July Update Will Change Xbox One Forever

The latest Xbox One update from Microsoft will not introduce any immediately noticeable changes, but it will help redefine the current-gen console in its battle against Sony’s PlayStation 4: backwards compatibility. The July Xbox One Update, announced by Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb, Director of Programming for Xbox Live, will prepare the machine for Xbox 360 backwards compatibility, coming this Autumn.

Hryb’s statement reads:

Later today Xbox One owners will be getting a system update. This update prepares for game streaming to Windows 10 (launching July 29th) and our upcoming Backward Compatibility feature launching in a few months. There are no new user-facing features in this release as the team focuses on the New Xbox One Experience that will be available later this year.

The move gives the Xbox One a big advantage over the more popular PS4, which does not allow previous-gen games (on disc) to be played on it, and with Sony stressing that it has no plans to introduce the feature.

Though users who implement the Xbox One’s Instant-On feature will have the update installed automatically, consoles using Power Saver mode need to manually download the July Xbox One Update. It prepares the console for the real game-changing revision due in the last quarter of this year, introducing backwards compatibility and Windows 10 features.

Thank you GottaBe Mobile for providing us with this information.