New Xbox One System Update Will Add Cortana This Summer

Microsoft has really been focusing on creating an ecosystem among Windows PCs, Windows phones and Xbox One consoles. Between sharing games and game saves, apps that work across all gadgets and more, Microsoft wants everything made to play nicely with each other. The next step, coming this summer, is getting Cortana on Xbox One.“Wait a second,” you might be saying. “I’ve played Halo 5. Cortana is already on Xbox One!” Ah, what a jokester you are. For those unaware, Cortana is Microsoft’s response to Apple’s Siri. You can use voice commands to tell Cortana what to do. The service is already available on other Windows platforms, but will be new to Xbox One with the latest update.Also coming in the update is an overhaul of many Xbox One staples. The Store will be redesigned, the My Games & Apps section will be moved around and the activity feed can be customized more to your liking.The Xbox One update will be rolling out to Preview members starting as early as today. It should be noted there are already a list of known bugs, but that’s what the Preview program is all about: squashing bugs and making the experience as good as it can be when it goes live for everyone. If you are a Preview member and do not wish to participate in this update, you can opt out while still remaining a Preview member.The full patch notes for the Xbox One update can be found below.OS version released: th2_xb_rel_1606.160603-1924 Available: 6:30PM PDT 6/6 (1:00AM GMT 7/6) Thanks for helping us test the latest Xbox One update! We’re eager to show off the new features and experiences we’ve been working on. We’ve noted below a few important things be aware of before you jump in. Certain content (games, apps, DLC) purchased in the new Store may only be available on consoles enrolled in the latest Preview update. This means… Games purchased on a console running the latest Preview update can only be played on that console or other consoles running the latest Preview update. Games purchased via Xbox.com can be played on any console. Games purchased on a console running the previous update can be played on any console. We’ve added several settings that are already found on Windows today. These include SmartScreen Filter, which sends URLs you visit in apps to Microsoft to check against a list of potentially harmful sites, and advertising ID, which helps Microsoft present you with more personalized ads in Universal Windows Apps. You can choose to turn these off and manage your preferences for how Xbox One uses your information in Settings. NEW EXPERIENCES AND FEATURES The latest Xbox One update is here! This update brings a host of new experiences and features to Xbox One, a number of which are a result of feedback from xbox.uservoice.com. Thanks for all the great feedback, and please read on for some of the exciting changes to expect in this update! Cortana Cortana is coming to Xbox One this summer and making a splash! You can enable Cortana by navigating to Settings > System > Cortana. Once enabled, just say “Hey Cortana” to get started. Cortana supports natural language and interprets requests and carries out commands. In addition, Cortana can tell jokes, recommend movies, search the web, and more! Check out the Cortana Voice Command and Information post to learn more. Here are a few of the things Cortana can do: Cortana supports natural language instead of the use of specific phrases or commands. Just say “Hey Cortana” and ask her a question or give her a command! Use Cortana and voice commands from your headset; no Kinect needed! Kinect owners can ask Cortana about things like time, weather, and sports scores. For example: “Hey Cortana, what time is it”? “Hey Cortana, will I need a jacket today? “Hey Cortana, did the Golden State Warriors win yesterday?” My Games & Apps My Games & Apps has received a significant overhaul. You’ll now find My Games & Apps on the home screen in the upper right corner next to the game or app in use. Here are a few of the new features in My Games & Apps: Vew detailed information about games and apps being downloaded in the Queue. You’ll notice several sort options at the top of Games, Apps, and Ready to Install. You can use these to sort, filter, and increase or decrease the size of tiles. Activity Feed You can now customize what is shared in the Activity Feed by navigating to Settings > Preferences > Activity Feed. Store The Xbox Store has been redesigned! You’ll now find more detailed information about games, apps, movies, TV shows, and more in the new Store. CURRENT KNOWN ISSUES Pins After downloading an app update, the app and all associated content pins will become unpinned from the dashboard. This only occurs once for each app after downloading the latest Xbox One update. Pinning content from within apps (TV shows, etc.) is no longer supported. Cortana If Cortana doesn’t hear you the first time, you can usually try saying the phrase again. In some cases Cortana won’t recognize the name of a game or app. This is an issue we’re working to address, so please use Report a problem if you encounter it. If Cortana says she