Xbox summer dashboard analysis

As a preview member I love getting the latest innovations, and having preview games is always a bonus. But for the most part its to get the dashboard we all deserved and expected back in November 2013 when our beloved Xbox One was launched.

Below you can click on each year to see the updates and their features over the past 3 years.

We have only included full release updates not the current preview updates.

Xbox One Dashboard Update History

[su_spoiler title=”Xbox Dashboard Update history 2016 Total 3″ style=”fancy”]

OS version: 10.0.10586.1194 (th2_xbox_rel_1603.160317-1900) fre

Release date

3/23/2016

New or updated features

Purchase Xbox 360 Backward Compatible games on Xbox One

• Find and purchase Xbox 360 Backward Compatible games the same way you would Xbox One titles. Once purchased, Xbox 360 Backward Compatible content will automatically download to your Xbox One and be ready to play.

Include party chat in Twitch broadcasts

• Broadcast party chat when using the Twitch app. If you are broadcasting from your console and in a party, you can invite other people to include their chat audio in your broadcast by enabling “Broadcast party chat” in the Twitch app settings.
• If a member of your party declines, they’ll still be able to chat in the party; they just won’t be heard in the broadcast.
• As the party leader, you have the option to mute a party member’s chat audio, even if they opted in.
• You can also include party members on Windows 10 PCs in your Twitch broadcast.

Output your party chat to headset and speakers simultaneously

• Select your preference for where party chat audio is heard: your headset, speakers, or both. To do this, go to Settings > Display & Sounds > Volume.

Customizable Game DVR recording length

• Adjust the recording length to 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 45 seconds, 1 minute, 3 minutes, or 5 minutes. To change the preferences, go to Settings > Preferences > Game DVR & streaming.

Track achievement progress in the Xbox OneGuide

• We’re making it easier to access your achievements by including them in the Xbox OneGuide. In the new Achievements area, you’ll find a quick link to see all of your achievements.
• Track your achievement progress in real time directly in the OneGuide, without having to snap a separate Achievements app.

Video playback directly in the Xbox One Activity Feed

• We’ve made improvements to video playback in the Xbox One Activity Feed.
• Play an entire video inline rather than having to leave your feed to launch it.
• You can ‘like’ the video while previewing it by pressing X.
• New pause, restart, and full-screen playback options for when you choose to launch a video from your Activity Feed.

Xbox Elite Wireless Controller improved thumbstick precision with firmware update

• We heard from fans that you wanted to see improvements to the behavior of the thumbsticks on the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller, particularly when you are moving the thumbsticks diagonally. Based on this feedback, we’ve created a new method to calculate the position of the thumbsticks consistently, enabling thumbstick response that is more in line with what you are expecting. This method measures and uses the distance of the thumbstick position relative to the center focus point of the thumbstick base, instead of the standard method, which calculates the measurement using a two-dimensional plane. With the latest firmware update, you can expect increased accuracy of the thumbsticks on your Xbox Elite Wireless Controller for even greater control.

OS version: 10.0.10586.1100 (th2_xbox_rel_1602.160210-2122) fre

Release date

2/19/2016

New or updated features

My Games and Apps improvements

• Hide games from ‘ready-to-install’ list in “My games and apps”. This feature was removed with the NXOE update, but due to high demand, we have brought it back. Users can once again, hide content like betas, trials, games, and apps that users no longer want to install.

Making it easier to redeem a digital code

• Tab over to the Store and access ‘Use a code’ shortcut to the right of ‘Games store’ and ‘Search game store’

See who’s in a Party from within the guide

• Click the ‘Chat’ button appearing immediately below a user’s name/gamertag to see who else s/he is playing with.

Gamerscore Leaderboard

• Click ‘My Achievements’ through the sign-in tab of the guide to quickly access or select Achievements from within your profile. The leaderboard will be prominently displayed on the top of the Achievements page.
• Comparison includes total gamerscore and biggest gains over a rolling 30-day period

Pins improvements

• Ability to rearrange individual Pins. Highlight a pin and press the “Y” button. You can then reposition the pin to a new location. Press “Y” again to release the pin in its new location.
• Pins accessible for launching when user is offline

Activity Feed improvements

• Your activity feed in Xbox One Preview will inform you when there are new items in your feed. Clicking the link will take you to the top of your feed where you’ll see a run-down of the newest posts, so that you always have the freshest content at your fingertips.
• Trending topics and friend suggestions will now display in the activity feed

Improvements to Trending

• New access point for Trending items to the right of the Community tab
• Links users to dedicated Trending landing page

Suggested Friends Improvements

• Friend Suggestions areas accessible in Community and the Friends list in the guide
•  Includes link to full-screen view of all suggested friends

Joinable Twitch Broadcasts

• If friends are broadcasting, easily launch Twitch.tv broadcasts from Game Hubs as well as the game tile

Xbox Accessories App 

• Several new updates to the Xbox Accessories app to make adjusting your Xbox Elite Wireless Controller easier
  • It is now easier to view and Improve your profile and configurations
  • Streamlined display of menu and editing options.

