A new Xbox update is rolling out for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S that includes a slew of new quality of life features, and significantly improves what many consider to be the best feature of Microsoft’s new consoles: Quick Resume.
Quick Resume lets you seamlessly switch between multiple games and resume gameplay from where you left off almost instantly. But after installing the May Xbox update, Quick Resume will now be more reliable, load even faster, and users will be able to tell which games are currently suspended at a glance.
Previously, you’d be left guessing which games had closed after reaching a set limit of games (which tends to range between five to eight titles suspended at once), but now you can specifically select which games you no longer want to remain in Quick Resume, and see which ones are waiting for you to jump back into.
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You’ll also be able to quickly tell which games support Quick Resume easily by bringing up the Guide menu. A ‘Quick Resume’ tag will now be visible, similar to how games that support Auto HDR or FPS Boost now have a handy indicator.
The new Xbox Series X update now adds support for passthrough audio for media apps. That means if you’re using a streaming app like Disney Plus or Netflix, you can make them sound even better. As outlined in the May Xbox update blog post on Xbox Wire, “Passthrough lets audio decoding from media apps on your compatible HDMI devices bypass the console for the highest quality listening experience with your external sound system.”
Tired of using the same dynamic background? The May Xbox update includes a new dynamic background called 'Motes', which matches your profile color (though really we wish Microsoft would add more colors already).
Another dynamic background has also been added called 'The Original', which brings back the classic green orb that adorned the original Xbox dashboard. You can see how it looks below, and contrary to the tweet, it's available for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S owners right now.
Xbox insiders can now access the original Xbox dashboard animation as a dynamic background called "The Original" pic.twitter.com/Nvh6D8iw2XMay 11, 2021
The new update also lets you watch trailers of Xbox Game Pass games more easily, with certain titles being spotlighted to users with trailers that play automatically when you hover over them.
Parents will be pleased to hear about the new “Ask a parent” feature, which is part of the new Xbox Family Settings app. Parents can now approve multiplayer games by specific title, directly from your console or the app. If your child asks to play a specific game in multiplayer, you can approve or deny their request, which is great if you’d prefer your child not to jump into any online spaces.
Finally, the Xbox app for Android and iOS is getting more features, like letting you view your game stats like ‘time played’ and push notifications to alert you when your friends are online.
Quick as you like
It’s a bumper update for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S owners to enjoy, then, but it’s the improvements to Quick Resume that will really be welcomed by the Xbox community. The feature can have a transformative effect on the way you enjoy games, as the ability to have multiple games suspended and ready to play from where you left off is, quite literally, a game changer for those whose time is already at premium.
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