August Xbox One update to add 3D Blu-ray support

These days I seem to be watching less and less DVD and Blu-rays due to my Netflix subscription but one thing the streaming service doesn’t offer is 3D support. Currently the Xbox One doesn’t offer it either but that is going to change with the August update for the Xbox One. So with the Xbox One you can watch your 3D Blu-ray movies, providing you have a 3D TV of course. A few years ago this would have been big news but perhaps it’s a sign of the times with most cheap Blu-ray plays having 3D features and 3D in the home seems to have not really taken off.

Other changes in the August update include remote purchasing of games from Xbox SmartGlass or Xbox.com so you can kick off a download and it will be ready for when you get home. There are notification for low controller battery, OneGuide will be available in Brazil, Mexico, Austria and Ireland.

Details from Major Nelson’s blog:

In the next update, we’ll improve a number of social features to make sharing your gaming experiences with friends better and easier. Here’s a shortlist of features rolling out next week to those with early access to the Xbox One system update:

Activity feed updates: We’re adding new ways for you to interact with friends in the activity feed.  The interface will change to a single column scrolling list that is longer and includes more content. We’ll add the ability to post text to your feed, and to “like” and comment on feed items. You can share game clips and anything else in the feed with friends either publically (to your activity feed) or privately (as an attachment to a message). You’ll also be notified when anyone likes, comments on or shares your items. Each user will get a personal feed on their profile, so you can see what specific friends have been up to. And, with SmartGlass, you can see what your friends have shared to their activity feed and “like” specific posts (additional activity feed support coming in future SmartGlass updates).

Expanded Friends area on Home: Right from Home, see what’s going on with your friends. Stay up-to-date with their current activity, the top trending games your friends are playing, and a leaderboard to see who has been working the hardest on their Gamerscore. 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.

Mobile purchase: One of the most requested features on Xbox Feedback. Using Xbox SmartGlass or on Xbox.com, you can remotely purchase games and Add-on content. No more waiting to begin downloading when you get home – if your console is set to automatically take updates, your console will begin downloading your purchase.

Low battery notification: You asked for it, now a notification will pop up when your controller battery is getting low.

Disable notifications during video: Adding the ability to turn off notifications based feedback we heard from you.

Enabling 3D Blu-ray: An update to the Blu-ray player app will enable 3D Blu-ray functionality on Xbox One.

OneGuide in Brazil, Mexico, Austria and Ireland: Live TV listings can be configured for four new countries as part of this month’s Preview program. And now there is an OneGuide Issue Reporter available under the TV & OneGuide settings, Troubleshooting section.

Last seen time in Friends list: Direct from Xbox Feedback, the friends list will now show how long it’s been since a friend has been online. For example, “Last seen 20m ago: Forza Motorsport 5.”