Microsoft has just rolled out their latest Xbox firmware update, and it delivers a pretty meaty suite of new features. These include full Discord voice channel integration, the ability to stream directly to Twitch, Lightstream, and Streamlabs Studio, a new dedicated app for your captures, Xbox Store sale notifications, and more. You can check out the full list of new features, below.
Connect to your Discord voice channels from your Xbox console
“Starting today, we’ve made it even easier to chat with Discord friends across mobile, console, and PC. When your Discord account is linked to Xbox, you can now join voice channels from your Discord servers directly from your Xbox console. To try it, open the guide, scroll to Parties & chats, and select Discord. Then scroll through your available Discord servers and pick a voice channel. You’ll see a preview of your friends who are in a Discord server and voice channel before you join.”
Noise suppression in Discord Voice on Xbox Series X|S
“Noise suppression has been activated to produce even clearer audio when you connect to Discord Voice on Xbox Series X|S consoles. This feature blocks background noises like barking dogs and clicking keyboards while continuing to clearly transmit your voice. If you prefer your audio unfiltered, you can turn it off in the Discord call Options section.”
Wish list gifting and sale notifications – Microsoft Store on Xbox
“Gifting from your wish list is getting easier this holiday! When you share your Xbox wish list from your console or xbox.com with family and friends, they’ll receive a notification to check it out. They can choose to Buy as a gift and have it sent to you, and they’ll receive a notification once you’ve received it.
You’ll also get notifications when items on your wish list go on sale. The new wish list notification will show up in the guide and as a pop-up to let you know when your wish list games go on sale and what the discount is. New preferences for Store notifications have also been added. In Settings > Preferences > Store notifications, you can decide if you want to see notifications in the guide, when your wish list items are on sale, and more.”
New integrated Captures app for your gaming moments
“We’ve added a new Captures app to your Xbox. You can find it in the Capture & share tab of the guide, as well as My games & apps, and it offers improved viewing, management, and editing of your game captures. It lets you copy your game clips and screenshots directly to an external drive. For better playback quality, Xbox Series X|S consoles now provide an increased bit rate for game clips captured in 720p and 1080p.”
Enhanced power options and customization
“More detailed information about Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One console power usage is now available. Under Settings > General > Power options, you can compare the power use of your console in either Shutdown (energy saving) or Sleep mode to help you decide which works best for you. New Xbox Series X|S consoles default to Shutdown (energy saving) mode, which you can change any time in Settings. We’ve also added the ability to further customize your power options, including the ability to turn off the console after a specified period of inactivity.”
Live stream with Twitch, Lightstream, and Streamlabs Studio from your Xbox console
“You can now start your live stream directly from your Xbox console with Twitch, Lightstream, and Streamlabs. Open the guide and go to Capture & share > Live streaming > More options. Then scroll down to Destination to stream from the Twitch, Lightstream, or Streamlabs Studio apps. With the newly integrated streaming experiences, the Twitch app on Xbox consoles is now dedicated to viewing only.”
Controller rumble for Xbox Cloud Gaming (beta) on PC and Mac
“Get ready for a more immersive cloud gaming experience! Controller rumble is now available for cloud gaming on PC and Mac via Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome browsers, with Samsung TVs also being updated this month. Pick up your favorite controller that supports controller rumble, like the Xbox Wireless Controller or Sony DualShock 4, and start playing.”
Recommendations in Settings
“We’ve added a new Recommendations section in Settings with a summary of things you can do to get the most out of your Xbox. Recommendations vary between consoles and accounts based on your current settings. For example, a recommendation to “Set up your audio” will help you play your media to its highest potential.”
Ask to join
“Want to join a friend’s game? You can now “Ask to join” directly from someone’s profile and not just from the “Happening now” page. Your friend will get notified that you’re interested and can respond with an invite or message.”
The November update should be rolling out to Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S owners now. What are your thoughts? Which of these new Xbox features do you see yourself actually taking advantage of?
