eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.
Xbox One owners have another system update to look forward to in early March. Meanwhile, this week’s update has been pushed back a few days.
The patch was supposed to arrive Feb. 11, but the company has pushed back its release. Xbox Live’s program director, Larry Hryb (@majornelson), alerted his Twitter followers to the slight delay. Hryb tweeted:
“FYI: The February #XboxOne System Update will ship this week, but not today. The team is working on finalizing. More details when I get them”
The update was meant to cure the storage blindness suffered by owners of Microsoft’s newest game console. Instead of detailing how much storage space is available on the device’s built-in 500GB hard drive, the Xbox One issues alerts as its capacity begins to dwindle.
On Feb. 5, Marc Whitten, Xbox’s chief product officer, announced that the Feb. 11 update would remedy the situation and provide visibility (and a level of manageability) into the console’s storage capacity. “With this update, you will find it easy to find how much space your content takes up and better manage your content,” he said in a statement. It would also include support for USB keyboards, add download management tools and bring back the on-screen controller battery indicator.
Whitten also hinted at another update scheduled just before the March 11 launch of “Titanfall,” a high-profile game. In a Feb. 11 blog post, he spilled some of the features the company plans on introducing, which center on managing online friends and streamlining multiplayer match-ups.
“Our March Xbox One system update will start rolling out in early March. We’re excited to get these multiplayer and party improvements out in time for the March 11 launch of ‘Titanfall,’ the highly anticipated team-based online multiplayer game,” wrote Whitten.
First, the company is removing barriers to connecting with other users. “The friends list will be front and center on the homepage of the Friends app,” said Whitten. “Click the Social tile on Home, or say ‘Xbox, go to Friends’ to see who’s online and what they’re up to. From there you can quickly send messages and get into a party,” he explained.
Similarly, Microsoft wants to make it easier for users to invite others to matches with a new “Invite friends to game” option added to the game menu of multiplayer titles. The company is also adding a Recent Players feature to make “it easier to stay in touch with people, or add new friends after your multiplayer battles,” said Whitten.
Xbox One’s voice chat capabilities are being overhauled. Party chat will be enabled by default after the update goes live. It will also allow cross-game chat, allowing players to communicate even if they’re playing other games or using its home entertainment options.