Today at Microsoft’s Build conference, Xbox boss Phil Spencer confirmed two new features coming to Xbox One this summer through the just-announced Anniversary update.
One of the new features is background music, which will let you listen to music while playing games. Such a feature is already available on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 4 through Sony’s partnership with music streaming giant Spotify.
It remains to be seen if Microsoft is also partnering with Spotify (a Sony representative said in 2015 that Spotify could come to Xbox consoles later), but it seems more likely that Xbox One’s background music feature would use Microsoft’s own Groove music program.
The other new feature coming to Xbox One this summer is the Siri-like digital assistant Cortana. Just like on Windows 10 PCs, you will be able to ask her about anything and hopefully get a helpful response. You will need Kinect to ask Cortana questions by voice.
Finally, Spencer teased that Microsoft will announce even more new Anniversary update features for Xbox One at E3 2016 this summer. The show takes place in the beginning of June, suggesting the Anniversary update isn’t coming out until sometime after that.
