{"id":92329,"date":"2016-05-15T17:52:48","date_gmt":"2016-05-15T15:52:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/?p=92329"},"modified":"2016-05-16T11:36:28","modified_gmt":"2016-05-16T09:36:28","slug":"best-hidden-xbox-one-features-only-power-users-know-about","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/xbox\/92329-best-hidden-xbox-one-features-only-power-users-know-about","title":{"rendered":"Best hidden Xbox One features only power users know about"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Microsoft first announced the Xbox One, it billed the device\u00a0as not just a video game console, but a full entertainment centre.<\/p>\n

A few of the console\u2019s great features are not immediately visible on the user interface, or require a bit of technical skill to set up.<\/p>\n

These are some of the best features of the Xbox One you may not know if you are not a power user.<\/p>\n

Also read: Hidden PlayStation 4 features only power users know about<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Play To<\/h3>\n

You can set up a media server on a Windows 7 machine using Windows Media Player, or using Xbox Video on a Windows 8+ PC.<\/p>\n

From there you can add the Xbox One to your computer\u2019s list of devices, and then choose to play certain media files on the console.<\/p>\n

\"Windows<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Track bandwidth usage<\/h3>\n

You can track how much bandwidth the Xbox One is currently consuming, and how much data it has used in the past.<\/p>\n

\"Xbox<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Speed up your game installation<\/h3>\n

Before you can play a game on the Xbox One, whether a digital download or from a retail disc, you must first install it on the console (or an attached USB hard drive).<\/p>\n

These installations can run very slowly,\u00a0and Xbox owners have reported seeing much faster installs if you do not download updates while installing.<\/p>\n

You may select not to download the update\u00a0while installing, or disconnect the console from the Internet entirely.<\/p>\n

To disconnect it, open the Xbox One menu, go to Settings, then Network, then select \u201cGo Offline\u201d. You can also unplug the Ethernet cable or turn off your router.<\/p>\n

If you don’t\u00a0download updates while installing a\u00a0game, it is likely that you will have to download it before you can play online.<\/p>\n

\"Xbox<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

SmartGlass: use your phone\u2019s keyboard on the Xbox One<\/h3>\n

You can control your Xbox One from your iPhone, or Android or Windows smartphone, using the Xbox One SmartGlass app.<\/p>\n

The app lets you use your phone\u2019s keyboard and touchscreen to navigate the console, and offers a companion screen for games that support SmartGlass.<\/p>\n

\"Xbox<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Use a QR Code<\/h3>\n

If you have a Kinect 2, you can use its camera to redeem game codes, whether for downloadable or bonus content.<\/p>\n

To use this feature, just say \u201cXbox, use code,\u201d and hold the QR code where the Kinect sensor can see it.<\/p>\n

\"Xbox<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Virtual green screen<\/h3>\n

Using the Upload Studio app and a Kinect, you can create a virtual green screen.<\/p>\n

This is in addition to the normal editing of gameplay clips, adding voice over and doing picture-in-picture.<\/p>\n

\"Xbox<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Blu-Ray player<\/h3>\n

Although the Xbox One can read normal Blu Rays, its Blu Ray player app isn\u2019t installed on the console by default.<\/p>\n

To download it, just go to the Xbox Store and search for \u201cBlu Ray Player\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"Xbox<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Disable disc autoplay<\/h3>\n

Once you have the Blu Ray player app installed, it will automatically launch whenever you insert a Blu Ray video disc.<\/p>\n

To disable this, launch the Xbox menu, go into Settings, and then Disc & Blu Ray. In the disc settings section, uncheck \u201cPlay disc automatically\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"Xbox<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Snap apps to the screen edge<\/h3>\n

With the Xbox Snap feature, you can watch TV while gaming, or play music while browsing the web.<\/p>\n

To use Snap, place the cursor over the app you would like to Snap without opening it. Press Menu, then select Snap from the pop-up menu.<\/p>\n

If you have a Kinect 2 plugged in, you can say \u201cXbox, Snap\u2026\u201d and the name of the app. \u201cXbox, unsnap\u2026\u201d also works.<\/p>\n

\"Xbox<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Set Home Xbox<\/h3>\n

If you logged into your account on a friend\u2019s Xbox One, or if you want others to access your games library from your console, set it as your Home Xbox.<\/p>\n

\"Xbox<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Guest accounts<\/h3>\n

If you have guests over, but don\u2019t want them fiddling with your saves or your Xbox One\u2019s settings, you can create a guest account that gives them limited access.<\/p>\n

To create a guest account, launch the Xbox One menu, navigate to Settings, and scroll right until you see Guest settings.<\/p>\n

Select create a Guest key. You will need to remember the pattern you so that you can pass it on to guests when they visit.<\/p>\n

\"Xbox<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Appear offline<\/h3>\n

If you want to use your Xbox One, but don\u2019t want your contacts to know you\u2019re online, you can appear offline without actually disconnecting your console from the Internet.<\/p>\n

To do this, go the Xbox menu, then Friends, then select My Profile.<\/p>\n

\"Xbox<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

More on the Xbox One<\/h3>\n

DOOM released for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Microsoft\u2019s Iron Man Xbox One looks awesome<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Microsoft to unveil new Xbox hardware at E3 2016<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Microsoft\u2019s game console has a number of great features you may not know about.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":173,"featured_media":89755,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sma_x_autopost_enabled":true,"_sma_x_custom_text":"","_sma_x_autopost_status":"idle","_sma_x_autopost_error":"","_sma_x_post_id":"","_sma_x_attempts":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[21,91,15189,10065],"class_list":["post-92329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-xbox","tag-headline","tag-microsoft","tag-tips-and-tricks","tag-xbox-one"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92329","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/173"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92329"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92329\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":92409,"href":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92329\/revisions\/92409"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/89755"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92329"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}