November Xbox Update Adds Mouse and Keyboard Support

Last weekend a fantastic X018 event was held in Mexico City and you can read all the announcements from this event from our own Pete Curulli here. The November Xbox Update dropped this week and adds mouse and keyboard support for a limited library of games partnering with Razer, more console interaction with Xbox Skill updates, the new Amazon Music app, and the ability to find your games with an improved Search feature. Here’s a rundown of what’s new:

Mouse and Keyboard Support for Xbox One

As revealed by Phil Spencer on the September episode of Inside Xbox, the November update brings mouse and keyboard support to Xbox One! With support for mouse and keyboard, developers can now choose to add mouse and keyboard support for their games on Xbox One. This enables both developers and players with more choice on how they want to play.

Announced at X018, Fortnite will be one of the first titles to support mouse and keyboard input, matchmaking players using the same input together with one another to ensure a fair and fun experience for everyone. Fortnite’s support for keyboard and mouse launches alongside Warframe, Bomber Crew, Deep Rock Galactic, Strange Brigade, Vermintide 2, War Thunder and X-Morph Defense adding support in November, and Children of Morta, DayZ, Minion Master, Moonlighter, Vigor, Warface, and Wargroove adding support in the future.

Additionally, Xbox have partnered with Razer to offer gamers a premiere mouse and keyboard experience through an all new Razer-created ‘Designed for Xbox’ mouse and keyboard. Built from the ground up for gaming on Xbox One and Windows 10, it will come equipped with a dedicated Xbox key, and support for the new Xbox Dynamic Lighting capability – enabling immersive game-controlled lighting effects.

The Razer peripherals certainly look shmick, and it’ll be interesting to see how gameplay is received in accuracy-based games like Fortnite and Warframe.

Xbox Skill for Cortana and Alexa Updates (for US and UK customers)

Launched in the U.S. last month, the Xbox Skill for Cortana and Alexa allows gamers to get more done using just their voice. This feature will continue to grow and improve over time, based on fan feedback. Coming this week, we have the first set of updates:

• Alexa Beta for the U.K. (EN-GB): The Xbox Skill for Alexa is now in Beta for all Xbox gamers in the U.K. with the addition of U.K. English voice recognition. To get started with Alexa, just say, “Alexa, open Xbox.”
• Cortana improvements: In the U.S, the Xbox Skill for Cortana becomes easier to use. Cortana will automatically discover and pair your Xbox, so there’s no need to login. Just say “Hey Cortana, pair my Xbox” to any Cortana device (mobile phone or Harmon Kardon Invoke speaker). Try your favorite commands, like “Hey Cortana, start Netflix” or “Hey Cortana, pause my Xbox.”
• New Commands added: In response to fan feedback, we’re adding a few new commands to both the Cortana and Alexa skill. Now, you have the ability to fully close a game or app via “Quit ‘game or app name’” or use your assistant as a controller with our new navigation mode. This lets you use your voice to hit the “A” button or navigate around your console (e.g. up, down, left, right, A button, B button). Just say “Start navigation mode” or “Press ‘button name’” to try it out!

Amazon Music app comes to Xbox One (for US customers)

Amazon Music is launching a brand-new app for Xbox One in the U.S. on Nov. 14th, with availability in more countries coming soon. The Amazon Music app for Xbox enables Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers to stream more than 50 million songs and thousands of playlists and stations through their Xbox One family of devices. Prime members can also use the app to stream more than two million songs and hundreds of playlists and stations at no additional cost to their membership with Prime Music.

Search Expansion

Xbox are expanding search to include results from Xbox Assist and games you have “Ready to Install” or currently own as part of your memberships, including Xbox Game Pass, EA Access, and more! This makes it easier than ever to find the game you are looking for and start playing.