Xbox One October 2014 system update

Xbox’s October update has been announced, bringing with it a slew of highly desirable features. First and foremost is some new functionality wherein double-tapping the guide button snaps a 360 guide menu-esque screen next to whatever you’re playing. This screen gives you easy access to a bunch of options: Friends, Messages, Game DVR, a clock, and a battery indicator. There are also improved options for opening and closing snapped apps.

They’ve also introduced enhancements to the Achievements app, the Friends section, and SmartGlass. The media player has been updated to include DNLA and MKV support for you AV-inclined folks out there, and there is also now the ability to assign devices to individual users and hide games from the library if desired. It’s a pretty massive list, which you can check out here or take a look at the video below the break.

One of the biggest criticisms with the Xbox One is that it undid a lot of the things that the Xbox 360 did right. The biggest issue many people had was that it was harder than ever to access social features like friends lists and messaging. While it has been getting better over the past year, the October update should finally put the nail in the antisocial coffin.