Xbox Adds Six New Features In August 12th Update, Now Available To Download

The latest public update for Xbox consoles has officially begun rolling out this evening (August 12th), with the update now available to download manually via the Settings menu - it'll also be installed automatically in the very near future.

As per the update notes on the Xbox website, there are six new features that are going public as part of the August update, although most of them have been in testing with Xbox Insiders for at least a few weeks now.

In terms of highlights, there are a few Xbox 360-specific improvements for Game Hubs, and we also find it surprising that Windows Phone games will now start appearing as part of your achievement history! There's also a very important new feature that will allow you to access older cloud saves in the case of a corruption issue, although it's only being rolled out with Forza Horizon 6 at first.

A few bug fixes are also part of this update, which are as follows:

  • Fixed a crash that could occur when scrolling through pages in My games & apps.
  • Fixed an issue where Chinese characters could appear in the on-screen keyboard in the Canadian French locale.
  • Various stability and performance fixes.

If you want to download the update immediately, you can do so by going to "Settings", "System" and then "Updates", and you should find it waiting for you in there. Alternatively, you can wait for the update to automatically install to your system in the coming hours.

Here's a list of those six new features, along with details on each of them:

1. Xbox 360 Games Now Support Game Hubs

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We've added game hubs in game cards for XBOX 360 games. Now, when you open the game card for any installed XBOX 360 game, you'll be able to quickly view achievement progress, captures, and other useful information. Symbols representing cloud save sync state in game hubs have also been improved.

2. Xbox 360 & Windows Phone Achievement Upgrades

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We've added detailed achievement popups from any XBOX 360 game's achievement list in your profile. Additionally, Windows Phone games will now appear in your achievement history.

3. Queue Updates & Play Via The Cloud Instead

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When you’re ready to play, an update doesn’t have to slow you down. If a game requires an update and is available to stream through your Game Pass membership, you can start playing immediately with cloud gaming and queue your game to update when you're done playing. You'll also see the option to launch with cloud gaming directly from the game card when a game is installing or updating. That means less waiting and more time playing.

4. Restore Older Cloud Saves When You Need To

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You can now restore previously synced cloud saves directly from your XBOX console in supported games. Browse available cloud save versions, restore an earlier save, and manage your saved data without leaving the console experience. This feature is currently available for Forza Horizon 6 via Manage game & add-ons > Saved data > Restore saved data, with support for additional titles coming in future updates.

5. Add More Games To Your Xbox Wishlist

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We’ve made it easier to save games you’re interested in and come back to them later. You can now add both released and upcoming games to your wishlist directly from game cards, giving you an easy way to keep track of the titles you want to play. Also, you can now add up to 1,000 games to your wishlist, making it easier to keep track of the titles you want to play, follow, and pick up later.

6. New Subscription Badges On The 'Manage Installation' Page

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Users should now see badges for games to indicate if the title is granted via a subscription in the Manage Installation page for the base game and add-ons.

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[source support.xbox.com]