Microsoft is now rolling out the Creators Update for Xbox One consoles for all users. This new version of the console delivers a slew of new features and improvements, including better Home and Guide experiences, better multitasking, Beam integration, and a lot more.
Alongside the release of the new feature update, Microsoft has also revealed that the Creators Update for Windows 10 will be rolling out starting April 11th. While both are good news, it’s unusual to get a major console update, before a significant update for Windows 10 rolls out. However, this is how things are happening this time around.
With the Creators Update for Xbox One, here’s what you can expect when the update downloads and installs on your console.
Xbox One Creators Update new features
Home overhaul
On the Creators Update for Xbox One, the Home dashboard is getting significant interface changes to simplify navigation and increase overall system performance by optimizing for speed and prioritizing the most valuable content for games.
In this new update, icons for games with options are smaller to dive deeper into the community surrounding the game, as well as the ability to interact with your Club or find Looking for Group posts, view your Achievements and more.
If you don’t have a custom background set, you’ll see that the updated Home also spotlights the game you’re currently playing by featuring hero art as your Xbox background.
Faster Guide
Pressing the Xbox button on your controller, you can now pull up the newly enhanced Guide as an overlay on the left side of your screen.
The first page of the Guide includes the most important content you need, including your Games and Apps, Home, Store, your recently launched applications, the latest Games and Deals with Gold for Xbox Live Gold members, and your top Pins.
If you’re playing music in the background, you can access the controls directly from the Guide, which enables you to control play, pause, rewind, fast forward, and manage volume controls.
Additionally, you can now capture screenshots and record video with a simple press of a button. And in the GameDVR menu, it’s easier to access capture gameplay and to modify your options, you’ll see in the menu overlay that it lasts up to 5 minutes and within the Guide, but you can also ‘Record this’ for up to 10 minutes.
Multitasking improvements
Improving multitasking was also a top-priority on the Creators Update, and now it’s easier to do pretty much anything. For example, Microsoft added a new achievement tracker that is active based on the game you’re playing, and allows you to select and follow multiple achievements in an overlay.
Cortana will also appear as an overlay on your screen, allowing you to set reminders and alarms, access Party controls, and play music with simple voice controls.
Beam integration
Beam now comes installed by default, and it allows anyone to be a broadcaster in nearly real-time out-of-the-box. Directly from the Guide on your Xbox One, you now have the ability manage your Beam broadcasts and interact with fellow gamers on chat overlays that appear on your screen.
You can check this guide to learn how to start broadcasting on Xbox One using Beam.
Accessibility
The Xbox One Creators Update also focus on making the gaming experience more accessible. In this new release, you’ll find new accessibility features, such as Capilot, which allows two controllers to act as if they were one. This will help make the gaming experience more inviting to gamers who can benefit from playing along with another person.
The update also adds new enhancements to Magnifier and Narrator, as well as giving more options over audio output and custom rumble settings on a controller. You can find these accessibility options, and more, in Settings > Ease of Access.
Alongside these new features, you’ll find a number of other improvements, including bitstream pass-through that allows receivers to decode audio natively, and you can also set Screen Time Limits to limit kids game time. The Xbox One Creators Update is available now, but it may take some time to reach everyone.
How to get the Xbox One Creators Update
If you can’t wait, you can force the update, doing the following:
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Open Settings.
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Select System.
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Click on Console info & updates.
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Click on Update console.
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Click on Start update to begin the process.
Source Microsoft
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 15 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 21 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. Email him at [email protected].