Xbox One owners are mere hours away from a major interface update for their consoles that’s been titled the “New Xbox One Experience,” released at 3:01AM ET (12:01AM PT) tonight, November 12.
Not all systems will receive it at once as the update will be released in stages on a global scale. The biggest upcoming feature, reverse Xbox 360 compatibility, will not begin to display compatible titles until 12 hours later.
Here are some things you should expect
- Backward Compatibility
Users will now be able to play both digital and disc Xbox 360 games on their Xbox One. All games will be compatible with the new Xbox one features, like screenshots, broadcasts, and DVR.
You will also be able to access previously saved files, add-ons, Gamerscores, and achievements. Xbox Live Gold members can do multiplayer gaming regardless of console as well.
**This feature will take effect 3:01PM ET (12:01PM PT). This is when titles will be available to play and featured for download. Refresh your Game collection at this time to see pre-purchased digital titles, or wait until this time to install the game via disc.
See the first Xbox 360 titles to be made reverse compatible with Xbox One.
- Windows 10 The integration of Windows 10 will allow gaming to be up to 50% faster than before. Update and get updates on gameplay with friends, and link your Xbox One console with a PC or mobile device running on Windows 10 already.
- New Guide Area for More Gaming Access your guide with one button. From there, view your friends list, settings, notifications, messages and more. Create and accept party invites, and respond directly to messages with voice commands, all while still playing your game.
- New Community Area to Stay Updated Interact with the Xbox Live community with likes, comments, and sharing content. Access friend and developer updates through community activity feeds.
User avatars have returned and are customizable.
- New Look with Optimized Store & OneGuide
Scroll while in “Home” to see your entire games and apps collection. Keep up with what’s trending on live TV with OneGuide’s new browsing picture-in-picture feature and app channels all in one place.
The store now expands into special areas to make it more organized and easier to explore: Games, Movies, TV, Apps, Music. It has a special new vertical gallery view to quickly browse through your options; including staff picks, new releases, coming soon, recommended, and top played among other categories. - Enhanced Game Hubs
With one click, launch the last game you played, peek in at the community, or check out the store. Compare gamerscores, achievements and other stats with friends while checking out the latest games they’ve played on Xbox Live.
Users can also check out news and updates from community members and developers by following both the creators and the games themselves.
- Removed Kinect Gestures
While not mentioned on the Xbox One website, beta testers like those at Engadget have mentioned the removal of Kinect gestures. Kinect will still be available in apps and games with Kinect compatibility, but gestures in menus have been removed.
How to get your hands on it all:
Starting at 3:01AM ET (12:01AM PT) staged updates will roll out to Xbox One users all over the world. There are two ways to get the update:
- Instant-On Power Mode
Turn on this feature via Settings > Power & Startup. Your Xbox One will automatically download the update when your console is in Connected Standby Mode.
Updates will be released by time zone, so this seems to be the best option to get the update as soon as its out so it’s available later Thursday.
- Manual Download Xbox One consoles in Energy-saving mode will NOT automatically update. When you’re ready to download it, or check in on if your time zone has received the update, go to Settings > System > Update Now.
Please note that ALL Xbox One consoles will be required to update to the New Xbox One Experience. Prompts will be given to non-updated systems for a mandatory update period ending November 23.