didn’t hear you right after you say “Hey Cortana”, navigate to Settings > Account > Privacy > App > Speech > Collect Info (accept)” and toggle the setting On/Off. When Cortana is “Thinking…” sometimes the sounds continue longer than intended. You can open Cortana from Guide or My Games & Apps and then close it again by hitting B button. On the first use of “Hey Cortana” after a reboot or crash, Cortana snaps but may display no results. You may be unable to use See-It-Say-It in various apps such as Netflix, YouTube, and the Blu-Ray Player app. EA Access Game trials offered as part of an EA Access subscription may fail to install or launch. EA Access vault games may fail install or launch. Payments and Billing At this time it’s not possible to add, edit, or remove payment options on the console. Please use Xbox.com or another console not enrolled in the latest Xbox One update to manage payment options. Profile At this time it’s not possible to change your Gamertag on the console. Please use Xbox.com or another console not enrolled in the latest Xbox One update to change your Gamertag. Xbox Universal Store Certain types of consumable DLC (coins, points, currencies, etc.) may fail to appear in-game after being purchased from the Store. This affects multiple titles including Overwatch. Restarting the game may resolve this issue. When initiating a game installation from a Store page, the game displays “Ready to launch” even while it is still installing. At this time it’s not possible to redeem a 5×5 code for Xbox Live Gold on the console. Please use Xbox.com or another console not enrolled in the latest Xbox One update to redeem a 5×5 code for Xbox Live Gold. You may be unable to buy, rent, or play certain movies or TV shows from the Store (the purchase button may not appear on the Store page). Please buy or rent movies and TV shows from another Windows 10 device and use the Movies & TV app to view them on Xbox One. The Store may fail to filter game and app results when using Search. Play-To Play-To may fail to initiate with an error indicating “Sorry, we can’t take you there.” My Games & Apps You may encounter an error when attempting to load Ready to Install if you have a large digital library. Games and apps may occasionally fail to launch due to a “Something went wrong” or “Took too long to start” error. In most cases, this can be resolved by simply closing and relaunching the game or app. Certain titles may not display in the correct language for your console when installed via My games & apps. Playing Games You may be unable to purchase content or currencies from the in-game interface with certain games. And here are all the details on the current build of Cortana: Thanks for participating in the Xbox One Preview and checking out Cortana! Our vision is for Cortana to help elevate your game and become your personal digital assistant for gaming. To get started you can just say “Hey Cortana”. You can also launch Cortana from Snap Center in the Guide, or from My Games & Apps. Cortana works with headsets. If you don’t have a Kinect just plug in a headset and start using speech on your console. Cortana also understands you when you speak naturally, and will recognize commands you’re already familiar with. Just say “Hey Cortana” instead of “Xbox” for commands you already use. For instance you can say “Hey Cortana, go home” in place of “Xbox go home”. Things to Try: Launch a game or app by saying “Hey Cortana, open {game/app name}” or something fun like “Hey Cortana, let’s play {game name}”. Check on what a friend is up to without pausing your game by saying “Hey Cortana, what is {friend name} up to?” Invite a friend to a party with a single phrase by saying “Hey Cortana, invite {friend name} to a party. Search the web with “Hey Cortana, search the web for Xbox One”. Known Issues: It’s early for Cortana on Xbox One and we’ll continue to make improvements and build new features. We’re still tuning Cortana, so please bear with us, and be sure to report issues via Report a problem! If Cortana doesn’t hear you the first time, you can usually try saying the phrase again. In some cases Cortana won’t recognize the name of a game or app. This is an issue we’re working to address, so please use Report a problem if you encounter it. If Cortana says she didn’t hear you right after you say “Hey Cortana”, navigate to Settings > Account > Privacy > App > Speech > Collect Info (accept)” and toggle the setting On/Off. When Cortana is “Thinking…” sometimes the sounds continue longer than intended. You can open Cortana from Guide or My Games & Apps and then close it again by hitting B button. We need your feedback to make Cortana the best experience possible. When you encounter an issue, please use Report a problem (hold down the Xbox button on the controller and select Report a problem from the power menu) to let us know. Thank you so much for helping us perfect Cortana on Xbox One! -The Cortana TeamSo what do you think? Are you excited about the changes coming to Xbox One consoles? What else would you like to see get tweaked in a new update? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.