Xbox One Chatpad: Program the hotkeys

• Program X1 and X2 functions buttons of your Xbox One Chatpad in the Devices & accessories area of Settings. Options for these buttons will include.
  • Open guide
  • Take screenshot
  • Record that
  • Send message
  • Search
  • Launch app
  • Snap app
  • Play or pause media
  • TV volume up
  • TV volume down
  • Mute TV

 

OS version: 10.0.10586.1026 (th2_xbox_rel_1510.151217-1035) fre

Release date

1/07/2016

New or updated features

• Minor performance improvements

[/su_spoiler]

[su_spoiler title=” Xbox Dashboard Update history 2015 Total 12″ style=”fancy”]

 

OS version: 10.0.10586.1024 (th2_xbox_rel_1510.151203-1909) fre

Release date

12/09/2015

New or updated features

• Fixes for Edge browser
• Minor bug fixes and improvements

 

 

OS version: 10.0.10586.1016 (th2_xbox_rel_1510.151118-2147) fre

Release date

11/23/2015

New or updated features

• Minor bug fixes and improvements
• Fix for consumers who use Discovery and Launch (DIAL) protocol
• Improvements to global speech recognition

 

 

OS version: 10.0.10586.1006 (th2_xbox_rel_1510.151107-2322) fre

Release date

11/12/2015

New or updated features

The New Xbox One Experience—the fastest and most social Xbox experience ever, including the ability to play Xbox 360 games on Xbox One.

• Xbox One Backward Compatibility
  • Play a growing number of digital and disc-based Xbox 360 games on Xbox One natively, with next-generation features such as screenshots, broadcasting, and Game DVR. Access your previously saved files, game add-ons, and achievements.
  • Xbox Live Gold members can do multiplayer gaming with friends no matter what console they’re on.
• A faster, more social Xbox One experience
  • With the integration of Windows 10 into the New Xbox One Experience, you can access many popular gaming features up to 50% faster than before.
  • Instantly start a party, see what your friends are playing, and get updates to your recently played games from Home with no wait time.
• New Guide and Community areas
  • Guide: Quickly access essentials with one button press to bring up the new guide. View your friends list, quickly start a party, get to settings, see system notifications, view your messages, and more using the guide, without ever leaving your game.
  • Community: In the new Community area, see what’s trending on Xbox Live and interact with the Xbox Live community by liking, commenting on, and sharing your favorite content. Quickly access the latest updates from friends and game developers through the Activity feed in Community.
• Redesigned Home, OneGuide, and Store areas
  • Home: Share your screenshots and game clips more easily with the Xbox Live community, and see whether your friends are playing the same games from Home. Scroll up and down to get to your games and apps collection.
  • OneGuide: See what’s trending on live TV in the Xbox Live community in OneGuide. Browse for live TV listings with picture-in-picture, so you don’t miss what’s happening in your show. With app channels, quickly find something to watch from your favorite video apps—all in one place.
  • Store: The Store expands to four easy-to-explore areas—Games, Movies & TV, Apps, and Music. The new vertical gallery view brings more listings at a glance. Browse through intuitive categories like Featured Staff picks, New Releases, Top Played, Top Rated, Coming Soon, and Recommendations to discover new games and other content.
• Enhanced Game Hubs

• Get one-click access to Game Hubs directly from Home to view or launch the last game you played, go to the Store for details about other games, or see what your friends are playing right now on Xbox Live. You can also access news and updates directly from the community and the developers, plus compare gamerscore, achievements, and other game stats with your friends.
• For more information, go to the New Xbox One Experience.

 

OS version: 6.2.13329.0 (xb_rel_1508.150825-1633) fre

Release date

9/9/2015

New or updated features

Stability and performance update

The update provides a few minor fixes that address an in-game audio issue.

 

OS version: 6.2.13326.0 (xb_rel_1508.150810-2029) fre

Release date

8/13/2015

New or updated features

The Xbox team is hard at work building and fine-tuning the New Xbox One User Experience that will be unveiled to the preview community this fall. This update helps us get your console ready to receive the new experience.

 

OS version: 6.2.13194.0 (xb_rel_1507.150702-2154) fre

Release date

7/7/2015

New or updated features

This release provides updates to Game Streaming and Xbox One Backward Compatibility functionality, both of which are currently available to our Xbox One preview community. The Xbox team is hard at work building and fine-tuning the New Xbox One User Experience that will be unveiled to the preview community this fall.

 

OS version: 6.2.12998.0 (xb_rel_1506.150601-2200) fre

Release date

6/5/2015

New or updated features

Multiplayer & Party Chat updates

• Fix to address multiplayer issues across a few titles.
• Made some small updates to the Party app to help team better understand issues reported by the community.

Game Bundles update

• Fixed an issue where certain type of disc-based bundled games would not properly install.

10-bit HD High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) platform support added

• 10-bit HD HEVC enables video-streaming apps, like Netflix, to use lower bandwidth to deliver HD-quality video streams. 10-bit Ultra color increases the video color precision from 8-bits to 10-bits—with 8-bits you only get 16 million colors, but with 10-bit Ultra color precision you get 1 billion lifelike colors that make your video more vibrant.

