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New Interface Coming To Xbox One This Fall
Microsoft has announced some good news, assuming you aren't particularly attached to the Xbox One's current user interface. They system is getting revamped into a faster, sleeker iteration later this year.
In the video, Richard Irving of the Xbox engineering team chats with Microsoft's Larry Hyrb about some of the changes and improvements you can expect. Watch for yourself below:
Irving says, "The most important thing is it's fast." That seems to be the major selling point, with a more intuitive layout and quicker ways to access the Xbox One's features. The video also goes over the inclusion of Windows 10 features, like the Cortana assistant, to make the interface consistent across platforms.
They don't go over it in the video, but according to the Xbox site, this update will also mark the return of avatars to Xbox One. The exact form they will take isn't clear, but the site states that Microsoft is "modernizing the look of avatars with better image quality, keeping all the familiar customizations fans loved on Xbox 360."
(Source: Xbox Wire)
Our Take
The news about the new UI's speed is the best part of this announcement, since the sluggish response speed of the Xbox One dashboard has been one of the chief complaints among users. The integration of Windows 10 elements isn't surprising, but also is something that companies (rather than gamers themselves) tend to get excited about. Also, hyping up Cortana is strange, since the number of Xbox One users who can issue voice commands via Kinect is not enormous. Even so, the overhaul is something gamers have been asking for, and it's nice to see that Microsoft is listening on the speed front, at least.
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