The Xbox One February update, which was originally scheduled for this Tuesday, has unfortunately been delayed to later in the week. To tide you over while you wait, Microsoft has posted an outline on the Xbox Wire for the March update, which will focus on improvements to the multiplayer and social features of the Xbox One.
Xbox Live is a key component to the Xbox ecosystem, but the Friends list has been inexplicably hidden within a menu on the Xbox One. When the March update hits, your friends list will be pushed forward to the homepage of the Friends app, so you can see who’s online right away. When you party up with those friends, chat audio will now be on by default as well. You can even chat within a party where everyone is playing a different game.
Another huge omission from the launch of the Xbox One was the ability to quickly invite a friend to your game, a feature that helped define online play on the Xbox 360. Microsoft is rectifying this problem before Titanfall drops in March, adding an option to invite your friends within the game menu of every multiplayer title.
Last but not least, Microsoft is adding a list of recent players you’ve encountered on Xbox Live. Want a rematch with that guy who wouldn’t stop sniping you from across the map? Now you can find him with the press of a button.
There are plenty more additions coming in both the February and March update, but the social functionality being added in March is going to be vital for the console moving forward. Expect to download the first Xbox One update later this week.