 

OS version: 6.2.12825.0 (xb_rel_1505.150507-2219) fre

Release date

5/11/2015

New or updated features

Voice messages

• The ability to send and receive voice messages from the Xbox One messages app is being made available to all customers.
• Compose and play back voice messages in the messages app when snapped on Xbox One. Access the messages app quickly through a quick double-tap of the Xbox button and select Messages. After selecting who you want to chat with, select the Microphone icon to enter the voice messaging menu.
• Voice messages can be exchanged between Xbox One and Xbox 360 consoles.

Power on/off from Xbox One SmartGlass

• The versions of the Xbox One SmartGlass apps for Windows, Windows Phone, iOS, and Android are being updated to let you power your Xbox One on and off when your devices are on the same home network as your console.

Dedicated servers for party chat

• Xbox is introducing dedicated party chat relay servers to help solve the issues around NAT traversal that have prevented some people from being able to use party chat.
• The party chat system will monitor the NAT types of users in the party. If conflicts arise due to Strict or Moderate NAT types, the system will automatically move the hosting services to the Xbox cloud in an attempt to resolve the NAT type conflicts. For information on NAT types, go to Network settings on Xbox One.

User-selectable power mode

• The initial setup experience on Xbox One worldwide has been updated to enable users to select their preferred power mode.
  • Instant-On mode uses slightly more energy but has faster startup, enables use of the “Xbox on” voice command, and receives background system, games, and app updates.
  • Energy-saving mode uses less energy by shutting down the console completely, requiring you to press the Xbox button on your console to start up your Xbox One. This will create a slower startup time, and your experience will be interrupted for system, games, and app updates.

 

OS version: 6.2.12710.0 (xb_rel_1504.150329-2200) fre

Release date

4/6/2015

New or updated features

Party chat improvements

• The party app will help you get your microphone enabled and show you when privacy settings or networking issues are blocking communication with particular party members.

Game hub links update

• You can more easily discover game hub content from activity feed items. You’ll see activity feed items when any of your friends follow a game, and you’ll also be able to get back to a game’s hub from activity feed posts related to the game – including feed items about the game’s achievements, game clips and screenshots.
• We’ve added a link to game hubs from the game’s page in the achievements app.

Achievement notifications update

• You will now see the achievement’s description in the notification so you know what you did to earn this achievement without having to open the achievements app
• We increased the time that an achievement notification is displayed
• We also made some performance improvements to make loading the achievements app from a notification faster.

What’s On area

• The What’s On area is now available for Xbox One users in the U.S., Canada, and the UK.
• In it, you’ll find links to popular videos, games, movies, TV shows, game broadcasts and clips, along with Trending TV shows if you have configured OneGuide for your Xbox One console.

Additional Details

Xbox Wire

 

OS version: 6.2.12521.0 (xb_rel_1503.150305-1449) fre

Release date

3/9/2015

New or updated features

Screenshots

• While playing a game, you can now take screenshots on your Xbox One console by simply double-tapping the Xbox button on your controller to capture a screenshot and pressing Y to save the screenshot. You can also say “Xbox Take a Screenshot” to take and save a screenshot.The Upload app has been updated so that you can:
  • Manage your screenshots in addition to your game clips.
  • Use a screenshot as your background, by viewing the screenshot in full-screen mode then, press the Menu button and select Set as background.
  • Share screenshots to your activity feed, attach to messages, add screenshots to your showcase, share to Twitter, and post to your OneDrive.

Additionally, your screenshots will be visible in your profile alongside your game clips in a new Game Clips and Screenshots area.

Suggested friends

• With the suggested friends feature, the Friends area in home and your friends list will help you find and add friends. Suggested friends will include people you might know, so you add more friends to game with, and top community broadcasters and clip creators, so you can get more great content in your activity feed. We’re also adding a new suggested friends page to the Friends area.

Sharing your name

• We’re rolling out two new ways to share your real name; with all of your friends or to everyone in the Xbox Live community. You can also continue to share your real name with select friends, or with no one, if that’s what you prefer. Gamertags are still the primary method of identifying yourself on Xbox Live, but sharing your real name helps people recognize you who might not know you by your gamertag. The new name sharing options can be found under Friends, then My profile, then Name sharing settings.

Party Chat enhancements

• 3 new icons were added to Party Chat to show each user their own microphone status.
  • Kinect icon means the Kinect is being used as the microphone.
  • Headset icon indicates that the headset is being used as the microphone
  • 3rd icon indicates that you do not currently have a working microphone, in that you are connected to the Party, but nobody can hear you.

Tile transparency

• We added a setting to enable you to vary the level of transparency for your background images, go to Settings, then My Xbox, then Tile transparency.

Privacy and online safety settings

• We added a new setting for sharing voice search data to create an option for you to allow collection and analysis of voice data when using Xbox – Bing to search. You can go to Settings, then Privacy and online safety, then Share voice search data to change the setting.

Report spam

• The Messages app has an added option to allow you to notify Xbox when you receive spam. You can now select a specific message, press the A button and then select Report, then Spam to report a specific message as spam.

Live TV in Australia & OneGuide

• Support for OneGuide is now available to all users in Australia for free-to-air TV listings. Additionally, the OneGuide app will be pre-pinned for users in Australia after the March system update mandatory install window

Xbox One Digital TV Tuner in Australia

• Xbox One owners in Australia can pre-purchase the Xbox Digital TV Tuner at the online Microsoft Store, with availability planned for March 25, 2015.

