Xbox One November System Update Introduces Backwards Compatibility, New Home, Community, Windows 10 Experience

November promises a reimagined Xbox One, thanks to what will be the biggest update for Microsoft’s next-generation console to date. The company claimed that the update will allow more unique features to Xbox players as well as enhancing the gaming experience with the integration of the Windows 10.

Director of Program Management for Xbox Mike Ybarra announced via Xbox Wire that the November update for the Xbox One will bring some of the most awaited features to the console. Ybarra promised that the result will be the New Xbox One Experience, which has the backing of the Windows 10 for about 50 percent faster gaming experience.

Perhaps the biggest added feature is backwards compatibility, which will allow gamers to enjoy Xbox 360 games on the Xbox One. Over 100 Xbox 360 games will be playable on the Xbox One, with the list expected to grow in the coming months. All the Xbox One features like screenshots, game DVR and streaming can all be accessed when playing the backwards compatible games. What’s even better is that multiplayer gaming allows Xbox 360 users to face off against Xbox One friends.

There are is also a couple of redesigned aspects for the Xbox One. A new Guide will considerably cut down the time that gamers will need to go through apps. There’s also a new Community section for those who want to tap into other gamers’ activities and interests via the Xbox Live. It is also a way for players to check in on the Xbox Live community, to see what’s up and what’s happening using the new and improved Activity Feed.

OneGuide, the Xbox One’s own key area for entertainment, also had an overhaul. There’s the addition of TV listings in full-screen mode, picture-in-picture mode for browsing and even a highlights section for the newest entertainment offerings.

All of these can be accessed in the faster and easier-to-use interface for the Home section of the Xbox One. Gamers can now easily access everything via the Game Hubs, while sharing and socializing with friends is also now easier.

For now, the update will roll out to Preview members, with one minor change -- the update will start first with Preview members who have provided a lot of feedback throughout the preview program. The aim is for the Xbox One team to get as much feedback as it can before rolling out the update to others who can add their own input. New builds of the update are expected to roll out regularly as bug fixes and improvements are added overtime.

This will be a historic update for the Xbox One. Microsoft has made considerable additions and enhancements for its next-gen console. The latest of these is to make the Xbox One one of the active Windows devices under the Windows 10.

Integrating the Xbox One and Windows 10 has been a major goal point for Microsoft. It appears that its gaming box will be part of its goal of rolling out Windows 10 to as many homes as possible.

Microsoft revealed this at the latest Citi Global Technology Conference, stating that the company is looking at a billion Windows 10 devices that will be actively connected to the Windows 10, DualShockers reported.

“So a core power metric for us is Windows 10 devices,” said Chris Capossela, Chief Marketing Officer at Microsoft, as quoted by DualShockers. “That will be phones, that will be tablets, that will be laptops, that will be desktops, that will be a big surface hubs, that will be Xboxes.”

Xbox One backwards compatibility (Credit: YouTube/Xbox)