Summary
Microsoft has detailed a newXboxconsole update that’s set to introduce some changes to the way wish list notifications and game patches work. The company’s latest update has already started rolling out toXboxconsole users in late September 2024.
Microsoft usually updates its home consoles about once a month. Prior to today, its most recent major release was in late August 2024, when the companyintroduced new Xbox game installation optionsand support for watching Discord broadcasts, among other novelties.
Microsoft has now followed up on that release with a new OS update identified by version number 10.0.26100.2239, which debuted on Wednesday, September 25. One of the two big novelties included in this patch issupport for pre-downloading Xbox game updates. This particular addition won’t come as a surprise to everyone, as Microsoft has been testing it since mid-May 2024, when it first released its experimental version to members of the Xbox Insider program.
Utilizing the newly introduced feature requires going to the My Games & Apps menu, then selecting Manage and Updates. This is where the console will display all Xbox game updates that can be downloaded in advance. As expected, pre-downloads won’t just work on their own but are merely something that developers can choose to implement. Some of the Xbox games that already support them includeMinecraft,Sea of Thieves, and thePokemonrivalCassette Beasts. Microsoft pledged that even more titles will embrace the pre-release update model in the near future.
Xbox Console Wish List Notifications Are Getting Smarter
The second novelty introduced in the September 2024 update changes the way notifications work on Microsoft’s consoles. Specifically, games that are on one’s wish list will now pop up in notifications whenever they are released, added to the Xbox Game Pass library, or featured in any Free Play Days promotion. This behavior will be enabled by default on the latest version of the Xbox OS, but can also be disabled in the wish list notification settings.
Microsoft today also announced some other changes to its gaming ecosystem, including thedecision to shut down the Xbox Game Pass mobile app. Its functionality will soon be integrated into the Xbox app with the goal of providing a more streamlined and unified user experience. The change itself is planned to go live sometime in November 2024. Microsoft is expected to roll out at least one more Xbox console update by that time.
Xbox Series S
Released alongside the Xbox Series X, the Xbox Series S is Microsoft’s budget option for the ninth console generation. Designed exclusively for digital gaming, the Series S can run the same games as the Series X, albeit at a potentially lower resolution and frame rate.
