Xbox One’s October Update Revamps Snap System, Adds MKV Support

The Xbox One's big October update will bring new Snap and Friend functions along with the support of MKV files, much to the delight of pirates everywhere.

The Xbox Wire has announced some of the new features going into next month's system update for the Xbox One. Xbox Live subscribers enrolled in the preview program will be able get this update a few weeks early. The update revamps many aspects of the Snap command, adds new ways to check up on your friends and changes the console's primary media player.

The Snap Center will now give you quick access to your friends list, messages and DVR as well as provided a clock and battery indicator for your controller. Double tapping the Xbox button on your controller will let you open a new app in snap mode, close the current snapped app or switch focus between your game and snapped app. You can now look at your friends list, messages and track your achievements without having to visit the Xbox Home menu or leave your game.

You will be able to use the SmartGlass app as a universal remote for your Xbox One, even when viewing live TV through the system. The Xbox One's media player now supports MKV files stored on USB devices as well as DLNA streaming. You can also stream TV to your phone or tablet via SmartGlass if you have the console's digital TV tuner. Players can now find their Xbox One accessories under the system's settings and update them whenever they want, which is great for HD headset users.

This update will be available in a few weeks but will be going live soon for Xbox Live subscribers enrolled in the preview program.