Zaraki KenpachiMicrosoft today launched the May update for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, detailing the new features and improvements that are shipping along with it. Those who are on next-gen consoles will find that Quick Resume – one of the marquee features of the new consoles – has been improved, while there’s also a new passthrough audio feature for media apps. Add to that a new feature for Xbox Game Pass and some new parental controls, and it sounds like we’ve got quite the update on our hands.
While the May update might lack the big, headline-worthy features we’ve seen in some past updates, the changes that are coming along with it add up to make for a pretty substantial update. The Quick Resume improvements Microsoft leads today’s announcement with include improvements to stability and the roll out of a new tag that lets you know at a glance if a game is compatible with the feature.
Taking things one step further, Microsoft has also launched a new Quick Resume group that will show you all of the games currently saved in Quick Resume, letting you see the titles that are primed to jump back into. Microsoft says that Xbox Series X|S users can add this group to their home screen, essentially giving them a shortcut that’s accessible without having to open the guide. Users can remove games from Quick Resume through that group as well.
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There are a number of media apps that are getting a new audio passthrough feature today, including Disney+, Apple TV, Plex, and Vudu. This feature allows audio decoding to bypass the console entirely, assuming that users have a compatible HDMI device connected, which will allow for “the highest quality listening experience,” according to Microsoft. The toggle for audio passthrough can be found in the Xbox audio settings.
Microsoft has also rolled out trailers for Spotlight titles in Xbox Game Pass, which will automatically play whenever one of those Spotlight games is highlighted in the Xbox Game Pass hub. This feature is going live on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, so you’ll be able to check it out regardless of the console you own.
Xbox Series X|S users are getting a new dynamic theme called Motes today, and that can be found by going into Settings > General > Personalization > My background > Dynamic background. In addition, kids who are playing on an account under parental controls can request to unlock multiplayer on a game-by-game basis, and parents can allow multiplayer in specific titles through the Xbox Family Settings app or by logging into a family organizer account on an Xbox console.
There are also a few changes shipping out to the Xbox app on iOS and Android as well, with Microsoft adding push notifications that can tell you when friends go live. Achievement pages will now feature gameplay stats including total time played, and Microsoft says that it has implemented some performance enhancements to the chat tab as well.
Finally, Microsoft announced today that it will be sunsetting the Xbox One SmartGlass app for PC in June, which means the app won’t be receiving any new updates. The goal, it seems, is to get SmartGlass users to migrate to the Xbox PC app, which has been available for some time already. The May Xbox update is going live today, so be sure to give it a download and take it for a spin.
Hugh Hay
