Xbox One Update: June 2014

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

June Xbox One Update Adds Real Name Support And Other Handy Options

 

 

The next release of what appear to be monthly firmware updates for Microsoft's Xbox One console will add a handful of useful options, including real name and external drive support, according to a summary of the changes that Microsoft share with Kotaku in advance of an official announcement.

 

The real name and external storage options will give the Xbox One its own variation on features offered for the PlayStation 4 and Wii U, respectively.

 

Other changes include the ability to set the console to automatically sign in a specific system user and improvements to SmartGlass. Users of SmartGlass, the phone/tablet second-screen app, will be able to run the TV-listing OneGuide and even re-order the pins of preferred apps that appear on the Xbox One homescreen with their fingertips. (You can only do this last thing on the console itself by moving a given pin to the start of the stack, one at a time.)

 

The hard drive option will give users extra storage for saving games, downloadable content expansions and apps. The system will support up to two drives at once, treating them as the default destination for downloaded content. Drives will need to be at least 256GB and support USB 3.0 connections. Games can boot off the drive, and the drives don't need to have their own power supply.

 

Microsoft is suggesting that people take their drives to their friend's house to then use their games there, though they say that doing that will require that the person with the drive either sign into Xbox Live to confirm their ownership of any game they had bought via download or insert a disc to confirm they own the game.

 

If you're comparison-shopping, the Wii U also supports external drives, though Nintendo advises users to use self-powered drives. Sony does not support external storage but uses a standard internal harddrive that users can swap out on their own. Swapping out a drive in the Xbox One voids the system's warranty.

 

 

As for Microsoft's real name system, an Xbox Live user will be able to set an option to display their real name next to their Gamertag for all of their friends, specific friends, or none. Those real names won't show up in multiplayer games and will only be seen at the system level.

 

Again, by comparison, Wii U does not support real names. The PS4 does, since launch, but handles them differently. On Sony's console a user sends a specific person on their friends list a "real name request". The other person has to accept it, at which point, both users appear to each other, on the system level, with their real names. The PSN gaming names don't appear at the system level anymore, though those real names don't appear in games. There is no way to do bulk real-name changes a la Microsoft's new plan.

 

Microsoft did not say exactly when in June the new update will hit, but they did indicate that it will be timed to hit shortly before the recently-announced plan to remove the Xbox Live Gold requirement for video streaming apps.

 

Source: Kotaku

 

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Xbox One Update: May 2014

 

Xbox One Owner Impressions

 

DirectX 12 Coming to Xbox One

[Mandosis]

Thats awesome. As long as the external drives don't need to be formatted I will hook up my 2TB drive to it. Also real name support is a cool feature.

[dipsylalapo Supervisor]

I'd like some more information about that external drive update. Does the drive need to be formatted and only be used for the One? Not at the point where I'm running out of space but I know this is a feature that the community have been crying out for. Hopefully I'll be able to give it a test when the previews roll out.

[George P Global Moderator]

Having up to 2 drives connected at a single time is a plus, also the fact that you can take them with you to a friends house is a big bonus.

 

Those who are asking about if it has to be formatted or not, I'm betting it will have to be, they're not going to just dump game files on a normal NTFS formatted external drive you own.  They're going to format it and use a encrypted NTFS volume with some form of bitlocker to keep it secure etc.

[Thief000]

Excellent! Can't wait to see my preview build. Rumors about certain limits that I heard were true though...256GB or larger only? LOL. I'm curious to see what else they've limited.

Having up to 2 drives connected at a single time is a plus, also the fact that you can take them with you to a friends house is a big bonus.

 

Those who are asking about if it has to be formatted or not, I'm betting it will have to be, they're not going to just dump game files on a normal NTFS formatted external drive you own.  They're going to format it and use a encrypted NTFS volume with some form of bitlocker to keep it secure etc.

 

Yes, It MUST be formatted for it to work, even if the Xbox One file system is NTFS.

[spacer]

Auto-sign-in. Finally.

[Mandosis]

Having up to 2 drives connected at a single time is a plus, also the fact that you can take them with you to a friends house is a big bonus.

 

Those who are asking about if it has to be formatted or not, I'm betting it will have to be, they're not going to just dump game files on a normal NTFS formatted external drive you own.  They're going to format it and use a encrypted NTFS volume with some form of bitlocker to keep it secure etc.

Im not so sure. I think they mentioned it a long time ago that you would not need to reformat it. But who knows that could easily have changed. I hope not but if thats the case I will just buy a new drive that will be used only for my Xbox.

[spacer]

Excellent! Can't wait to see my preview build. Rumors about certain limits that I heard were true though...256GB or larger only? LOL. I'm curious to see what else they've limited.

To be honest, Normal HDDs are extremely cheap and apparently games this generation are going to use a ridiculous amount of space on disk. Why would you even bother buying an extra HDD if it was smaller than 256gb? That would be space for a handful of games, if even that.

 

True, having a minimum required size doesn't make sense, but neither doesn't using a HDD that's smaller than that.

[Thief000]

To be honest, Normal HDDs are extremely cheap and apparently games this generation are going to use a ridiculous amount of space on disk. Why would you even bother buying an extra HDD if it was smaller than 256gb? That would be space for a handful of games, if even that.

