If you turn on your Xbox One today hoping for an update, you will be sadly disappointed. Yes, the February update has been delayed. On the bright side, the delay is only a few days. Microsoft expects it to be ready for primetime during next week.
As promised, an even larger update for the Xbox One will arrive on March 4th. It includes several highly requested changes focused on the interactive side of Xbox Live, which include the following:
- Get to your friends list faster. The friends list will be front and center on the homepage of the Friends app. 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.
- Party chat will be turned on by default. When you party up, chat audio will be turned on by default.
- Chat with friends playing different games. Party chat will be separated from people playing your game, so you can chat with your friends who are online or you can chat with everyone playing the game.
- We’re adding an “Invite friends to game” option to your multiplayer titles moving forward. Similar to Xbox 360 titles, this will appear inside a games’ menu and offer a simple and quicker way to set up your multiplayer battles. Selecting “Invite friends” will let you invite friends to your game and party.
- We’re adding “Recent Players.” This is a simple list that shows you Xbox Live members you’ve recently played with, making it easier to stay in touch with people, or add new friends after your multiplayer battles.
Each of these changes are in direct response to user feedback. They’re also things that the Xbox 360 has supported for years now. Nonetheless, chatting with friends and interacting with players you meet in online communities on Xbox One will be made a lot easier come March 4th.
