GameSpot may receive revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and from purchases through links.

More Xbox One Features Brought to Windows 10's Xbox App

Microsoft details the latest Xbox app update.

104 Comments

Microsoft will soon add a number of new features to the Windows 10's Xbox app, including game hubs, new Game DVR options, and more.

The Xbox app, which remains available only to those in the Windows Insider program that provides testers with an early version of Windows 10, aims to offer a number of Xbox One-style features on PCs/Windows 10 devices for free. This includes the aforementioned Game DVR, which was added last month and, following the latest update, can now be called up with a keyboard shortcut of your choosing. You can also set up customized shortcuts for specific Game DVR features, like taking a screenshot or recording gameplay.

Also new following the latest update are hubs for each game (much like on Xbox One) where you can view your achievements, see who's been playing, and check out a game-specific activity feed.

This update makes the Avatars app directly accessible from the Xbox app, though it will still be something you'll download separately. From here, you can customize your avatar's looks and equip it with new items and clothes.

Other minor new features include the ability to designate Xbox Live friends as favorites (giving them priority over others when looking at your friends list) and allowing you to turn on and off your Xbox One from the Connect menu as long as you're connected to the same network.

One last addition is a way to send diagnostic information to Microsoft about your Xbox One streaming connection. Specifically, you'll be offering "information about your PC's performance and connectivity characteristics as we prepare to enable game streaming from Xbox One to Windows 10 PCs." Microsoft insists this is all anonymous and will simply help its team to deliver the much-anticipated feature that was announced back in January.

Windows 10 does not yet have a release date, but the operating system--which will be a free upgrade for Windows 7 and 8 users for a limited time--is expected out this summer.

Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com

Join the conversation
There are 104 comments about this story