 

True, having a minimum required size doesn't make sense, but neither doesn't using a HDD that's smaller than that.

 

Oh I agree, but many have USB sticks that are smaller than that and they should be able to work even looking at performance. Besides, the 256GB or larger ones still cost an arm and a leg and are still easier to carry around than an external HDD.

Many games are still under the 50GB mark, so I think it's a bit stubborn from MS to do this and not allow the limit to be 64GB or higher. 

[spacer]

Oh I agree, but many have USB sticks that are smaller than that and they should be able to work even looking at performance. Besides, the 256GB or larger ones still cost an arm and a leg and are still easier to carry around than an external HDD.

Many games are still under the 50GB mark, so I think it's a bit stubborn from MS to do this and not allow the limit to be 64GB or higher. 

Yeah it really doesn't make any sense.

[Aergan]

Excellent! Can't wait to see my preview build. Rumors about certain limits that I heard were true though...256GB or larger only? LOL. I'm curious to see what else they've limited.

 

Yes, It MUST be formatted for it to work, even if the Xbox One file system is NTFS.

 

Stab in the dark for non-game installed size reasons:

• A lot of >=256GB spinning HDD's are single platter and have horrendeous seek times
• It could also be that they're trying to stop affordable SSD drives being used for some reason

[dipsylalapo Supervisor]

Auto-sign-in. Finally.

 One of the benefits of the Kinect :P

[George P Global Moderator]

Im not so sure. I think they mentioned it a long time ago that you would not need to reformat it. But who knows that could easily have changed. I hope not but if thats the case I will just buy a new drive that will be used only for my Xbox.

 

We'll wait and see but I think for security reasons there will be some type of encryption in use, now NTFS can just encrypt specific files only but to make it harder for pirating and so on it'd be best to have you format the whole drive/volume and also use bitlocker which, IIRC, does require a format, though I could be wrong.

[Thief000]

 

Stab in the dark for non-game installed size reasons:

• A lot of >=256GB spinning HDD's are single platter and have horrendeous seek times
• It could also be that they're trying to stop affordable SSD drives being used for some reason

 

 

Who knows, it could be. My friend couldn't give me an answer on that one either.

 

We'll wait and see but I think for security reasons there will be some type of encryption in use, now NTFS can just encrypt specific files only but to make it harder for pirating and so on it'd be best to have you format the whole drive/volume and also use bitlocker which, IIRC, does require a format, though I could be wrong.

 

Bitlocker is a full disk encryption.

[George P Global Moderator]

Who knows, it could be. My friend couldn't give me an answer on that one either.

 

 

Bitlocker is a full disk encryption.

 

That's how I remember it, the fact they say you can take your drive with you and you'll have to either login to your account or pop-in the disc says to me they're going to be using encryption and user permissions and so on.  No way they're just going to be copying game files to a drive otherwise.

[jerzdawg]

great list, next feature I need is the option to boot into an app, in my case TV.

[xendrome]

3D Blu-Ray, no?...... :/

[Thief000]

That's how I remember it, the fact they say you can take your drive with you and you'll have to either login to your account or pop-in the disc says to me they're going to be using encryption and user permissions and so on.  No way they're just going to be copying game files to a drive otherwise.

 

Of course they won't, but Bitlocker (To Go, in this instance) has a unique set of problems when sharing the drive between multiple devices and doesn't always give full access on another device, which would be meh in this case if I couldn't save a game on a second console for example. I hope this isn't the case and that the encryption keys are properly handled by the systems so that a drive can be plugged into another console without any problem.

I also heard media files won't yet be supported in this update (just like it doesn't on external drives currently), only games, add-ons and apps, which I also find kind of stubborn, but that's what you get with full drive encryption. At least the Xbox 360 allowed us to do this and I hope that returns to the Xbox One in the future.

3D Blu-Ray, no?...... :/

 

Not yet, but that will be an app update sooner or later.

[spacer]

 One of the benefits of the Kinect :p

I have mine plugged in. It never works.  :pinch:

[RevitXman]

Excellent! Can't wait to see my preview build. Rumors about certain limits that I heard were true though...256GB or larger only? LOL. I'm curious to see what else they've limited.

 

Yes, It MUST be formatted for it to work, even if the Xbox One file system is NTFS.

I dont see how hard drives smaller then 256GB is limiting...

[jerzdawg]

I dont see how hard drives smaller then 256GB is limiting...

because people need something to bitch about... I would imagine most USB 3.0 external drives have 500gb or more anyway.  If people want to cry because the 32gb thumb drive they used on their 360 doesnt work on their one then there is no stopping them.

[DeltaXray]

Impressed at the speed Microsoft are getting these updates out.

 

Sony have been so slow with their updates. Only one so far of any substance :/

[Showan]

  

[Emn1ty]

Does it support SSD? (I assume it does) and if so i'll be really happy about that. Booting games from an external SSD would make this console a lot snappier I think. Although with a little searching it seems an SSD doesn't get much improvement over the stock drive.

[Mandosis]

External storage will need to be reformatted.