Next Xbox One update landing in 'coming days' with welcome additions

The Xbox One does a lot of things right, like letting users control any app with voice commands, but it's lacking in other areas - like not having great support for users who speak with an accent.

That will change when Microsoft adds more voice control options for users in some regions with the next Xbox One system update, which Microsoft's Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb has revealed on his blog will arrive globally "in the coming days."

"Folks in New Zealand, Ireland and Austria, with this update in July, will be able to select voice control using the English or German voice models from other countries," Hryb wrote of this update on Xbox Wire in June.

"And if you're an expat in an English-speaking country, you, too, can choose any of the other English language models that fit you," he added.

Snapping achievements

This update also adds improvements that will benefit everyone, from making it easier for game publishers to release digital bundles and compilation discs to letting Xbox One users "like" game DVR clips and activity feed items in SmartGlass.

Perhaps most welcome, though, are changes to how users can view achievements during gameplay.

The Xbox 360 let you open an achievements overlay that didn't interrupt gameplay when you earned a new achievement. The Xbox One, on the other hand, forces players to open a separate achievements app, leaving their games behind.

No longer. This update adds the ability to "snap" an achievements pane to the side of the screen while you continue to play, a change Xbox fans will love.

It sorts a game's achievements automatically by how close you are to earning them, though you can also pin specific achievements to the top. And the snapped achievements app can also assist users in finding help with specific achievements by opening a Google search in Internet Explorer.

Seeking perfection

Finally, this update also adds a double-tap function to the Xbox One controller's Xbox button: Snap Center.

Double-tapping the large, luminous button opens Snap Center. Once there, you can snap an app to the side of the screen without closing your current app.

Or, if you already have an app snapped, double-tapping the Xbox button switches between your two active apps instead.

The Xbox One is not perfect, but these changes are a step in that direction. Hryb urged Xbox users to continue giving suggestions on Microsoft's new Xbox Feedback site.

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