After a couple of couple of weeks without new Xbox Insider builds, the first Xbox One 1804 build has started rolling out to Alpha Preview members yesterday. As Microsoft detailed in a blog post, the “Xbox Spring Update” will bring some cool new features such as 1440p support for game and media on Xbox One S and Xbox One X.
“1440p resolution, sometimes referred to as “2560×1440” and “QHD,” is a popular choice for PC users,” the blog post reads. “With over a million and a half more pixels than 1080p, this resolution fills the gap between Full HD and 4K displays.” If you have a compatible screen, you can enable 1440p video output in Settings.
The Xbox Spring update will also bring a fresh new look for Microsoft Edge, which can now be used to download all types of media content on your console. Microsoft has also introduced new system sounds in the Xbox One OS with spatial audio support, as well as a new option for adjusting background music from Groove Music or Spotify when you’re playing games.
On the Xbox Live front, Xbox Live Tournaments will now be available directly in Game Hubs and no longer require gamers to be members of a club. Moreover, the Xbox team is giving new filtering tools to Club owners, with the ability to require certain hours of playtime or Gamerscore levels for candidates.
One of the main highlights of this update is probably the new Mixer feature that allows streamers to share their Xbox controller with a single Mixer viewer. This remote play feature will only work on Mixer.com, and viewers will be able to take control of the gameplay through an on-screen gamepad or an Xbox controller. “Viewer and streamer can work together in the game, or the viewer can cause trouble – resulting in hilarious chaos. It’s your choice,” the Xbox emphasized. This is a pretty fascinating feature which will push Mixer interactivity to the next level.
Last but not least, the Xbox team will test a brand new collection experience for Xbox Live Gold in this update, with a dedicated tab in “My Games and Apps” for quickly checking all redeemed Games with Gold titles. The team tested a similar feature for Xbox Games Pass content last month, and you can expect more of these “experiments” going forward.
This first 1804 Preview build for the Xbox One also has some known affecting Dolby Atmos, the Microsoft Store or certain apps such as Netflix. You can check the full changelog on this separate blog post. Overall, the Spring Update for the Xbox One looks pretty exciting, and it should start rolling out to other Insider rings in the coming weeks.
