Head of Platform Engineering for Xbox, Mike Ybarra, recently posted a Creators Update on Xbox, and in it, he detailed what sort of changes we can look forward to in 2017, with the updates coming to Xbox One and Windows 10.
The picture found up top, is currently the only peek that we have at the new dashboard, after Ybarra went to the dashboard during a recent stream. From what you can see, we get a look at the Guide on the left-hand side, which looks a bit cleaner and easier to use than what we are typically used to, and appears much more organized, with a better overall flow for navigating. Additionally, you can see the save screenshot, record that, and more recording options, all set to buttons for ease of access. All of this is in-line with the update details, and should make the overall gaming experience better. Now we will just have to wait and see how the other changes go.
Ybarra mentioned that in October, Beam, gamer-created tournaments, as well as other fan-requested features would be available in 2017, and it appears that some of those changes are on the way next week. A feature for Xbox One and Windows 10, Beam will connect to your Xbox Live account, and allow for streaming of your favorite games, both to Beam and your Xbox Live community, with no extra software, and viewers anywhere will be able to watch and interact with your broadcast.
Increased performance is also expected in the upcoming update. Windows Insiders will see some of the visual elements from Game Mode, which will add to gaming performance, starting this week, with the feature fully operational in builds soon after. For Xbox One gamers, an update will be coming to the guide, that should make it faster to complete tasks. By pressing the Xbox Button, players will be able to pull up the newly enhanced Guide, as an overlay on the left side of the screen (seen above). Additionally, some of the most popular multitasking experiences will be rebuilt for speed and ease of access, like recording you GameDVR clips, adjusting recording length, and accessing captures, directly in the Guide. Also, being added are, a new Achievement tracking overlay, Gamerscore Leaderboard, a new Cortana design, and controls for background music, making these features easier to use.
The team is also looking to improve the social aspect of gaming, by adding updates to the Activity Feed, allowing you to connect and share more, and improvements to Clubs and Looking for Group (LFG), such as better moderator tools for Clubs, and the ability to share LFG posts in your feed.
New tournaments from professional organizers, like ESL and FACEIT, will be coming to Arena on Xbox Live, and beginning with World of Tanks and Killer Instinct, players will also have the chance to create their own Arena Tournaments. Once a tournament is created, friends and club members will be able to see and join, and once the tournament ends, results will automatically be recorded, so they can be shared on Xbox Live and social networks. More supported titles for these gamer-created tournaments, will be added in time.
