After a beta roll-out to those on the Insiders programme in August, Microsoft is now updating all Xbox One consoles with the Fall Update. It adds a raft of new features, including the ability to completely customise your home screen, and if you haven't received it automatically yet, you should very soon.

Here's what it adds:

Microsoft Fluent Design: Customise your home screen

One of the things that bugged us with the last major Xbox One update was the home screen. We felt it became clumsy and overly-complex. That's why we're thrilled that the new Xbox One update presents the opportunity to customise the home screen entirely, using something Microsoft likes to call "Fluent Design".

You can add a favourite game or friend, for example, by clicking on "Add to Home" underneath and it will place a "block" on your dashboard. You can then move it anywhere you like. What's more, the home screen will then pull in related content, such as an Activity Feed post from a developer.

You can also add a block for Xbox Live Gold, for example, or Xbox Game Pass.

There is also a new Pin Block on Home, in which you can add up to 40 pins. And there is a Pins flyout in the new Guide.

Essentially, Home, Social and My Games and Apps have effectively been consolidated at last. Hurrah.

Xbox One Home Screen image 4
Xbox

Guide Navigation

A new Guide layout ensures that you can effortlessly switch between tabs to get to the sections you most care about more quickly. Sign-in, Achievements, multiplayer, People, Home and recent, messages, broadcasts and captures, and a new action centre get tabs in the new Guide.

Community

The community section gets a new Activity Feed layout. There are new features, including the ability to read comments in full screen to make it easier to catch up with them all.

Feed items can now be viewed in full screen too, so you can view shared captures, for example, as they looked when grabbed.

Game Hubs, Profiles and Clubs have been improved. And it is easier to find new Clubs to join and see which Clubs you are already a member of.

Notifications and dimming

The Xbox One now shows time-sensitive activities and status more visibly when it is idle. And the dimming tech has been improved to better prevent screen ghosting, including with any notification snapshots.

Broadcasting and capturing

The Mixer tab on the dashboard now displays previews of broadcasts. And your Xbox One will automatically sense your bandwidth and upgrade video on broadcasts to 1080p if your internet connection can handle it.

You can now use a USB webcam to broadcast video of you alongside your stream on Mixer. You can even use it for a 1:1 or group video chat on Skype.

And GameDVR is now able to capture up to 4K HDR screens and clips, just in time for the launch of the Xbox One X.

Get ready for Xbox One X

If you have pre-ordered or plan to upgrade to an Xbox One X soon there are now special settings and options to help you prepare your games, profiles and files to switch over to the new machine.

It can transfer all your games to an external drive, for example, which you can just plug into your new machine. A new bulk transfer mode can help with this.

Or, when you have your new machine, you can transfer everything from console to console over your home network.

You can even download 4K enhanced updates prior to getting your Xbox One X, so you can hit the ground running. Xbox One X Enhanced games can now be found in the Xbox Store easily.

Windows 10

Windows 10 PCs also get some changes and enhancements. You can now enable or disable Game Mode directly in the Game bar. And there are more options for audio when broadcasting on Mixer.

Xbox Live network issues can also be sorted more easily with a new troubleshooting option.