Skip to main content

Xbox One April update improves party chat, Achievement notifications

hob now arrives xbox one microsoft review macro logo 2 1500x1000
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Xbox One users who can never seem to get party chat working perfectly will soon have an easier time of it. An update to the console, coming this April, enhances the party chat system, and we have the goods on its other tweaks and fixes as well.

This is the first of two updates rolling out this month to members of the Xbox One Preview program, according to Major Nelson. Another update with further enhancements will be released next week, though what this second update will address has not yet been revealed.

The most significant changes in the announced update are coming to the Party App. The app will now include a troubleshooting mode, which will help users confirm that their mics are enabled and that no networking issues or privacy settings are interfering with party chat.

Game Hubs, introduced in last month’s system update, are seeing new features and fixes as well. A game’s Hub is now linked from the game’s page in the Achievements App, and users will now see a notification when their friends follow a game. Additionally, any items in the main activity feed related to a given game will now link back to the game’s Hub.

The final batch of improvements in this update all relate to Achievements. Achievement notifications will now show the Achievement’s description in the notification so that users can see what exactly they did to trigger it without having to open the Achievements App. Performance updates have also been added to make opening the Achievements App from a notification faster.

This first half of the updates will begin rolling out to Xbox One Preview program members as early as today and will be released to the public next month.

Kris Wouk
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…
Everything announced at Xbox Games Showcase 2024
Indiana jones buried in the sand.

The next Xbox Games Showcase finally took place, and it was an important one for Microsoft. As we hit the midway point of a tumultuous year that has been full of layoffs, studio closures, and the genesis of a multiplatform approach that had divided the fan base, we have learned that Xbox has a lot of neat-looking games coming later this year and into 2025. Highlights include known games like Avowed and Indiana Jones and The Great Circle, as well as newly announced titles like Doom: The Dark Ages and Gears of War: E-Day.

Microsoft showed off a lot, so to help you keep track of everything revealed, we put together this roundup of everything announced during the 2024 Xbox Games Showcase.

Read more
3 first-party Xbox Game Pass games to try this weekend (June 7-9)
Gears 5 Kait Hero Close Up

Microsoft will hold an Xbox Games Showcase and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Direct. this Sunday. These shows will provide a much better idea of what to expect from Xbox over the course of the next year or two. That's really needed right now, as Microsoft has struggled to keep online discussions around Xbox positive as it went multiplatform with some games, laid off thousands of developers, and outright shut down the developers of Hi-Fi Rush and Redfall. Based on leaks and my personal expectations for the showcase, there are three games you can play on Xbox Game Pass this weekend to prepare for the event.

The first is the latest first-person shooter in a long-running series by id Software that might be getting a medieval-set spinoff. After that, we have the fifth entry in a sci-fi Xbox series that still looks fantastic on Xbox Series X/S even though it came out in 2019. Finally, you can prepare for Avowed with the latest RPG from Obsidian Entertainment, a satirical sci-fi game where player choice is critical.
Doom Eternal

Read more
Xbox Games Showcase 2024 + Black Ops 6 Direct: How to watch and what to expect
Indiana jones buried in the sand.

Xbox has had a rough year. From the divisive reactions to its multiplatform plans to layoffs and the shuttering of lauded studios like Tango Gameworks, there hasn't been much of a reason to be excited for Xbox recently. Microsoft is hoping to change that on Sunday as it will hold its annual Xbox Games Showcase to give us a glimpse at titles coming from its first-party studios and third-party partners over the course of the next year or two.

It's even holding a Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Direct right after. If you're an Xbox fan, this is obviously an event that you need to tune into. To help with that, we've rounded up everything you need to know about where and when to watch 2024's Xbox Games Showcase and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Direct, as well as what your expectations for the presentation should be.
When is the 2024 Xbox Games Showcase and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Direct
The 2024 Xbox Games Showcase will begin at 10 a.m. PT on Sunday, June 9. The Black Ops 6 Direct will begin immediately after that multigame showcase concludes. Although Microsoft has not committed to an exact start time for that Direct, the Xbox Games Showcase has historically lasted anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half.
Where to watch the 2024 Xbox Games Showcase and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Direct
Xbox Games Showcase 2024 + Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Direct (Sunday Live at 10a PT/1p ET)

Read more