Additional Details

Xbox Wire

 

OS version: 6.2.12130.0 (xb_rel_1502.150209-1738) fre

Release date

2/13/2015

Stability and performance update

• This additional update fixes a couple of minor issues some users have experienced including video playback issues with some media applications.

 

OS version: 6.2.12128.0 (xb_rel_1502.150202-2200) fre

Release date

2/5/2015New or updated features

Controller improvements

• Quick connect – Previously, controller connections to Xbox One took approximately four to five seconds when powering on a controller. Now, it will only take about two seconds.
• Stability improvements – The update also provides a number of fixes that address some of the controller disconnect issues reported by Xbox One users.
  Note To download the update, connect a controller to your Xbox One with a USB cable. Keep any headsets connected to the controller. Connect to Xbox Live. Press the Menu. Go to Settings >Devices & accessories and select the controller. If you have multiple controllers attached, you can select Buzz, which will cause the selected controller to vibrate. Then select Update to download the new firmware to the controller attached via the USB cable, and the screen will show the “Updating controller…” progress screen. When you see the “Controller updated” screen, press B to go back to the Devices & accessories main page. Reselect the controller. The Firmware version should now be 1.2.2236.0.

Game hubs

• These are the go-to centers for interesting content, tips, and tricks for your favorite titles. Every Xbox One game will have a game hub where you can see which friends are playing the game, compete with your friends in game leaderboards, dive into the coolest game clips and game broadcasts, and follow the game’s top broadcasters and clip creators.
  Note To get to the game hub for your favorite game, find a game in your pins, recently played list, orMy games and apps, and then press the Menu button and select View game hub. You can also search for any game in the Xbox Store and click on the Game Hub tile from the game’s store page.

Party Chat updates

• Chat connection status – New icons have been added to let you know the current status of a chat connection in your party. A Clock icon means the connection is being made. A Squawker Ring icon indicates the connection was successful and actively shows who is speaking. An X icon means that networking limitations (such as a Strict NAT) are preventing the chat connection from completing for specific users.
• Improved connectivity between multiple users with Strict or Moderate NATs – We also made some improvements to party chat in partial mesh situations when multiple participants are behind moderate or strict NATs with their home gateways/routers.
• Game and party invitations – Made improvements to game and party invitations to help you know more quickly who is inviting you to what without having to wait for the text to scroll on the game and party invite notifications.
• Performance improvements – Decreased the time it takes to set up person-to-person (P2P) connectivity for party chat, and streamlined the retry logic for setting up party chat sessions.

Custom backgrounds and tile transparency

• We’ve added tile transparency to the Home tiles to make your background images more visible.
  Note To set a custom background, go to Settings > My Xbox > My background. Some items can’t be made transparent due to usage rights/restrictions for certain images.

TV updates

• OneGuide for the Netherlands – Support for OneGuide is being added for Xbox Live members in the Netherlands.
• TV trending in OneGuide – As you scan the OneGuide TV listings, you can see which shows are trending with a “Trending on Xbox” or “Trending on Twitter” note and icon within the details for each show. Currently, Xbox TV trending is available to all users in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada, and Twitter trending is available to users in the United States.
• Live TV trending (new countries) – France, Germany, Brazil, and Mexico now have the ability to see live TV trending data in Xbox OneGuide.
• Improved control of TVs, set-top boxes, and audio/video receivers – Xbox One works even better with more devices. Updates to the IR blasting database for new models have been added and address issues reported by our fan community.
• “Trick play” with Xbox One Digital TV Tuner – Users with the Xbox One Digital TV Tuner in supported countries (United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain) are now able to see video frames when fast-forwarding or rewinding paused TV on Xbox One consoles.
• Live TV streaming on Windows Phone and Android – Live TV streaming on Windows Phone and Android devices for Xbox One Digital TV Tuner owners has been added in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain.

[/su_spoiler]

[su_spoiler title=” Xbox Dashboard Update history 2014 Total 12″ style=”fancy”]

 

OS version: 6.2.11797.0 (xb_rel_1411.141124-1759) fre

Release date

12/1/2014New or updated features

Wireless broadcasting

• Updated wireless broadcasting requirements for consoles in Europe.

Party Chat

• Enhancements to improve 2-player party chat.
• Audio quality improvements.

 

 

OS version: 6.2.11785.0 (xb_rel_1411.141104-1838) fre

Release date

11/7/2014New or updated features

Custom backgrounds

• Each account on your Xbox One can have a customized background.
• Choose a custom color as a theme or achievement art as your background image and those will show on any Xbox One that you sign in on with your account.
• Use the Media Player app to pick off any JPG or PNG image from a USB attached drive or a home media server that supports DLNA. While viewing a picture/photo in full-screen mode, press the Menu button and choose “Set as background” – your custom image is stored locally on that Xbox One console.

Gamer Profile

• Share your location and bio as part of your profile.
• Select a set of showcase items that are displayed when other gamers look at your profile on an Xbox One console.
• Use Xbox One SmartGlass or an Xbox One console to add or remove up to six game clips or achievements that will be displayed in a carousel format.
• Use Xbox One SmartGlass to browse to other people’s profiles and check out their showcase items.Tweet about your favorite game clips
  • Share your favorite Xbox One game clips with your followers on Twitter.

