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June 2014 System Update for Xbox One to Feature Storage Improvements, More

June 2014 System Update for Xbox One to Feature Storage Improvements, More

This is a big one

After a rather tepid May 2014 System Update for Xbox One, Microsoft is planning a huge update for June, where the console will receive support for external storage, a Real Names feature for easily identifying your real-world friends, auto-sign-in, major updates to SmartGlass, and an expansion of TV and OneGuide capabilities to more regions. And as previously announced, this is the update that will enable users to access popular apps like Netflix, Hulu Plus and OneDrive without an Xbox Live Gold subscription.

Here's what's coming in June.

External storage support. With this update, you'll be able to connect any USB 3.0-compatible drive with 256 GB or more of storage space to your console and then choose whether to use that drive for new game and app installs. This will help you overcome the limitation of the single, non-user-serviceable fixed disk that's in the Xbox One. And there are some nice additional features, like automatic spillover should a disk become full and the ability to move content between drives. And you can take your games to a friends' house with this external drive and then play them there, so there's no need to download them first. You can use a maximum of two drives simultaneously.

Real names. Many users have asked Microsoft for a way to identify their friends by their real names since it's hard to keep so many gamertags straight, especially now that you can have 1000 people in your friends list. So the first time you launch the Friends app after you install the June 2014 System Update, you'll be prompted to enable name sharing and, if so, which friends you'd like to share—and thus use real names—with. You can also share your real name with friends of friends (but not followers).

Auto sign-in. A big feature request, this one will let you configure one of the accounts on your console to always automatically sign-in when the Xbox One is powered or woken up.

Smart Glass. This isn't actually an Xbox One app, but is rather a device app you use to interact with your Xbox One. Now, this mobile app is being updated with a new activity feed in its main hub view, Twitch broadcast notifications, pinned app and game reordering (which reorders those items in My Pins on the console), OneGuide support and a new universal remote feature so you can control your TV and AV equipment from your device.

TV and OneGuide head to more markets. This was previously announced, but Xbox One's TV and OneGuide features will be expanded to Canada, UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy.

New Gold membership benefits. Also previously announced, this change will let users access a ton of apps that previously required an Xbox Live Gold subscription, including Netflix, Hulu Plus, HBO GO, NFL app for Xbox One, MLB.TV, NBA Game Time, NHL Game Center, Internet Explorer, Skype, OneDrive and OneGuide, and many more.

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