Microsoft announced that its July update for the Xbox is rolling out.
The update, which reaches all Xbox One models, includes one major feature as well as a bunch of minor tweaks.
For the smaller stuff, Microsoft focused on making the user interface easier to navigate. Anything pinned can now feature grouped games and apps rather than single items. The user interface also has a quicker way to search. Usually you’d have to jump to a dedicated section to start searching, but that’s earned itself a ‘Y’ button shortcut from anywhere in the dashboard.
Other minor tweaks involve Mixer, the live-streaming platform. Microsoft enabled mouse and keyboard support for PC users, and multi-touch support for touch-enabled devices is also live. Mixer also gained full-screen webcam broadcasting and a per-channel leaderboard to spotlight loyal viewers.
The biggest addition, though, is FastStart. You’re going to be playing games once the download hits a certain point.
Following its debut at E3 2018, Microsoft confirmed that FastStart is enabled for select titles. The feature lets you download the important stuff from a game’s file to start playing sooner than usual.
The idea of FastStart is neat, but you’ll need to have a download speed of at least 20Mbps. It’s also limited to a handful of titles so far. These mostly include first-party titles created by Microsoft and its various development studios. Over time, third-party titles could enter the mix.
Assuming your internet connection stays strong, you should be able to jump into a game twice as fast as before.
To get all of these new features on your Xbox, fire it up and head into the settings to check if the software update is available. Just don’t be surprised if it’s already installed. The always-on nature of the Xbox One keeps it up-to-date more often than not.
