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Update: Xbox One Spring Update Coming Later This Week

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How your Xbox One experience will change with the spring update.

[Update] Microsoft has confirmed that the first half of the Xbox One spring update has been delayed. Originally supposed to be released today, Microsoft is now saying that the update will land at some point this week.

We've heard a lot of rumors about hardware updates for the Xbox One but how about some legitimate information on the kind of software improvements Microsoft plans to make in the coming months? Microsoft today announced that its spring update for Xbox will actually be split into two segments. One of these is going to arrive this month, while the second will come a month later, in March. So what can users expect from these updates?

February

February’s update will hit your console in less than one week. Come February 11, you’ll be able to see and manage your storage space as well as control your install lineup and download queue. This means you can shift things around based on your preferences and what you want to play first. You can also create separate queues for My Games and My Apps because the spring update will see them separated into two lists.

Microsoft has also added a boot progress indicator to make the tracking of updates that little bit clearer.

It’s handy to know how much juice is left in your controller. A quick glance at the home screen will tell you just that thanks to the return of the power indicator.

Lastly, you’ll be able to use your USB keyboard with your Xbox One, a functionality that hasn’t been available up until now.

March

Microsoft hasn’t offered much in the way of information regarding the March update. Scheduled to arrive on March 11, we assume more details will become available once the February update is rolled out across all consoles. 

Still, we do know that it will bring preparation for the launch of Titanfall. Microsoft is calling it the biggest game launch of the year, so no surprise it wants users' consoles to be prepared when the time comes. As a result, the March update is going to improve and add features for party and multiplayer games.

Read more: Xbox One Review

Follow Jane McEntegart @JaneMcEntegart. Follow us @tomshardware, on Facebook and on Google+.

20 Comments Comment from the forums
  • firefoxx04
    Most of those 'features' were already available on past consoles for the past few years...
    Reply
  • antilycus
    They are making Titanfall for a Console? Weird. I am going to be running it on a Linux box running a GPU Passthrough Windows VM... I do find it ironic that to make Windows work best, I have to use Linux for it's thread and memory management.
    Reply
  • hakesterman
    It's about dang time. How about some USB Storage device support EH.
    Reply
  • Christopher Shaffer
    February’s update will hit your console in less than one week. Come February 11, you’ll be able to see and manage your storage space as well as control your install lineup and download queue. This means you can shift things around based on your preferences and what you want to play first. You can also create separate queues for My Games and My Apps because the spring update will see them separated into two lists. Microsoft has also added a boot progress indicator to make the tracking of updates that little bit clearer.It’s handy to know how much juice is left in your controller. A quick glance at the home screen will tell you just that thanks to the return of the power indicator.
    So, wait, let me get this straight: so now I can see how much storage space my Xboner has, I can create "playlists" of my games, and how much power is left in my controller?

    So... all features that have been around pretty much since the dawn of computers? These aren't features, they're basic essentials. This is the equivalent to bringing food and a tent when you go hiking."Xboner: Now with power indicator and storage limit display!"

    And it still doesn't have USB storage support? WTF, MS?

    Admittedly, I've been eyeing a PS4 since the announcement, so maybe I'm just out of the loop with Xboner, but the more I hear about it the worse it sounds.

    My real guess on what REALLY happened with Xboner is that they weren't ready to launch, hadn't finished the OS, hadn't even finalized the hardware spec and got completely blind-sided by Sony. I've heard rumors from a pretty solid source that 2015 was the target launch date and that the Xboner had been pretty much set on the sidelines in terms of R&D until they got wind in February of last year that Sony was about to announce the PS4. Supposedly, there was no internal budget to continue development.

    At this point, even a real feature upgrade isn't anywhere near enough to justify paying $500 for this over the hardware-superior PS4. Even if we add on the PS Eye, the price still makes more sense. It's not even a decision; both systems will have Titanfall, which is supposed to be the biggest game launch of the year. Think about it, MS fanboys who are also PC gamers: would you spend $500 on a weaker PC that did EXACTLY the same thing, only in a worse way? No.


    PS - HEY, TOM'S - Your site is still removing spacing and formatting when using the comments form in Chrome and on mobile Safari.
    Reply
  • sirskeetsalot2013
    Laugh at Christopher post. "both systems will have Titanfall, which is supposed to be the biggest game launch of the year."You're just as dumb as I figured.Indeed, it sounds like Titanfall as a debut game will remain a Microsoft-platform exclusive, but the future of the franchise -- once Respawn is no longer a "startup" -- may make its way to PS4. The studio head added, "Of course we will , just not the first Titanfall."There you have it. Titanfall 1, not coming to PS4. Sequels? Totally possible. "Exclusive at launch," mind, refers to the first game, and not the future of the series.During its quarterly earnings call today, EA squashed recent rumors about Titanfall coming to PlayStation 4. CFO Blake Jorgensen emphasized that Titanfall "is exclusive only for the lifetime of the title on Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC."Source, http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/10/29/titanfall-an-xbox-one-360-pc-exclusive-for-its-lifetime.good-day fanboy troll. Least Know your facts.
    Reply
  • Wong Dong
    I wonder If the Xbox One are running off of DOS?
    Reply
  • alextheblue
    So, wait, let me get this straight: so now I can see how much storage space my Xboner has, I can create "playlists" of my games, and how much power is left in my controller?<SNIP>PS - HEY, TOM'S - Your site is still removing spacing and formatting when using the comments form in Chrome and on mobile Safari.
    They've made it easier to see battery life at a glance. I'm also pretty sure they're not talking about "playlists", they're talking about being able to move things around in your queue so you can prioritize a particular game if you've queued up a bunch of downloads and installs. Like if you set games A, B, and C to download, and game D to install off disc, and then decided to download game E - but you want to play E as soon as possible. Move it to the top of the queue. They do have a ways to go, software wise. But they're not in a bad starting position, really. I know a couple people who have one.

    I personally am waiting on a couple of things I'd like to see on both the new systems. First off, good USB storage support. I'd like to be able to slap a big 7200RPM drive in an aluminum external enclosure and install games to it. Second, backwards compatibility. I don't care if it's the rumored upcoming streaming... something is better than nothing. I won't use it for FPS. Offline emulation seems out of reach for the current units, so short of an add-on module, steaming is the best we'll get.

    Oh, and I have seen issues with spacing/formatting on Opera too. So maybe it's Webkit-related, Chrome still has a lot of Webkit code, being a fork and all.
    Reply
  • bigj1985
    Who would want to play Titanfall on the Xbone?? So you can enjoy crappy sub HD 720 Pee visuals?? It's funny the Xbone is the inferior system to play its so called "exclusive" Lol.
    Reply
  • JOSHSKORN
    I was at work earlier today reading Christopher Shaffer's comment LOLing. Did he invent that "Xboner" term all by himself? Funny. Anyway, a lot of what he said, I agree with. I basically wish this February update, whatever it has involved, came at launch. Better late than never. Microsoft is really shooting themselves in the feet though by not allowing external storage at this point, or not allowing us to upgrade the HDDs without voiding our warranties.
    Reply
  • bigj1985
    When is Microsoft gonna unleash the ultimate Powerz of the Xbone by releasing 10% of the GPU from the clutches of the NSA spy camera??
    Reply