Xbox One/360 Dashboard & Update Discussion (Retail/Beta/Preview Versions)

pcadhain

Some really nice new features coming to insiders including:

The ability to gift games and DLC to friends

Store more setup settings to the cloud e.g. home console, TV settings etc

More types of idle notifications and game hubs in the guide

Hiding games with no completed achievements from your profile

Edit: When I started writing this I forgot that CatiInABox is so much faster than me.

MiskyBoyy

pcadhain wrote: »

Some really nice new features coming to insiders including:

Edit: When I started writing this I forgot that CatiInABox is so much faster than me.

Oh dear summer child, how I feel your pain!

Mickeroo

Any word on how gifting will work?

wotzgoingon

That is a odd one alright. Unless they move to buying keys like steam. As I doubt they will let you buy a game and then when you are finished playing gift it to your friend.

pcadhain

Mickeroo wrote: »

Any word on how gifting will work?

Here's a gif that speeds through the process. Looks simple and great for me to send some lazy Christmas presents.

CatInABox

There's some odd restrictions on the gifting/codes as well, particularly around discounted games, and they're also not region free

There are a handful of rules and restrictions currently in place for digital gifting:

• Users can gift select Xbox One games, downloadable content (DLC), and subscriptions (Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass)
• Gifting of “durable” game DLC (map packs, weapon skins, etc.) is supported, but the gifting of “consumable” game DLC (virtual currency, etc.) is not supported.
• When a particular item is discounted, users are allowed to send two (2) gifts of that item every fourteen (14) days. The 14-day clock starts once the first copy is purchased at discount. Once the limit for that item is reached, users will not be able to purchase that item again as a gift until the 14-day period is over, even if the product is no longer discounted.
• Users are allowed to send ten (10) total gifts at discount every 14 days. There are no limits on items that are at full price.
• Not all Xbox One games are available for gifting, including some XPA titles.
• Xbox 360 backward compatible games and consumable DLC (such as virtual currency) are not eligible for gifting.
• Pre-ordered games and pre-ordered durable DLC are not eligible for gifting.
• Digital codes can only be redeemed in the country/region where they were purchased.
• Refunds for digital gifts are not supported, nor can entitlements for content or subscriptions be transferred once redeemed.
• Please see the gifting terms and conditions as well as the Microsoft Store terms and conditions for a full list of policies.

MJohnston

CatInABox wrote: »

There's some odd restrictions on the gifting/codes as well, particularly around discounted games, and they're also not region free

The region free thing is largely unimportant, you can just switch your console to a new region in a few minutes, redeem the code and download, then right away switch back to your actual region. The only time it’s difficult is when you need to buy something worth more than the code value, but I’m guessing this won’t ever be an issue with game gifting.

I’ve done the above a few times to buy digital movies on the Xbox that are available in the US but not Ireland yet. Amazon.com handily lets you buy digital USD Xbox gift cards with an Irish card.

runawaybishop

MJohnston wrote: »

The region free thing is largely unimportant, you can just switch your console to a new region in a few minutes, redeem the code and download, then right away switch back to your actual region. The only time it’s difficult is when you need to buy something worth more than the code value, but I’m guessing this won’t ever be an issue with game gifting.

I’ve done the above a few times to buy digital movies on the Xbox that are available in the US but not Ireland yet. Amazon.com handily lets you buy digital USD Xbox gift cards with an Irish card.

Won't work. Tied to account region, not xbox region.

Stone Deaf 4evr

runawaybishop wrote: »

Won't work. Tied to account region, not xbox region.

its often the case that games in brazil are cheaper than here, what happens if you had a friend in brazil who wanted to gift you a game? does he pay Irish prices?

runawaybishop

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote: »

its often the case that games in brazil are cheaper than here, what happens if you had a friend in brazil who wanted to gift you a game? does he pay Irish prices?

He pays his local price, but can't gift it to you successfully unless you have a Brazilian account.

CatInABox

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote: »

its often the case that games in brazil are cheaper than here, what happens if you had a friend in brazil who wanted to gift you a game? does he pay Irish prices?

I'd say so. I think the publishers are afraid of the sh*tshow that steam keys have become. It's possible that it might go region free if it's direct gifting, i.e. from one gamertag directly to another gamertag, so there's no possibility of the code being sold on a key reseller site.

As it is, most of the restrictions seem designed to combat people from stockpiling codes while they're on sale, and then selling them on when the price goes back up.

MJohnston

runawaybishop wrote: »

Won't work. Tied to account region, not xbox region.

You can change that very easily too, just not via the Xbox directly. It isn't how it used to be a few years ago where you had one region change and that was it.

runawaybishop

MJohnston wrote: »

You can change that very easily too, just not via the Xbox directly. It isn't how it used to be a few years ago where you had one region change and that was it.

If you have an address and a mobile for verification, then yes its easy.

MJohnston

runawaybishop wrote: »

If you have an address and a mobile for verification, then yes its easy.

You don't need a mobile, you do need an address. But nothing gets sent to that address, so it can be any valid address in the region you're wanting.

runawaybishop

MJohnston wrote: »

You don't need a mobile, you do need an address. But nothing gets sent to that address, so it can be any valid address in the region you're wanting.

