Microsoft has begun releasing parts of this years Spring Update to Xbox Insider Alpha Ring members today. This update includes several highly requested features such as 1440p mode and controller share via Mixer.
First up, 1440p video output. Both the Xbox One X and the Xbox One S will be able to output games and media at 1440p. Known as “QHD”, 1440p is a screen resolution of 2560×1440 and is popular with PC users. This resolution has over 1.5 million more pixels than 1080p and is a nice half-step between 1080p and 4K.
Microsoft is also enhancing the level of interactivity on Mixer with the ability to share your controller with a viewer who is watching the stream via Mixer.com. This will allow you to choose a viewer through the dashboard and allow them to share the entire controller excluding the guide button. Having trouble beating a boss in Dark Souls? Pass the controller to a buddy on Mixer.com and let him bang his head against the wall for a bit. Viewers will have two options to take control of the gamepad, either through an on-screen gamepad that will display below the video feed or by plugging a controller into your PC. Both the viewer and streamer can control the game at the same time, allowing the two to work together, or the viewer can cause a bit of trouble working against the streamer.
A word of caution. Be careful who you share the controller with. This is a similar feature to Share Play on the PlayStation 4, which was once used by a ‘troll’ to delete some poor kids characters in Destiny. I would hate for any of our readers to lose hours of progress by being too trusting of strangers on the internet.
Another new feature added to Mixer allows broadcasts to continue when you switch games. Similar to the Twitch app, the stream will now pause while you’re switching games or browsing the dashboard. Starting a stream from anywhere on the console including the dashboard without being in a game.
Microsoft has also issued several other smaller updates. The Microsoft Edge browser has been updated with a new modern look that ‘still feels familiar’ while also enabling the download and upload of pictures, music and video from the browser to your console. Content downloaded from the browser can then be accessed with the file explorer app. Additional updates to how the Xbox handles background music will now allow you to ‘selectively balance game audio against background music from within the guide.’ Spatial audio support has also been added for system sounds on the home screen and in the guide.
The Spring Update will also see Xbox Clubs owners get access to some new options to filter invitation requests, smarter club feeds, the ability to disable comments on a feed and the ability to setup and join an Open Tournament directly in the Game Hub. This means you won’t have to be a member of a club to start or join a tournament.
Some Alpha Ring Insiders will also have access to a dedicated tab to quickly view and access all of your redeemed Games with Gold that are ready to install.
These updates and more will start rolling out to Xbox Insider Alpha Ring members today!