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Xbox One update adds Smartglass features, USB media playback
It's official, the Xbox One September update is poorly named, as it has already been released, days before September even begins. The update adds several new features, most notably the Media Player, which allows users to view and listen to media stored on a USB device. That includes pictures, music and movies. The player supports "dozens" of formats, according to Microsoft's Larry Hryb AKA Major Nelson. More formats will be added by the end of the year (including animated GIFs!), as will DLNA network playback. SmartGlass gains the ability to post updates to your activity feed and read threaded messages. More importantly, SmartGlass can now be used to record gameplay clips. The party system gets some love as well, in particular the ability to require invitations and boot unwanted players. Users with limited internet plans will also be happy to know that the update now allows you to track your bandwidth usage. Perhaps the last noteworthy addition is the ability to have your Xbox One boot directly to TV when turned on. Check out the video after the break for the full rundown of new features. [Image: Microsoft]
Joystiq Weekly: Amplitude is funded, Wolfenstein review, video previews and more
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. Amplitude fans just discovered a new favorite month of the year, as Harmonix's Kickstarter for a Sony-exclusive continuation of the lane-changing rhythm game cleared its goal within the final day of its funding campaign. Regardless of the original Amplitude's quality, the button-tapper's fan base is pretty niche - if games catering to slivers of the broader gaming population can find the funding they need via Kickstarter, it makes us wonder what other dream sequels we could get away with. There are always the down-and-out series begging for continuations like Shenmue 3, but that almost feels too obvious. What if we launched a Kickstarter for a team to continue an established property? We could start a campaign to glue the pieces of Wipeout developer SCE Studio Liverpool back together, then launch another to cover the resurrected studio's costs to make a new F-Zero! What's that you say? F-Zero is owned by Nintendo and is definitely not a property we can just give out to whoever we wish? Well, we can launch another Kickstarter to fund a protective shield until SCE finishes the game, and then Captain Falcon can finally get back on track with his career! On second thought, maybe we shouldn't take swings at the legal beehive. We'll have to think our F-Zero revival strategy over, but until then, we've got the cliff notes from this week's news and content ready for you. Details about the Xbox One's June update, reviews for Transistor and Wolfenstein: The New Order and video previews for Driveclub and Middle-Earth: Shadow of Morder - it's all ready for you after the break!
Xbox One April update rolling out shortly, features detailed
The Xbox One's long-teased April update rolls out in "a few hours," Microsoft spokesoldier Larry 'Major Nelson' Hyrb said tonight. Among other features, the system update adds notifications for when friends come online, improved quality for DVR capture, and tweaks to ensure Kinect better responds to voice and gesture control. You'll find a full breakdown of the update's features just below the break. Other additions include a progress bar for game saves, Blu-ray support for 50Hz content, controller and headset updates to reduce audio static and improve connectivity, and the option to have your system update automatically from the Instant On state when new firmware is available. [Image: Microsoft]
Daily Roundup: the travels of Myspace Tom, a business card that plays Tetris, and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Xbox One multiplayer update rolling out today
The Xbox One will see another update starting this evening, Microsoft says, with several promised enhancements coming to the console's multiplayer suite, audio output and livestreaming capabilities. As we reported earlier, these changes mean to highlight your online friends faster, let you invite them to parties quicker, open party chat by default, and pave the way for a new Twitch app launching on March 11. Microsoft has also highlighted some other Xbox One operating system tweaks that aren't quite as glamorous, but no less overdue: Dolby Digital will be supported through Optical and HDMI connections – good news for setups or headsets that don't play well with uncompressed audio – and the Xbox One will be able to output to televisions (mostly in Europe) at 50Hz. The March update also marks the end of spending an entire episode of Futurama saying, "Xbox, Volume Up" over and over. You can now adjust the number of volume increments per command, according to Microsoft. Sure, you could just reach for the remote, but it's so far and you just sat down. [Image: Microsoft]