I've been asked for a valid mobile number to verify, as of last week anyway creating a US account.

MJohnston

runawaybishop wrote: »

I've been asked for a valid mobile number to verify, as of last week anyway creating a US account.

I wasn't creating an account, I was switching the region of an existing account.

CatInABox

https://twitter.com/majornelson/status/931622186523095040

More improvements to the store, nice to see.

Of course, it'd be more welcome if the store wasn't riddled with reviews like: "Haven't bought it yet, but 5/5!!!! OMG!!!!"

pcadhain

I don't think I've ever seen Xbox be so active in improving the console experience as they are lately. It's not that long ago that they'd only update twice a year, in a spring and fall update. Now it's a constant evolution. I'm not part of the insider program, but 5/5!!!! OMG!!!!

marcbrophy

Howdy!

Is there a place that shows requested upcoming features?
I seem to remember a blog or something that people voted on ideas!

I'm mad for a wishlist in the store. But I don't see them ever putting one in.

runawaybishop

marcbrophy wrote: »

Howdy!

Is there a place that shows requested upcoming features?
I seem to remember a blog or something that people voted on ideas!

I'm mad for a wishlist in the store. But I don't see them ever putting one in.

https://xbox.uservoice.com/forums/363186--new-ideas

marcbrophy

runawaybishop wrote: »

https://xbox.uservoice.com/forums/363186--new-ideas

Thanks a million

marcbrophy

marcbrophy wrote: »

Howdy!

Is there a place that shows requested upcoming features?
I seem to remember a blog or something that people voted on ideas!

I'm mad for a wishlist in the store. But I don't see them ever putting one in.

Wouldn't have been on my radar until I got a PS4 and started using it on that, and not it feels essential.

CatInABox

New update is going out to everyone today, the 1802 update.

You can find out more about it here.

Most of the updates are minor, more quality of life things than major features.

CatInABox

https://twitter.com/WorkWombatman/status/965989161034371072

New build coming for Alpha ring insiders this week, apparently.

Remember, this is the first of a new build, so may be extra buggy for a few weeks.

CatInABox

141_Oscar_Mike wrote: »

Got set back till the weeks end unfortunately. Any ideas what it is? Avatars 2.0?

https://twitter.com/WorkWombatman/status/966045915118108673

1440p support is the only thing seriously hinted at so far, no clue on anything else.

CatInABox

https://twitter.com/WorkWombatman/status/968276687648468992

We'll learn more tomorrow. Be nice if the Beast from the East has us all stuck indoors with a new dashboard.

CatInABox

New Alpha update is rolling out.

1440p support
New Mixer stuff (Share your controller with a viewer, broadcasts don't stop when you swap games, other stuff like that)
Edge improvements (can now download and upload files)
Immersive Audio (More game balancing options, spatial audio now in the dash/guide)
New options for club invites
Cleaner feeds (removing posts about broadcasts that have already finished)
Tournaments are now part of game hubs

Also, they've rejiggered the Games with Gold, so you can now easily see which games you've got in the past. Nice.

Outside of this, they've also done some work on account security, making it easier to find your registered email address, claim back control of a stolen account.

CatInABox

Here's the fixes and (lengthy) known issues. I'd try it out, but Live is down.

Fixes:
Installation
Fixed several issues to improve the reliability and usability of game installations, updates, and content management.
Fixed an issue which impacted transferring content between drives.
Enabling the download 4K updates checkbox will now cause 4K updates to show up in the Updates tab of My games & apps.
Fixed an issue where installations interrupted due to slow network conditions could fail to automatically resume.
Fixed an issue where a “You need to free up space” dialog was displaying too often.
Fixed a bug where all items in the install Queue could show as “Queued” without making progress.
Profile Color
Fixed an issue which sometimes caused an incorrect Profile color to be used when powering on the console.
Known Issues:
Black Screen
When resuming from connected standby (with the console in Instant-On mode), you may encounter a black screen on the TV or monitor. You can avoid this issue by powering on the console prior to powering on the TV or monitor.
Workaround 1: If stuck in this state, unplug and reinsert the HDMI cord into the back of the console, then power the TV off/on.
Workaround 2: Disable IR blasting in Settings to prevent this issue from reoccurring.
System Update
When installing a system update, you may encounter an E200 error at the last stage of the installation.
Workaround: Unplug and re-plug the power cord, then power on the console normally—the console should go through the standard start up sequence and land on the dashboard.
Pins
If Microsoft Edge was pinned prior to downloading the 1804 update, attempting to launch Microsoft Edge from the existing pin will fail.
Workaround: Delete the old Microsoft Edge pin and re-pin Microsoft Edge.
Dolby Atmos
You may notice audio drops in receivers using Dolby Atmos for Home Theater.
Netflix
If Netflix crashes when first launched, check for an app update on the Store or from My games & apps.
HBO Go
If HBO GO crashes when first launched, check for an app update on the Store or from My games & apps.
Settings
When accessing the Language & location page in Settings, it may take a long time for the page to load.
Store
When browsing Add-Ons in the Store, the Show All page may appear blank
Pi-Hole
Pi-hole users may encounter issues signing in, creating, or recovering accounts upon downloading the 1804 update. This is due to a new configuration file which is downloaded from a URL Pi-hole blocks by default.
Workaround: Add clientconfig.passport.net to the Pi-hole allowed IP address list.

