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Xbox One update lets you link your Discord account
Microsoft is treating Xbox One owners to another firmware update today. The headline addition is Discord integration, allowing players to link their Xbox Live and third-party chat accounts. The process is a little convoluted — you have to start in the Discord app (on PC or a mobile device), link your Xbox account, then hop back to the Xbox One and dive into account settings. Here, you'll find a unique code that you need to punch into the Discord app. Once you've done all that, though, your Discord friends will be able to see what you're playing on Xbox Live, which is pretty neat.
Sony wants your help testing PlayStation 4's next update
In a rare instance of following Microsoft's lead this generation, Sony is opening up a beta program for its game console firmware updates. If you want to help test the next patch all you need to do is fill out an application, own a PlayStation 4 and wait. A post on the PlayStation Blog notes that the beta starts early next month and further details about what it includes will hit by then. Here's to hoping that unlike the Xbox Dashboard Preview Program this won't require near-constant updates every time you turn your console on. Now, if only Sony would take another cue from Redmond and actually lock down some exclusive games...
Microsoft opts for Jinni engine to enhance Xbox Video recommendations
With more and more video content being consumed every day on things like the Apple TV, PS3 and Xbox 360, having an exceptional recommendations system is becoming an essential part of the viewing experience. Microsoft knows how important this is, and today it announced it's reached a multi-year deal with Tel-Aviv-based firm Jinni to enhance entertainment discovery on the Xbox platform. The newly minted agreement will see Jinni's own engine, dubbed Entertainment Genome, vastly improve Xbox recommendations by utilizing its "deep knowledge of every show and movie in the Xbox Video catalog." It's worth noting Jinni has plenty of experience in the insight field, having previously been pegged by Time Warner and Vudu to power their intelligent search efforts. For its part, Xbox General Manager, Dave Alles, says there's excitement to combine Jinni's taste-and-mood engine with Microsoft's Conversational Understanding, which he hopes can make "finding something to watch on Xbox as fun as watching it."
Microsoft shows off Xbox One dashboard, Trending tab for popular TV content
So, we've just seen our first glimpse of the Xbox One, and after watching the console boot by voice command, we've had a peek at the new dashboard, too. It's not a massive departure from the current one, but as you can see, the theme is a little plainer and cleaner than the Xbox 360 dash, while keeping the tile-like appearance also common to the Windows UI. The Home screen can now be personalized, and while you'll recognize most of the tabs running along the top, "Trending" is fresh -- this tab shows what TV's popular amongst your friends, as well as what's hot within the entire Xbox Live community. Also, "My Pins" now gets its own dedicated tab, rather than being a tile on the Home screen. How you use and navigate the dash is where the real innovations lie, like the next-gen Kinect voice control and Snap Mode multitasking.
Microsoft 'retiring' Facebook and Twitter Xbox 360 Dashboard apps
Eagle-eyed gamers may have already noticed that the Xbox 360's dedicated Twitter and Facebook apps have gone missing after the latest Dashboard update, and now Redmond has confirmed it's put the applications out to pasture. According to a Microsoft representative that spoke to IGN, the firm is "retiring the Facebook and Twitter apps" as it works to streamline functionality. When asked if the pair of apps will ever make a comeback, Ballmer and Co. didn't comment. Still crave to update your friends on your latest gaming exploits through the console? Spreading the news on the digital grapevine is still possible, but you'll have to access the social networks through the freshly added Internet Explorer app -- an experience we hope Xbox SmartGlass will improve.
