Xbox One will save your console's settings in the cloud
It's also the formal launch of game gifting.
Microsoft is about to make life easier if you're upgrading to an Xbox One X or just want to play on a friend's Xbox One. It just released alpha firmware for Xbox Insiders that focuses in large part on easier setup. The preview version now saves your home console's settings to the cloud, not just your saved games. If you need everything just so, you don't have to spend ages configuring a new-to-you console. Your system will also backup TV and OneGuide settings to external storage, and the Xbox mobile app will help you set up an Xbox One X while it's still downloading its initial update.
This also marks the formal launch of game gifting. If you're eager to treat someone, you can buy "most" digital Xbox One games, permanent add-ons (such as mission packs and characters), Xbox Live Gold or Xbox Game Pass as a gift. You just need to know their email address or Gamertag.
Other improvements? The home screen can now include club "blocks" (see above) to show you what's going on with your group, and the Guide includes mini game hubs for recently used titles. You don't necessarily have to leave whatever you're playing to check out hub content. And if you've ever been slightly embarrassed about having zero achievements in a game, you can hide those achievement-free games in your personal and public profiles.
Insiders should see the update hit their systems over the "next few weeks." It's going to be a while longer before these features arrive with regular updates, but look at it this way: if you can't quite justify buying an Xbox One X as soon as it's available, the experience will be better if and when you make the leap.
