The Xbox One April system update is now available, according to Major Nelson. The Xbox brand evangelist for Microsoft posted that the April system update is rolling out with a batch of new features, however there are a few items that were in the preview program that did not make it for the final version.
On Major Nelson’s blog he gave the break down of everything that is included in the April system update:
- Party Chat Improvements
- Additional Game Hub Links
- Modified Achievement Notifications
- What’s On Feature
The party chat improvements include new icons and notifications within the party interface directed toward troubleshooting. In March, the Inquisitr posted that the April system update would include the dedicated servers and party chat issue notifications based on the test version of the update. However, it seems that the dedicated servers for party chat as well as voice messages will remain in the testing phase as they were not included in this update. The notifications of NAT issues along with microphone and privacy settings that might bar a user from communicating in a party will now be displayed to assist gamers in troubleshooting.
Game hub links have also been added as part of the Xbox One April system update, specifically within your friend’s activity feeds as well as posts related to the game such as achievements, game clips and screenshots. The idea is to make the Game hub more accessible and widely used.
Achievement notifications are a welcome improvement with the April system update as well. The update removes the need to exit the game and launch a separate application to view what the achievement details. The outgoing system merely showed a notification on your screen with the name and gamer score amount of the achievement. Not all achievements are titled with clear names so if a player wants to know what a specific achievement was awarded for, they would be required to leave the game entirely and launch another application to see they completed a level, collection “X” number of collectibles and so on. Now, the notifications will include those details that previously required a trip out of the game preserving the continuity of a game’s experience.
The final addition mentioned in Larry Hyrb’s blog is the “What’s On” area being added for the United States, Canada, and the UK. The What’s On area is a trending showcase for Xbox One users that shows popular videos, games, movies and TV shows, game broadcasts and clips. Users who use the OneGuide will also see trending TV shows.
You can see the complete Xbox One April system update feature walkthrough below.
[Image Source | Major Nelson ]
