Xbox One's August Update Detailed By Microsoft

The Xbox One will receive another major system update in August. Microsoft's Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb outlined the patch's major features in a new blog post this weekend.

The August update will expand the activity feed on Xbox Live and turn it into a pseudo-Facebook. Players will be able to write text messages on their feed or share gameplay clips. They can also interact with others' updates with "likes" or comments.

Friends' activities can be found quickly on the revised Home page. An enlarged Friends area gives you updates on their comings and goings, including their most-played games. A leaderboard tracks who's been picking up the most Achievements.

"We’re doing an extended preview on this, rolling it into the early access preview this month to a subset of our preview audience so we can refine it until it’s ready for the entire Xbox One market," said Hryb.

If you're drunk and in the mood to buy Titanfall DLC, you'll be able to do so without leaving the bar. The August update allows for mobile purchases of games and DLC. If your Xbox One has automatic updates enabled, the console will start downloading your purchases right away.

Rounding out the update are a number of small changes that you still might find useful. A low battery notification will tell you when your controller's almost out of juice. Notifications can be disabled during videos for uninterrupted viewing experiences. The Blu-Ray player app will be upgraded to support 3D Blu-rays. Last but not least, the Friends list is going to show you how long it's been since your buddies were online.

Many of these changes were the result of Xbox Feedback, a website where gamers can provide their opinions directly to Microsoft. Others can then upvote these ideas or comment on them to boost their visibility. For example, the low battery warning and remote downloads were both ideas suggested by Xbox One owners.

"In addition to these features, we are still always doing other work on the backend you may not notice including getting ready to ship in 29 new markets starting this September," Hryb said. "Thank you for your incredible support. You’ve helped us make Xbox One a great place to play games and we’re looking forward to the road ahead as we get ready to launch the most critically acclaimed games this holiday."

The August update doesn't have a confirmed release date yet. As usual, Microsoft's planning to let gamers try it out before the official launch though.