Xbox One multiplayer update launches, paving the way to Titanfall

By Adam Rosenberg March 5, 2014

xbox one multiplayer update launches paving way titanfall bundle — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Check out our review of Titanfall.

The latest Xbox One update, which makes substantial changes to the online interaction capabilities of the new console, is officially live, one week in advance of the multiplayer-only Titanfall‘s release. Don’t be alarmed if you fire up your Xbox right now and don’t receive the update immediately; the rollout happens gradually, so it might not have reached you yet.

Microsoft Chief Product Officer Marc Whitten runs through the specifics of what’s new and what’s changed in a new update on Xbox Wire. Your Friends list now appears on the main page of the Friends app, meaning you no longer have to launch the app and then select a menu item to find out which of your buddies are online. Party chat will also now be on by default when you start one up, and a new invite option allows you to bring friends into whatever game you happen to be playing (assuming it’s multiplayer, of course). There’s quite a bit more as well, including Dolby Digital 5.1 support via the optical out port and, of course, the long-awaited implementation of Twitch streaming support.

Whitten concludes the post with some hints of what might be coming in future updates. He specifically mentions external hard drive storage as one “to be added” feature. He also points to “friends notification improvements,” presumably a reference to the Xbox 360’s pop-ups alerting you when friends sign on, which is absent on the Xbox One.

The multiplayer/online interactions focus of the March update is a product of Titanfall‘s imminent release. The Xbox console-exclusive is Microsoft’s hoped-for “killer app” in these early days of the new console cycle. If you’re curious to know more about this March update, be sure to follow the source link for Whitten’s full rundown.

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Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

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