This summer, the Xbox One will receive two updates that will add Microsoft’s Cortana voice assistant to the console and start unifying the Xbox and Windows Stores.
Mike Ybarra, Xbox’s director of program management, wrote on Major Nelson’s blog to explain how Cortana would work. He said that voice commands will work with both headsets and Kinect and can be used to find games, search for friends, and start parties.
Ybarra also gave more details on how the unification of the Xbox and Windows Stores will be used to improve functionality across them. New channels are being added to the Xbox Store that will enhance and streamline discovery, and shoppers will be able to browse, search, and filter results by genre, find deals using new strikethrough pricing lists, and read user-submitted reviews. On the Windows Store, players will be allowed to browse and purchase premium bundles, season passes, episodic games, virtual currency, and other DLC and add-ons.
Head on over to Major Nelson’s blog for a full overview of the new features.