Live TV updates

• Live TV Trending
  • Users in the U.S., Canada, and the UK will see a new “Trending” tab in OneGuide that displays the top 20 most watched TV shows, with the list filtered down to the shows currently available to you based on your OneGuide settings.
  • The Live TV on Xbox trending list is updated by the minute, so you can easily discover shows that are popular with other viewers.
• Twitter TV Trending
  • Users in the U.S. will see what Live TV is trending based on the highest number of tweets.
  • The Trending tab in OneGuide is updated to display Live TV on Twitter first and Live TV on Xbox trending second.
• Tweets in MiniGuide
  • Users in the U.S. will see the actual tweets for the Live TV shows in real time and quickly find the Twitter #hashtag to join the conversation.
• Recents and Favorites in MiniGuide
  • MiniGuide has been updated to include your favorite TV channels in a combined Recents and Favorites area
  • MiniGuide can now be activated via voice by saying “Xbox Select – MiniGuide” while watching TV.
    Note Xbox One voice commands are not available in all regions. To find out if voice options are available in your country or region, see Xbox One Feature Availability. In the chart on that page, check the Premium/Natural Voice (including “Xbox On”) feature to see if it’s available in your locale.

Internet Explorer (IE) updates

• From the Address Bar in Internet Explorer, you can easily snap from a full-screen experience and move Internet Explorer into snap mode.
• Internet Explorer will show a number when something is newly added to featured sites.
• Newly added sites will also display a badge (denoted by an asterisk (*) in the upper-right corner) until you launch them, or until seven days have passed since the site was added to the Featured list.

Xbox One Store improvements

• The Store pages on Xbox One have been improved to enable you to more quickly browse and find content.
• Navigation buttons are moved to the far left so you can find them easier.
• Quickly find game add-ons and perform store-specific searches; recommendations are more prominently displayed.
• Store categories have been standardized so you can easily see the top items in each query at a glance.

Restart Now

• Cleanly power cycle your console using the new Restart Now button available in the Settings area of the Dashboard. Select Settings, Power & startup, and the new Restart Now button to shut down and restart your Xbox One console in cases where you need to refresh your IP address or follow troubleshooting steps supplied on support.xbox.com.

Smartglass updates

• Friends’ Game Activity on SmartGlass allows you to see a list of your friends who have played a given game within the Xbox One SmartGlass experience.
• For gamers with an Xbox Live Gold membership, you can browse “Free Games with Gold” and discounted content with Gold and initiate download of the content to your Xbox One console from your mobile device.
• A new section for Apps designed to make it easier to find and download apps for your Xbox One.
• A new Coming Soon filter for games and add-ons makes it easier to see upcoming Xbox One releases sorted by anticipated release date.

Additional details

Xbox Wire

 

 

OS version: 6.2.11653.0 (xb_rel_1410.141009-1648) fre

Release date

10/15/2014

New or updated features

Snap updates

• Updated the Snap Center to include quick access to:
  • Friends
  • Messages
  • Game DVR
  • Clock
  • Battery indicator
• A double tap of the Xbox button on your controller will bring up a menu that allows you to open a new app in Snap mode, close the current snapped app, or switch focus between your game and your running snapped app.
• Two apps have been optimized for Snap mode:
• Friends Snap App – Access your friends list without leaving the game. Quickly check your friends list to see who’s online right now and take actions like send message, invite, or join.
• Messages Snap App – You’ll be able to open, read, and respond to messages in Snap mode, and messages will now be displayed in a threaded conversation view.

Achievements App

• Updated to enable sharing of achievements you’ve unlocked with captions.
• See a list of friends who have unlocked specific achievements.
• Updated achievements Snap landing page that shows achievements on recently played games when a user is not actively playing a game.

Friends section

• The new Friends hub enables you to see at a glance what’s going on with your friends.
  • Stay up to date with your friend’s current activities.
  • View most popular games your friends are playing.
  • View the gamerscore leaderboard to see who has improved their gamerscore over the last 30 days.

New SmartGlass features

• View a list of your top games in your profile.
• View a list of your friends’ most popular games in the Friends section of SmartGlass.
• Universal remote control functionality added for the 11 countries getting OneGuide TV listings. These users will be able to use their mobile device to control their Xbox, TV, and/or cable/satellite box.

Media Player app update

• DLNA streaming is now supported. With this update, you will be able to easily access and play music, and watch photo slideshows or movies stored on home media servers and devices that support the DLNA server protocols.
• MKV files are now supported.

Live TV MiniGuide

• For markets where OneGuide is available, a new MiniGuide on the bottom of the screen will display details about the TV content that is currently playing. You can:
  • Quickly change channels.
  • See what’s on other channels.
  • Tune to the previous channel or other recent channels.
    All while watching your current TV show.
• You can also launch MiniGuide using voice, by saying “Xbox Select – MiniGuide,” or by using the thumbstick on your controller.
  Note Xbox One voice commands are not available in all regions. To find out if voice options are available in your country or region, see Xbox One Feature Availability. In the chart on that page, check the Premium/Natural Voice (including “Xbox On”) feature to see if it’s available in your locale.