Xbox 360 Dashboard update hands-on (fall 2012)
Is it Fall again already? Must be time for another Xbox 360 Dashboard update. Every year Microsoft Drops the console a little bit of code to match the descending leaves, delivering new features, interface tweaks and additional content to hide behind the Xbox Live Gold paywall. Redmond's latest update isn't quite the overhaul it gave the gaming rig last year, but minor changes can have big effects. Join us after the break to see the machine's latest update, and what it means for you. %Gallery-168426%
MLB.tv Premium for Xbox 360 now live in 18 more countries, CinemaNow adds rentals in the US
Feels like it was only yesterday that the MLB.tv app was landing on Xbox consoles in North America, and starting today, the application will be available to more baseball lovers around the globe. As Major Nelson notes (again), the Major League Baseball service is now live in Brazil, France, Germany, India, Italy, South Africa, Spain and the UK, among a few other nations. Naturally, if you're hoping to catch any ball games via MLB's Premium goods, you'll have to shell out a subscription fee along with having a fancy Xbox Live Gold account. In other 360 news, CinemaNow has made the switch from being a locker-only application to now offering TV show and movie rentals to folks in the US. You can check out what other countries made the MLB.tv cut at the Major Nelson site, link is down below.
Xbox 360 Fall Dashboard update video leaks, tours Metro in silence
Last month, we sat down with Microsoft for a quick look at the Xbox's upcoming Dashboard update -- it was sleek, searchable, and extremely camera shy. A quick trip to Europe seems to have cured it of its bashful ways, however, and the budding update can now be seen in a slightly blurry piece of French cinema. This leaked video shows a Dashboard with a smidge more polish than the demo we saw in September, and silently plods on without so much as a bleep or bloop. Our mute host briefly peeks at the Xbox Live Marketplace, casually glances at the Bing search page and scrolls leisurely through the new Dash's very Metro menu. The whole shebang is en français, of course, and the update's snappy voice-control gimmick is sadly absent. Sure, there's not a lot of depth here, but if you want a glimpse of what's coming when the update drops later this Fall, it's definitely worth a look. [Thanks, John]
Xbox Live Fall 2011 Dashboard update preview: Bing search, voice control, and a Metro overhaul
Autumn is fast approaching -- and you know what that means: it's round about time for an Xbox Dashboard update. Sure, we got a peek of Microsoft's upcoming harvest back at E3, but the good folks from Redmond invited us to take a closer look at what they're calling the "most significant update to the Dashboard since NXE." Senior project Manager Terry Ferrell was on-site to walk us through an early engineering beta and show us how an updated Metro UI, Bing search and deeper Kinect integration is going to change the way folks manage their entertainment content.
Xbox Live Fall 2010 Dashboard Update preview: ESPN, Netflix search, Kinect, and more! (Update)
Shortly before Kinect hits store shelves on November 4th, Microsoft plans on rolling out the Fall Update to Xbox Live -- even sooner for those who signed up for the preview program. That shouldn't come as much of a surprise, really: even without the numerous leaks, the fall update is a longstanding tradition for the almost five-year-old console, and the company devoted a large chunk of its E3 2010 presentation to talk about the biggest additions. That includes Netflix search (finally!), Zune music, and an entertainment hub for a certain worldwide sports broadcaster... ESPN. We've had a chance to spend some time at home with the Fall Update, follow us after the break for our full impressions! Update: As both Joystiq and a number of tipsters have alerted us, Microsoft has pulled the large, wooden lever in its dark underground lair that allows for the Fall Update to trickle out and assimilate itself into the consoles of those smart enough to sign up for the preview program. If you receive a prompt upon signing in, rejoice! If not, well, have patience! P.S. - Looking for more? Our BFFs at Joystiq have compiled a series of exhaustive videos chronicling the Fall Update. Check it out! %Gallery-103613%
Leaked Xbox 360 dashboard gets demonstrated on video
(function() { var s = document.createElement('SCRIPT'), s1 = document.getElementsByTagName('SCRIPT')[0]; s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.async = true; s.src = 'http://widgets.digg.com/buttons.js'; s1.parentNode.insertBefore(s, s1); })(); Digg We've already gotten a brief look at the new Xbox 360 Dashboard that's leaked out courtesy of the Kinect beta program, but now that it's well and truly leaked across the internet, we're getting a much better picture of what's in store for the rest of us later this fall. As you can see above and in the pair of videos after the break, the new Dashboard is decidedly squarer than the current one, and contains few elements that haven't gone untouched. You can also now even try out the new Dashboard yourself relatively easily, though you may run into a bit of trouble if you actually want to do thing like play games online.
