New Xbox One Experience & Backwards Compatibility Launching November 12th

As of recently, Microsoft and the Xbox team have been collectively improving themselves in many different fashions. Microsoft itself has become hardware partners with Scuf Gaming, along with the Xbox One Elite controller hitting the market, and the Elite console releasing in exactly a week on November 3rd. All of this factors into what the company envisions for the future of this platform, with a big update coming to the pre-existing consoles sooner than may have been originally thought.

While at a Halo 5 LIVE event on YouTube Gaming, Xbox head Phil Spencer has finally confirmed the exact release date for the new Xbox One Experience that will be hitting the console. With this new update also bringing backwards compatibility, along with changes and improvements to the console’s interface, it was presumed that this update would not be making its way to the console for months to come. However according to Spencer, it will officially be available starting November 12th.

This new update to the Xbox One will include many upgrades to the dashboard and various features that are currently available on the console. Some of these new features will be improvements to the guide, allowing you to access party invites, messages, and things of the like with a single push of a button. Therefore allowing you to focus more on enjoying your games and various media. Another interesting new feature will be the addition of Games Hub, which will provide you all the latest updates and news on your favorite games and franchises, directly from the developers. Games Hub will also allow you to see which of your friends have recently played the games that you enjoy the most, while comparing your gamerscore and other stats with theirs.

A few more additions that Xbox One owners will be happy to see are the new Community Area, along with the improved Xbox Store and OneGuide, which will serve as the sole hub for all of your favorite movies and TV series. The Community Area will act as Xbox’s own version of social media, giving you the chance to share content and like or comment on your friends’ activity. Not only this, but avatars are making a comeback, and will be fully customizable to your liking.

Last, but certainly not least, is the feature that many Xbox One owners have been waiting for the most, backwards compatibility. Working with either disc based or digital games, backwards compatibility will allow you to play most of your favorite games from Xbox 360 on your new console. Just over 100 titles have been announced for the upcoming feature, with more surely to be added as time goes on. While also opening the door to all the great features that weren’t possible on last gen without purchasing some form of game capture device. By that I mean you’ll be free to record your gameplay, take screenshots, and stream with Windows 10, all while keeping your game saves, add-ons, and achievements that were earned on your 360.

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