Some Insiders are receiving the ‘First Wave’ of redesigns and new features coming to Xbox

2 min. read

Published on January 23, 2017

published on January 23, 2017

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The first wave of Xbox Insider Program members are seeing the next changes for the Windows 10 Creators Update. For a long time, players have been requesting major improvements to the Xbox Hub. Now they’ll not only see a redesign and boost in performance but the select few will notice a list of additional features available moving forward.

According to the announcement, the Creators Update will have “hundreds of improvements” to Xbox One and Windows 10 gaming. Here are the highlights of this Xbox Insider release:

Updated Home – The redesigned Home hub has a new UI that is simplified and optimized for speed. This is mainly to highlight many of the other new features such as support for Clubs, LFG, and deeper Game Hub interactions.
Better performing Guide w/ Start Page – While playing games, players will notice that a Start Page has been added to the Guide to select top Pins, control your background media, and more.
Multitasking Features on the Guide – Quick access to screenshots, media controls, achievement tracker, and a GameDVR to record clips from your video game.
Cortana Updates for Gaming – Players will be able to use Cortana to set alarms for gaming sessions via Xbox One.
Improved System Updates – Video game and app updates will be available no matter what power mode as well as a clearer display of when there is a console update and the process.
Better Xbox One Accessibility – The Copilot feature is just one example of how Xbox One is becoming more accessible, letting a player use two controllers to act as one. Furthermore, basic tools such as Magnifier and Narrator were improved for gaming experiences.
Spatial Audio Output for Developers – Dolby Atmos for Home Theater, Dolby Atmos for Headphones, and Windows HRTF are now supported for app and game developers.
Blu-ray Bitstream Passthrough – All bitstream formats are now supported through the Blu-ray disc player so that you can experience the audio natively.

But why just tell you about these changes? Major Nelson a.k.a. Larry Hryb and Xbox Engineer Scott Henson have released a video to walk the unlucky majority through the new features.

Eventually, Xbox fans will see even more to come with features such as Beam, Windows Game Mode, and the Arena. These are almost guaranteed to make an appearance before the Windows 10 Creators Update starts its expected April production release.

Radu Tyrsina

Radu Tyrsina has been a Windows fan ever since he got his first PC, a Pentium III (a monster at that time). For most of the kids of his age, the Internet was an amazing way to play and communicate with others, but he was deeply impressed by the flow of information and how easily you can find anything on the web. Prior to founding Windows Report, this particular curiosity about digital content enabled him to grow a number of sites that helped hundreds of millions reach faster the answer they're looking for.