OneGuide in 11 new countries

• Live TV listings and schedules will be made available to customers on Xbox One and SmartGlass for:
  • Belgium
  • Chile
  • Colombia
  • Denmark
  • Finland
  • Norway
  • Portugal
  • Poland
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Russia

Internet TV Apps

• Apps with live TV channels can now include their TV listings within OneGuide.
• The first app to support this feature will be Zattoo with an upcoming content update for their app. The Zattoo app is available in Germany, Switzerland, Spain, and Denmark.

Live TV initial setup experience

• Improved by attempting to automatically detect the set-top box connected to the HDMI-In port on a user’s Xbox One.
• Enable users to select “On start, go to TV” for their Xbox One consoles.
• For existing users, a one-time message will appear on next use highlighting this new capability,

Updated Devices & accessories page

• To access the new page, go to Settings and select Devices & accessories.
• Select a device to:
  • Find – You can also more easily find (or identify) a controller by making it vibrate.
  • Assign – “Assign” accessories to specific users, such as assigning a headset to a specific gamer.
  • Update – You can update the firmware for an individual device.

Password resets just got better

• We’re making it easier and more secure to reset your password and add protection to your accounts. Starting around the 3rd week of October, if you haven’t set up security info, we’ll ask you to provide an alternate email or cell phone number to use if you ever need your password reset.
• You’ll only need to set this up once per account, and you won’t need it every time you sign in.
• To avoid us asking you, add your security info ahead of time at https://account.live.com/proofs/ and get more info at
  • http://support.xbox.com/my-account/security/add-security-contact-information

Additional details

Xbox Wire

 

 

OS version: 6.2.11511.0 (xb_rel_1409.140829-1829) fre

Release date

9/2/2014New or updated features

Live TV

• Improved stability

 

 

OS version: 6.2.11507.0 (xb_rel_1409.140826-2037) fre

Release date

8/28/2014New or updated features

Parties

• The Party App has been reorganized!
• See what activities everyone in your party is doing and tell more clearly who is playing in the same game with you.
• Quickly perform common actions like muting, joining, or sending game invites.
• Parties now have a Party Leader. This person can change whether the party requires invitations and can remove others from the party.

Media Player

• A new app will enable users to play media files from an attached USB device.
• Xbox One will support more formats than Xbox 360, including support for dozens of new file formats.

Boot to TV

• Set your console to boot directly to television when coming out of connected standby.

SmartGlass updates

• Post status messages from the Activity Feed as well as add comments and share items from both your Activity Feed and Game Clips.
• A personalized Activity Feed has been added to your profile.
• Messages have been updated to a new layout supporting a full conversation view.
• Ability to record game clips directly from the Now Playing bar.
• A new What’s New page will highlight the features of each release.

“Xbox on” in new markets

• Adding support for additional markets to use the “Xbox on” Kinect voice command to power on their consoles. New countries include:
  • Australia
  • Canada (French)
  • Italy
  • Spain
  • Mexico

Game DVR deletes

• Users will be able to choose multiple Game DVR clips to delete from within the Upload app.

Save your avatar gamerpic

• Save avatar gamerpics to your OneDrive.

Settings updates

• A new option within the Settings menu called Devices & accessories will help Xbox One owners manage their controllers and accessories.
• Instant Sign-In is now available from within the Sign-in, security & passkey area.

Bandwidth Usage display

• Bandwidth Usage will show customers how much bandwidth their Xbox One is consuming over a period of time.
• This is useful for customers who want to track against bandwidth caps set by ISPs in certain markets.
• This new feature located in Network Settings under the Troubleshooting column.

Country Expansion

• Critical updates that are required to enable the launch of Xbox One to 29 new countries.

Additional Details

Xbox Wire

 

 

OS version: 6.2.11393.0 (xb_rel_1408.140808-1753) fre

Release date

8/17/2014New or updated features

Update to the Activity Feed

• The interface will change to a single-column scrolling list that is longer and includes more content.
• The ability to post messages to your feed, and to “like” and comment on feed items.
• You can share game clips and anything else in the feed with friends either publically (to your activity feed) or privately (as an attachment to a message).
• You’ll be notified when anyone likes, comments on, or shares your items.
• Each user will get a personal feed on their profile, so you can see what specific friends have posted to their activity feeds.
• With SmartGlass, you can see what your friends have shared to their activity feed and “like” specific posts (additional activity feed support coming in future SmartGlass updates).

Mobile purchase

• Using Xbox SmartGlass or on Xbox.com, you can remotely purchase games and add-on content.
• If your home console is set to “Automatically download updates and purchases,” your console will begin downloading your purchase.

Low battery notification

• A new notification will pop up when your controller battery is getting low.

Disable notifications during video

• The ability to turn off each of the notification types so that they will not pop up during video playback.

Enabling 3D Blu-ray

• An update to the Blu-ray player app will enable 3D Blu-ray functionality on Xbox One.

Last seen time in Friends list

• The friends list will now show how long it’s been since a friend has been online. For example, “Last seen 20m ago: Forza Motorsport 5.”

OneGuide

• For users who have an issue with the OneGuide channel lineup, there is a new feature used to report the issue. Go to Settings, TV & OneGuide, Troubleshooting to Report a OneGuide Problem.

