Microsoft's iOS and Android Xbox apps are being re-branded from "Xbox One SmartGlass" to just "Xbox." The revamped apps have an appearance and new features that make them very close to the Windows 10 app for PCs, tablets, and smartphones.
The SmartGlass app has been available on Android since 2012. It allows owners of the app to control various media functions of the Xbox console, including Play and Pause.
Xbox fans can now use the app for Xbox Live, watch shared game content, and buy video games. It pairs up Apple and Google phones well with the Microsoft console.
The key new features of the app update are related to Microsoft's online gaming network Xbox Live. For example, users can learn which topics are trending, find friends on Facebook, and share real names with friends.
The Xbox app's home now includes screenshots and game clips that the user's friends have shared. Microsoft has also added game hubs and a media control/connect to the Xbox interface.
Access to friends, messages and alerts has been added to the main interface like the Windows 10 app. However, the iOS and Android app does not support game streaming or party chat yet, according to The Verge.
Microsoft launched the Xbox app update just hours before the software giant's E3 press conference. The company was rumored to unveil an Xbox One S/Slim console and new games.
The Washington-based company indeed announced the Xbox One S, which will be 40 percent smaller than the original Xbox One. The new console will start at $300 and will be rolled out in August of this year, according to Kotaku.
Microsoft announced that pricing for the new Xbox console will be based on the hard drive sizes. They include a 500GB version ($300), 1TB model ($350), and 2TB unit ($400).
Xbox One S will also support 4K video. One day before Microsoft's E3 press conference, an image of Xbox One Slim showed up on the gaming forum NeoGAF.
Microsoft is also working on a more powerful version of Xbox One codenamed Scorpio. It is set to launch in late 2017.
Microsoft's updated Xbox app and new consoles epitomize its attempt to catch up with Sony's PlayStation 4.