This month’s Xbox update includes new and improved color filters on Xbox Series X|S, updated volume and audio output settings for all Xbox consoles, new accessibility feature tags in the Microsoft Store, a controller firmware update, and updates to the Xbox app (mobile), and an updated Xbox Game Pass layout to help you choose the best subscription plan for you.
Xbox update also fixes reducing console shutdowns and improving the stability of Xbox Series X consoles when playing titles such as NBA 2K22, FIFA 22, and Battlefield 2042.
On Xbox Series X and S consoles, new and improved color filters are now available, allowing players with color blindness or color vision deficiency to play older games that were previously unavailable to them.
Color filters allow you to personalize your visual experience and differences between colors that would otherwise appear to be the same. Modifying the appearance of red or green tones, for example, helps players with red-green color blindness detect those colors.
This is especially useful in games for quickly distinguishing game elements that would otherwise appear similar or blend into the background. While certain games have their own color filters, color filters are applied to all games, movies, apps, and menus on the Xbox Series X|S.
New color filter settings may be accessed within Settings > Accessibility > Color filters, where you can choose and fine-tune color filters. Color filters can be turned on and off without leaving the content you’re viewing by going to Profile & system > Quick settings.
All Xbox consoles now have a new audio experience, including “Mute speaker audio when headset attached” in Additional options and a new Audio testing & details screen.
The volume and audio output options have been restructured to make them more accessible and to help you get the most out of your audio experience. Go to Settings > Audio testing & details to get started. You can see what your audio setup can do and, if necessary, reset it.
Games developers can now “tag” their titles with up to 20 popular accessibility features used by the Gaming & Disability Community, making it easier for you to identify content that fits your requirements and learn about the accessibility of games before purchasing them directly on your console.
Adjustable difficulty, custom volume controls, color options, and input remapping are all included in these tags. Specific conditions must be completed for developers to apply these tags to ensure a consistent level of quality.
On game detail pages in the Microsoft Store, Xbox.com, the Xbox Game Pass mobile app, and the Xbox app for Windows PC, accessibility tags are available. In the Microsoft Store, the Xbox also launched a new Accessibility Spotlight page where you can browse games that have four or more of these tags.
Over 325 games, including Microsoft Flight Simulator and Sea of Thieves, have accessibility feature data released, and Xbox will add sort and filter by these categories in the coming months.
The company has also released a firmware update for the Xbox One Wireless Controller with Bluetooth support, Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2, and Xbox Adaptive Controller delivering next-gen features previously available only on Xbox Series X|S controllers, including better cross-device connectivity and reduced latency.
The above-mentioned controllers now support Bluetooth Low Energy which delivers better compatibility across devices and allows for better pairing experiences. You will be able to play wirelessly on Windows 11 and 10 PCs, iOS 15 or later, and Android devices with Bluetooth LE for Xbox remote play from your console or cloud gaming with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on the go.
These controllers will remember one Bluetooth host (e.g., smartphone) and one Xbox Wireless host (e.g., Xbox console) after installing the firmware update, allowing you to easily switch between previously connected devices with a simple double-tap of the Pair button.
Xbox One Wireless Controller with Bluetooth support, Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2, and Xbox Adaptive Controllers all get Dynamic Latency Input (DLI). Dynamic Latency Input improves the efficiency with which controller input is delivered to the Xbox console, resulting in a more responsive gaming experience and seemingly instantaneous action.
Xbox will soon launch a Link Sharing feature that will allow players to instantly get a link to their epic game moments, capture them, and share them all over the internet.
Another feature on the way is the option to browse top trending material from Xbox gamers in the Xbox app, where you can watch, like, comment, and share other players’ game captures.
Additionally, Xbox also updated its Xbox Game Pass membership plan comparison page on the console which now supports horizontal scrolling that allows users to compare benefits.
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