New system sounds on the latest alpha, terrible and only come from right speaker.

MJohnston

It's nice that they're switching to the UWP version of Edge - it should actually be usable as a browser. I wonder if they'll eventually let us install the extensions for it too?

If RTE/TV3 would hurry up and move their online players to HTML5 instead of Flash, I could actually use that to watch the rugby on the Xbox, as it's not like they'll ever make apps

CatInABox

New update tonight, with a new feature! Another 3.5GB update though

Possibly avatars?

nicklauski

MJohnston wrote: »

It's nice that they're switching to the UWP version of Edge - it should actually be usable as a browser. I wonder if they'll eventually let us install the extensions for it too?

If RTE/TV3 would hurry up and move their online players to HTML5 instead of Flash, I could actually use that to watch the rugby on the Xbox, as it's not like they'll ever make apps

Is there not a tv3 app there for the xbox? Or is that just a catch up service?

MJohnston

nicklauski wrote: »

Is there not a tv3 app there for the xbox? Or is that just a catch up service?

It's just catch-up, for whatever reason.

CatInABox

141_Oscar_Mike wrote: »

Yep, another big alpha update. Intriguing..

The new feature is the Mixer controller streaming apparently, so no avatars this time around.

Wonder why they need the big updates though

runawaybishop

CatInABox wrote: »

The new feature is the Mixer controller streaming apparently, so no avatars this time around.

Wonder why they need the big updates though

Features are often included but not turned on.

nicklauski

MJohnston wrote: »

It's just catch-up, for whatever reason.

Never know when you want to watch Red Rock I suppose.

Mixer stuff should enabled by now according to an earlier post on Reddit.

CatInABox

Freesync 2.0 with HDR support is coming in an alpha build next week or so, for both the X and the S. The OG Xbox One gets Freesync support too, just not 2.0. EDIT: Bad Article. The first part is right though.



Very interesting.

CatInABox

CatInABox wrote: »

Freesync 2.0 with HDR support is coming in an alpha build next week or so, for both the X and the S. The OG Xbox One gets Freesync support too, just not 2.0. EDIT: Bad Article. The first part is right though.

Very interesting.

These two features have now been enabled in the Alpha preview. It'll be very interesting to see if VRR works with Monitors with Freesync enabled HDMI ports.

https://twitter.com/WorkWombatman/status/973651853857574912

Been holding off on getting a new one to see how these pan out.

runawaybishop

141_Oscar_Mike wrote: »

Must be laying the foundations for something.

141_Oscar_Mike wrote: »

https://twitter.com/WCGamingTweets/status/973916802496565250

Indeed.

marcbrophy

Read somewhere earlier that an auto low latency TV mode is on the cards for this year, probably for the Autumn update.

Detects what TV you have and puts in into a low latency or gaming mode when you boot into a game, versus an app, where you might not want it.

Sounds good

EDIT: Just read that it was in yesterday's alpha release, never mind what I was saying about Autumn :P

maximoose

Hopefully optional, the "game" mode on my LG is awful.

marcbrophy

maximoose wrote: »

Hopefully optional, the "game" mode on my LG is awful.

I would imagine so!

Anyone on alpha check it out?
I'm still on beta :mad:

CatInABox

marcbrophy wrote: »

I would imagine so!

Anyone on alpha check it out?
I'm still on beta :mad:

It requires new hardware on your TV, so it's not going to matter for another couple of years or so. Most likely, it'll be an option that you have to enable.

CatInABox

CatInABox wrote: »

Freesync 2.0 with HDR support is coming in an alpha build next week or so, for both the X and the S. The OG Xbox One gets Freesync support too, just not 2.0. EDIT: Bad Article. The first part is right though.



Very interesting.

Huh. Turns out that the article I was looking at was right, the OG Xbox One gets Freesync 1.0 support. Forbes is a hot mess of good and bad contributors, so I always take everything on there with a generous pinch of salt and double checking.

Here's AMDs release here, but here's the relevant quote:

The Microsoft Xbox One X and Xbox One S now support FreeSync™ 2, and Xbox One will support FreeSync™ technology. Enabled in the console’s menu, players will experience FreeSync™ with an HDMI™ connected FreeSync™ capable display

wotzgoingon

It is good but regarding monitors there are very few Freesync enabled HDMI monitors as most work over displayport.

wotzgoingon

wotzgoingon wrote: »

It is good but regarding monitors there are very few Freesync enabled HDMI monitors as most work over displayport.

Hmmm that gives me pause on one I was going to pull the trigger on, need to check that.

CatInABox

Alpha ring testers are moving onto a newer build tonight, so I'd assume that the current build will be released to everyone soon.

Mad how they're running behind on all the Win10 and Xbox builds though, it was all meant to be released a weekend or two ago.

It's a bigger download too as opposed to the 350mb or so ones of late.