Xbox One October update rolls out with MKV support and major changes

Microsoft has kept a steady pace releasing significant updates for Xbox One. In October isn’t different, this month the company is rolling a new system update to add new features and changes to improve the Xbox experience, including the highly requested MKV file support.

The Xbox One system update for October is very significant in the way users will notice visual changes. First up are the new controllers for Snap Center, which allows better access and navigation when using more than one app on Snap mode. By double tapping the Xbox button on the controller users will now see the new Snap Center and with the new changes users can easily snap their favorite apps side-by-side. And it all works without having to use voice commands, users without Kinnect will really see the new benefits.

Friends Snap app has improved and now users can check their friends list to see who is online and send a message, invite or join. On the Messages Snap app, users are now able to open, read and response to messages in Snap mode, and messages are also displayed in a threaded conversation view.

Achievements can now be shared with captions too. The Friends section has been updated to easily see what friends are doing and to stay up to update in their current activities on games they’ve been playing and game scores with data from the last month.

SmartGlass for Xbox One received an update to show users’ top games in their profile, and users can now see their friend’s popular games in SmartGlass. And Universal Remote Control within SmartGlass now enables users in new markets to control Xbox, TV, cable and set-top box.

Perhaps the most exciting feature found in this October update is the ability for Xbox One owners to play MKV files in the Media Player app via USB drives or over the network with the new support for DLNA streaming.

The Xbox One update for October also expands the support for OneGuide to eleven new countries, Live TV MiniGuide now allows to see more details about the TV content, and apps with live TV channels are able to include TV listing using OneGuide.

Finally there is an updated Devices & Accessories page and Xbox One owners are now able to hide games and apps on the console.

Indeed this is one of the biggest updates Xbox One has received and it’s awesome to see Microsoft keeping fast pace improving the gaming console. I personally hope the same dedication will reflect on Windows 10.

The update is rolling out immediately, as such everyone will start seeing the changes gradually.

Source Microsoft

About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.