Xbox One November Update Starts Rolling Out With Custom Backgrounds, More

Introduced last month, Xbox One has finally started rolling out its November update for the console with new TV features and number of customisations.

The update is notably the last major system update for the console for this year. Xbox's Major Nelson, on his website, also added that they will introduce the next update only early next year.

The November system software update for Xbox One, as mentioned last month, brings more customisation features for user profiles and backgrounds, along with some additions under the Live TV section, Xbox One SmartGlass experience, Xbox Games Store, and more.

One of the major enhancements touted by the firm in the Xbox One November update is the ability to change the background image for each account on the Xbox One console. Players can choose a custom colour or unlock and use achievement art as the background image. Jpeg and png images can also be used from media player app, USB drive or a home media server that supports DLNA. Users, while viewing the image, can simply tap into the Menu option and click on "Set as Background".

Players with the Xbox One November update can also show their bio and location as a part of their gamer profile. They can also choose a set of items that will be showcased when other players visit their profile, adding up to six game clips or achievements via the Xbox One or the SmartGlass app.

The November update for Xbox One also enables players to share game clips on Twitter by logging in and syncing their Xbox One account. Using the Share button on any game clip will now show Twitter as an option as well.

On the Live TV front, Microsoft has introduced a new Live TV Trending tab in OneGuide (only in the US, Canada, and the UK) showing the top 20 most watched shows. The tab shows Twitter TV Trending and Xbox TV Trending sections as well. While the Twitter TV Trending section highlights the most popular shows based on users' tweets, the Xbox TV Trending features those popular shows which are being watched the most by Xbox One users worldwide. The data is collected anonymously at a national level.

Users can also view tweets in real time in the MiniGuide section and can join the conversation by typing #SUBJECT. Also, players can activate MiniGuide by a voice command - "Xbox Select - MiniGuide" and view their TV channels under the Recents and Favourites section.

As for SmartGlass improvements, the firm has added a new section for Apps, as well as a 'Coming Soon' filter for games and add-ons. User will now also be able to see their friends' Game Activity via SmartGlass.

Microsoft has also improved the Xbox Games Store pages to help players quickly find their desired content. The company is touting the more prominent navigation bars, and has also added the ability to browse game add-ons, and perform store-specific searches. Store categories have also been standardised for more convenient search.

Xbox Live Gold members can now search for Free Games with Gold, as well as discounted games. Users will also be able to initiate the download via their mobile device.

The Redmond giant has also detailed user-requested improvements to the Internet Explorer web browser (bringing Snap mode, featured sites). The Preview Dashboard App has also been revamped with player and statistics, as well as a leaderboard. A new Restart Now option has also been included in the update, for restarting the system "without getting out of your chair."