Additional details

Xbox Wire

 

 

OS version: 6.2.11274.0 (xb_rel_1407.140703-1704) fre

Release date

7/7/2014New or updated features

Snap Mode for Achievements

• An easier way to track and view your achievements progress in real time without ever leaving the game.
• “Search for Achievement Help” on any Achievements you’re struggling with. This will launch Internet Explorer for you and deliver relevant tips and strategy content based on the Achievement you are working on.

Double-tap to Snap

• Double-tap the Xbox button on your controller to bring up Snap Center, where you can launch Achievements or any other snapable app, without leaving your current experience.
• If you already have an app snapped, double-tap quickly switches between your game and the snapped app.

Choice of Spoken Language

• Xbox One owners can now choose their preferred Spoken Language in settings to enable better voice control compatibility. This is in addition to the Country selection used to access the Xbox store. For example, someone living in the United States who has an Australian accent may now choose English (Australia) for voice control while still having United States selected for Country location.

Future digital bundles and compilation discs

• Add the functionality for content publishers to create digital bundle and disc compilation offerings in the future.

Additional details

Xbox Wire

 

 

OS version: 6.2.11064.0 (xb_rel_1406.140601-2110) fre

Release date

6/3/2014New or updated features

External storage now supported

• Supports up to two external hard drives at once. Hard drives must be:
  • USB 3.0, and
  • 256 GB or larger.
• Install, download, or transfer games and content to a portable HD for easy mobility between consoles.
• Ability to manage content between internal and external storage.

Friends update – Addition of real name sharing

• You now have the ability to share your real name with:
  • All of your friends
  • A subset of the friends you choose to share with
  • Friends of friends
  • Or none at all if you want to keep your true identity a secret.

Xbox Live Gold membership area

• A new hub that will allow you to access new content only available to Gold members such as:
  • Games with Gold
  • Deals with Gold
  • Special announcements for Xbox Live Gold members.

Auto account sign-in

• Identify one account per console to automatically sign in upon start up.

Updated store twist

• The store twist was redesigned to make it easier to find the content that you want.

TV and OneGuide updates

• Updated IR command and control database to increase the number of devices Xbox One can control.
• TV & OneGuide settings updated to provide better power management and control for devices.
• Expand Premium TV to new markets:
  • Canada
  • United Kingdom
  • France
  • Germany
  • Spain
  • Italy

Additional details

Xbox Wire

 

 

OS version: 6.2.10951.0 (xb_rel_1405.140514-2300) fre

Release date

5/16/2014New or updated features

Sound mixer for apps with Snap and volume controls when using Kinect with chat

• Under Settings, select Display & Sound. We’ve added two new features for controlling your audio options.
• With the new Sound mixer, you’ll be able to control the volume levels of two apps when you’re using Snap, letting you decide which app is louder.
• With the Chat mixer, you’ll be able to control the volume levels when you’re using Kinect for chat.

Opt in to help improve speech recognition

• To help us in our efforts to make voice and speech improvements for Kinect even better, you can opt in to speech data collection.
• Under Settings, select Privacy & Online Safety. In the Privacy column, select Custom, scroll to the right until you find Share Voice Data, and set this to Allow.

Take the next system update when you want

• When a system update is made available, you’ll find the option available to update your console now.
• Go to Settings and select System. If an update is available, the System update button will be available for you to select.

Additional details

Xbox Wire

 

 

OS version: 6.2.10812.0 (xb_rel_1404.140411-1830) fre

Release date

4/14/2014New or updated features

System update improvements

• The ability for the console to reboot and complete system update while in Instant-On power mode.
• Users will easily be able to tell what games and apps are being updated or have been updated recently.
• Take future updates on demand when one is available without waiting for the console to do it from Instant-On mode. Feature available under System Settings.

Game and app saves and updates

• A game save progress bar will show you the status of your game saves.
• You will be able to easily tell what games and apps are being updated or have been updated recently.

Friends improvements

• Notifications will be added to see when favorites and friends sign in to Xbox Live.
• Friends who are in multiplayer will be identified in the friends list.

Blu-ray 50 Hz video output support for content recorded at 50Hz

• This will resolve video playback issues that some Xbox Live members in Europe are experiencing.

Kinect voice and motion improvements

• We continue to fine-tune the quality and reliability of Xbox One commands.

Improved Game DVR video quality

• Through compression algorithm improvements.

Updates to Xbox One device management

• Improves the ability to control TVs, set-top boxes, and receivers that our customers have reported issues with.

Additional details

Xbox Wire

 

 

OS version: 6.2.10698.0 (xb_rel_1403.140301-2200) fre

Release date

03/04/2014New or updated features

Improved multiplayer and party chat

• Cross-title party chat.
• Party chat on by default.
• Easier multiplayer invites.
• Easier multiplayer joining.
• Ability to see what the people in your party are doing.

Improved friends list and profile

• Improved friends list utility and speed of access.
• Ability to see people you recently played games with.
• See when friends are broadcasting, including live broadcast thumbnails in the activity feed.
• Get to a friend’s profile faster using typeahead suggestions.
• Contextual app menu actions on friends list and activity feed items.
• Enabled more multiplayer (join and invite) actions on user profiles.
• 54 new contest-winning gamerpics.

Twitch TV live streaming support

• Broadcast gameplay on TwitchTV through Xbox Live.
• Voice support for starting and ending broadcast.

