A new Xbox One update is rolling out to alpha testers, and it includes a handful of useful-sounding updates. The most significant change, is that you can now stream pretty much everything via Mixer – your dashboard, settings menu, whatever. Previously, if you left your game, the stream would pause. That could be a bit jarring for viewers, so this is a welcome tweak. Don’t worry though, the option to stream everything can be toggled on and off and can choose to hide email addresses and other personal info.
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In addition to the streaming changes, those browsing the Xbox Store can now add games to a shopping cart before buying (How was that not a feature until now?) and the recently-revamped Xbox Avatars are getting a variety of new moods and accessories.
Speaking of those sassy Xbox Avatars, they’re now available for Windows 10 testers. If you’re a part of the Xbox Insider programs, you can download the PC version of the Xbox Avatar Editor and start making a virtual you (or whatever wacky character you want). It isn’t entirely clear how the Avatars will be used on PC, but, at the very least, you should be able to use them as your profile image.
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Back at E3 2017 Microsoft announced Avatars 2.0, which would provide players with a wider, more-diverse set of customization options. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, the update has been delayed several times – testing only began on Xbox One this June. The new Avatar creation process lets players choose from a wide array of body types, tweak tons of details, including little things like jewelry and fingernail color, and set your mood. This probably won’t be a huge deal to most Xbox owners, but it’s nice to see Microsoft putting the effort in.
No specific word on when the new Xbox One update will be available to the general public, but expect it to roll out within the next few weeks. Avatars 2.0 launch sometime in October.
