A few major pain points have already been addressed, including improvements to party chat and the introduction of YouTube sharing. Another software update is on the way this June and the patch is slated to address two issues that users have been pushing for since day one…
Limited storage space has been a concern of ours, and of many consumers, since we found out the Xbox One wouldn’t offer external storage at launch. Major Nelson confirmed plans to add external storage in a post-launch patch from the get go, but many consumers were hesitant to purchase a console without swappable hard drive support before some kind of file mobility became available. When the June update arrives, external storage support will officially be an option for Xbox One owners.
Once the update is downloaded, users will be able to connect an external hard drive (256 GB or larger) to the console through the USB 3.0 input. Hard drives can be used to store games, data, or any other files you want to move off-console to free up space. The new ability will give players the opportunity to move full games and DLC from one console to another for gaming on the go. The second console will require an Xbox Live sign-in or having the disc in the drive to verify that the game’s owner is present.
Players who opt for the digital version of most of their purchases are likely already aware that the console’s respectably-sized internal hard drive fills up pretty quickly when you are buying even just a game or two per month. For those of us who like to keep things digital and clear up the DVD shelves of extra clutter, this is definitely good news.
If you’re a gamer who isn’t too worried about backing up your Xbox One files, don’t worry, there’s good news outside of the storage realm, as well. The June update will also finally add real name support to Xbox Live friends lists. The feature has been requested many times by gamers (and was initially planned to be implemented at the console’s launch), but it sounds like we’ll finally be able to opt to see our friends real names show up on our friends lists in just a few weeks.
Major Nelson explained the motivation behind the addition of real names and the details of how it would work in his patch announcement post:
For the obvious reasons that Nelson mentioned, this will be a huge convenience for gamers whose friends lists have spiraled out of control. It’s reassuring that it sounds like the proper security precautions are being taken as well, so that only a hand-selected group of friends can see your name displayed.
Most importantly, we heard your feedback that to make this most useful you need full control. You’ll be able to share with all your friends, a subset of your choosing, friends of friends or none at all. The choice is yours. Also, your name doesn’t show up in games, and you can change your settings any time from your profile and when adding new friends.
Additional updates in the patch include improvements to SmartGlass, TV and OneGuide, and automatic sign-in defaults. The full summary of planned changescan be found on Xbox Wire. No release date was confirmed for the update.
Do you plan to pick up an external hard drive to use with your Xbox One? Will you opt to allow your friends to see your real name on their Xbox Live friends list? Let us know in the comments.
Follow Denny on Twitter @The_DFC.
Source: Xbox Wire
