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Xbox One update will better understand certain accents

The latest update also provides a quicker way to see your achievements and "like" game clips captured through the SmartGlass app.

Lance Whitney Contributing Writer
Lance Whitney is a freelance technology writer and trainer and a former IT professional. He's written for Time, CNET, PCMag, and several other publications. He's the author of two tech books--one on Windows and another on LinkedIn.
Lance Whitney
2 min read

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Microsoft's Xbox One. CNET

Correction at 6:43 a.m. PT Wednesday:This story inaccurately stated the nature of one of the Xbox One updates. The update allows the console to understand more accents spoken by users.

Xbox One owners will see a handful of tweaks in an update about to arrive on their consoles.

One of the changes -- revealed in June and confirmed Monday by Xbox Live programming director Larry Hryb, aka Major Nelson -- will allow the console to understand a greater range of accents.

For example, beyond just choosing United States as your location, you can select English Australian as your language if you're a bloke from Down Under and would like your console to pick up your accent. People from New Zealand, Ireland, and Austria will also be able to choose voice control using the English or German voice models from other countries. The goal is to help the Xbox One interpret more of your voice commands by knowing your particular accent.

Following the debut of the Xbox One in November, owners initially complained about certain features not working properly or missing. Since then, Microsoft has been diligent with regular updates to either correct issues or enhance features. Xbox One sales have also been slower than expected, so Microsoft keeps pushing out more features not simply to satisfy existing owners but also to entice prospective buyers.

The July update will also include a new snap mode for achievements, which means you can track and view your achievements without having to exit your current game. You simply double-tap your controller's Xbox One button to access the Snap Center and view your achievements.

Finally, you will be able to "like" game clips and other items recorded through the SmartGlass app. And for those who watch Blu-ray discs via your Xbox One, the console will now support the BD-R and BD-RE formats.

When can Xbox One gamers expect the update? An Xbox spokeswoman told CNET that the update has already started rolling out and so it is now available on some consoles. It will continue to roll out to more consoles throughout the week.