Xbox One's final update of 2014 is now live

Xbox One home screen customization personalization backgrounds custom
Xbox One users will have way more customization options soon

Update 10/11/14: Microsoft's November system update for the Xbox One is the console's biggest update so far. And the company has announced the update is now live and currently being rolled out.

If you turn your Xbox One on today, you're going to appreciate some of the new changes including, for the first time, customisable backgrounds.

Original story: Microsoft is absolutely killing it with Xbox One updates, and the next one to roll out is no exception.

The company promised when the new Xbox launched that it would frequently update it with new features, and the latest much-requested addition is the ability to assign background colors and images for each profile on your console.

Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Game Studios Phil Spencer signaled in early October, that this feature was coming, but he didn't say how soon.

Now Xbox Live Director of Programming Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb has confirmed on Xbox Wire that users will be able to choose a custom background color or assign any high-res achievement photo - accessed by unlocking achievements in games - as their home screen image.

What to watch?

A later update will also let users set any image at all as their background, using the Xbox One's media player app.

There are also major changes to users' profiles, including the return of the "bio" section and the ability to pin certain screenshots, clips, achievements, and other materials to your profile as a sort of Xbox résumé.

The new live TV OneGuide also has trending lists and popular movie lists for users unsure what to watch, and there's a new "What's On" section of the dashboard that serves much the same purpose.

Finally the console's Internet Explorer app, SmartGlass, and the Xbox One store have all been improved as well.

Check out the video below to see some of these additions in action. The new update is rolling out to preview users now, and will arrive for more users in November.

Michael Rougeau

Michael Rougeau is a former freelance news writer for TechRadar. Studying at Goldsmiths, University of London, and Northeastern University, Michael has bylines at Kotaku, 1UP, G4, Complex Magazine, Digital Trends, GamesRadar, GameSpot, IFC, Animal New York, @Gamer, Inside the Magic, Comic Book Resources, Zap2It, TabTimes, GameZone, Cheat Code Central, Gameshark, Gameranx, The Industry, Debonair Mag, Kombo, and others.


Micheal also spent time as the Games Editor for Playboy.com, and was the managing editor at GameSpot before becoming an Animal Care Manager for Wags and Walks.