before, it handles very similarly.

Here's a gallery of Baconit in action on Xbox One:

Baconit functions mostly as expected. You're able to browse in the same way you would on its Windows 10 PC version, using the controller's left joystick in place of a mouse, and the on-screen keyboard in place of a physical keyboard. You can cycle through subreddit posts by dragging the right joystick to the left on the title of a post, similarly to how you can swipe through posts on a phone's touch-screen or using a laptop trackpad. You can use the right and left triggers to zoom as well, similar to the functionality found on Microsoft Edge, with the Xbox One controller's menu button functioning as a long press or right click.

When it comes to content, websites work as expected, as do gifs and images. YouTube videos work too, complete with full-screen HD playback and media controls, and it will even boot up external links in Microsoft Edge. Baconit also supports notifications, allowing you to reply instantly to comments and messages you receive on the network via the Xbox One's notification list, situated in the guide menu.

Baconit feels a little unstable as of writing, occasionally locking up followed by the odd crash, but it's early days yet, and there are probably optimizations that can be made. As Baconit is a direct port of the PC version, it comes complete with redundant features like "Save Image," which is functionality currently unavailable to UWP apps on Xbox One.

UWP is opening up a world of opportunities for developers, who can finally target living room TV screens with their Windows apps. For users, the Universal Windows Platform means the Xbox One will have more apps and functionality than any console in history, as Microsoft's grand Windows 10 ecosystem convergence finally becomes complete.

You can grab Baconit on the Xbox One Preview by searching the store. Alternatively, check out the link below to try Baconit on Windows 10 or Windows 10 Mobile.

Download Baconit from the Windows Store

Windows Camera appears on Xbox One, and it supports Kinect!

jez@windowscentral.com (Jez Corden) — Fri, 29 Jul 2016 00:32:06 +0000

Windows Camera is typically designed to work with tablets and phones, but it appears to function just as well on the Xbox One Preview.

Appearing first on Reddit (via ICXM), we've been able to verify that it works utilizing Kinect — you just can't save images and videos as of yet. Windows Camera uses a joystick-controlled cursor at present and retains the same functionality as the app on other Windows 10 devices.

Here's a gallery of how Windows Camera functions with Kinect on Xbox One, just to give you an idea:

Currently, there's no way to save photos and videos recorded with the Windows Camera, doing so just gives you an error. This functionality could arrive with Microsoft Photos, which is presently unavailable in the Xbox One Preview store. Presumably, if Windows Camera is coming to Xbox One, it seems likely that the UWP apps for OneDrive and Microsoft Photos will arrive as methods for storing photographs taken with the Windows Camera. There's also the chance that Windows Camera appearing in the store is either a mistake or simply a test to see how well UWP functions line-up across Xbox One and other Windows 10 devices.

If this is intended, you have to begin to wonder how much additional functionality the Xbox One will receive as a result of the Universal Windows Platform. With mouse support, Microsoft Edge, Skype, Cortana, and the UWP Office apps, the Xbox One could get closer and closer to becoming a casual PC albeit with a heavy gaming slant.

The Xbox One Summer Update is set to launch in the very near future, bringing Cortana, background audio, Universal Windows Platform apps, a revamped Games & Apps section and many more new features to the console.

As more and more Universal Windows Platform apps show up on the console, the old joke of spreadsheets on your Xbox is looking less and less like a fantasy.

You can pick up Windows Camera by searching for it in the store on the Xbox One Preview, but some users on Reddit have mentioned that they can't find it. So it may have already been pulled. Stay tuned to Windows Central for further updates.

Cortana commands receive some final improvements for the Xbox One Summer Update

Jez Corden — Thu, 28 Jul 2016 21:45:31 +0000

The success of her implementation has been a bit mixed so far. Unlike the legacy voice commands, Cortana processes information via the internet, meaning that she's been a little less responsive than what many of us are used to. Her margin of error is also much larger, as she falls back to a Bing search when she misunderstands a command, which can be frustrating.

Thankfully, Brad Rosetti just announced that Cortana has received some final improvements ahead of the Xbox One Summer Update's public launch, which should improve her functionality when navigating apps and games on the console.

Rosetti posted the following comments on the Xbox One's official preview forums a few moments ago:

"Cortana just finished her final lesson for launching games, apps, and TV channels. Users were reporting issues of "Open Netflix" "Launch YouTube" "Play Halo 5" "Watch NBC" and the like resulting in web search or marketplace search results instead of opening the correct app/game/channel. After this final lesson she is much better at launching the app/game/channel you ask for. Please give it a spin!"

Considering I'm currently writing a review of the Xbox One Summer Update, I'm hopeful that these latest changes solve the problems I have personally been experiencing with Cortana. Either that or she just hates my accent.

When Cortana is fully implemented on the Xbox One, she will (optionally) replace the old voice commands triggered by saying "Xbox." She will be able to tell you whether friends are online, invite them to parties, and perform all the usual tasks you might be used to on Windows 10 Mobile and PC with natural language. Beyond Xbox One functionality, developers will also be able to leverage her vocal recognition engine, allowing you to perform actions in other apps using your voice.

Still, you will be able to turn her off if you prefer the old-school commands, so bookmark the guide linked below. The Xbox One Summer Update should land very soon to coincide with the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, so stay tuned.

How to turn off Cortana on Xbox One

If you're currently on the Xbox One Preview, give Cortana a try and let us know what you think in the comments below!

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Social Butterfly

Achievements

Followers & Following

Captures

Trending

Xbox game management

Adding a game

Game hubs

Streaming

Recording game-clips

Recording non-gaming content

Buying Xbox games

Connection

Connecting your Xbox to the app

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Controls

Controller

Remote

Volume

Settings

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GameDVR

Xbox One

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Windows Maps appears on the Xbox One app store, but you can't access it yet

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Apps

Future Possibilities

Cortana

Final Thoughts

Pros:

Cons:

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