Bringing out social in home

• See favorite friends currently online.
• See friends broadcasting gameplay.

Miscellaneous shell improvements

• View game clips while in Snap mode.
• Protect user settings with passkey.

Browser improvements

• Control Bing and Google maps with gesture and controller.
• Quick search when highlighting a term on a page.
• When using Bing search on the console, direct link to Internet Explorer to see additional web results.

New devices – driver and firmware updates

• Firmware update to the Xbox One controller to support the Xbox One stereo headset adapter.
• Support for Xbox headsets and third-party headsets.
• Driver updates for the Xbox One Media Remote.

SmartGlass improvements

• Push notification to your device for Xbox Live messages.
• Quickly see what a friend is doing, including current and recent activity.
• Enhanced viewing of personal and friends’ game progress and clips.
• Ability to close Snap from SmartGlass.

Live TV

• 50Hz fix – users can set the Live TV app to display at 50Hz for full or fill modes.
• Volume up/down adjustments – user can tailor the number of volume increments when using “volume up” or “volume down” commands.
• IR blasting of power and volume to TVs and AVRs in all regions.
• AVR setup maps to include the model number for most sound bars or AVRs when setting up TV.

Improved audio output support

• SPDIF (optical out) now supports 5.1 Dolby Digital, enabling devices such as sound bars with only optical in to be able to receive 5.1 Dolby Digital from console over optical.
• HDMI output now supports stereo uncompressed, 5.1 uncompressed, 7.1 uncompressed, 5.1 Dolby Digital, or 5.1 DTS (5.1 Dolby Digital new for March).

Additional details

Xbox Wire

 

 

OS version: 6.2.10542 (xb_rel_1402.140213-0115) fre

Release date

2/14/2014New or updated features

• Update to My game & apps to allow sorting of games and application lists, and separate queue lists for games, applications, and installs.
• Ability to delete game and application saved data.
• Improved installation and DLC management.
• Addition of the controller battery power indicator.
• Improved UI for accessing friends, achievements, messages, and party chat.
• Game DVR app to be included in the Xbox OneGuide as an app channel.
• Update to the boot progress indicators for system update.
• Improve consistency of UX for update and install progress.
• Separate game, application, and install queue lists.
• Addition of USB keyboard support.

Stability and performance update

• Improved NAT detection.
• Network Troubleshooter improvements.
• Blu-ray quality improvements.
• Significant performance and stability improvements.

[/su_spoiler]

[su_spoiler title=” Xbox Dashboard Update history 2013 Total 2″ style=”fancy”]

 

OS version: 6.2.10217.0 (xb_rel_launch.131205-2200)

Release date

12/10/2013Stability and performance update

• Addresses SmartGlass issues for some users when coming in and out of connected standby.
• Addresses multiplayer issues for some users when rejoining games.
• Addresses issues with inconsistent notifications for some users.
• Addresses dashboard quality experiences for some users.
• Improvements to Xbox One TV, system update, and content update services for scaling over time.
• Updated wireless networking driver to improve connectivity issues for some users.

OS version: 6.2.10210.0 (xb_rel_launch 131118-1159)

Release date

11/22/2013Launch Day update

This is the first update to the system and will include the full operating system.

OS version: 6.2.9781.0 (xb_rel_flash1307.130829-1800)

Manufacturer

This is the operating system installed at the factory.

[/su_spoiler]

 

There is not doubt on Microsoft’s commitment to improving the dashboard and making the user experience better but have we got back to where we were with the Xbox 360 yet?

Many of us were disappointed with the first Xbox One dashboard, slow and cumbersome but also the lack of features and shortcuts to improve the user experience.

Simple interactions suck as sending an invite by pressing the X button to send an invite have only been added recently and with all this new power of the next generation I think we all expected more.

The latest preview update brings the games catalogue a much needed update.

Firstly they have put it up the top so you dont have to scroll around, but its inside where the magic happens.

Options to now sort and adjust are:

• Sort A-Z
• Sort by Letter
• Sort by last used
• Sort by last update
• Sort by size
• Small tiles
• Medium tiles
• Large tiles
• Internal storage
• External storage (HDD)
• All storage

In addition to this the ability to see how many games you have installed, apps installed and how many games are ready to install adds to the overall improvement in visibility of you beloved titles.

We will all have our favourite view and size but again is this not just what should have been here in the first place?

Where are custom groups?

I know we can pin tiles to our dashboard but that’s the only customisation to layout we have on our homescreen.

Hey Cortana, nice to see you on my xbox, hows the Chief?

Well this chief is not impressed so far, “Xbox record that” fast and simple but no after 3 years it’s now “hey cortana record that” Go ahead say it outloud a few times. I appreciate that cortana should solve a lot of problems such and simply saying “xbox has launched….” and being taken to the games screen mid way through your hot lap, and that’s great BUT again why can’t we have the choice? Mobile phones offer the choice of how to initiate voice commands.

 

For me after 3 years of development the Dashboard is where it should have been. we have has hundreds of tweaks and improvements and they are all more than welcome.

I commend Microsoft on their commitment, but now its time to push the boundaries and give us Dashboards we can create ourselves, customise beyond basic colour and pins and create our own “homepages”