Xbox One to Finally Get Miracast Support, More

Microsoft today detailed some of the features it will be providing to Xbox One preview members this month and then to everyone else in the next month or so. Among them is one of the most asked-for functional updates: Support for Miracast.

Here are the new features Xbox One preview members can expect to see this month.

Miracast support. Courtesy of a new Wireless Display app, you will finally be able to use your $500 video game console like a $99 dongle and mirror the display of your Windows PCs, Windows Phone 8 handsets, and many Android devices on your HDTV. Why did this take so long? Why ask why?

Power on and off from Xbox SmartGlass. If you think of the Xbox One SmartGlass app as a remote control for the console on steroids, it makes sense that you’d be able to turn the Xbox One on and off with it. Now you can. (You will need the Beta version of the Xbox One SmartGlass, however.)

OTA live TV support. As I wrote about previously in Microsoft Brings OTA TV Capabilities to Xbox One in the US and Canada, you will be able to stream live TV using a third-party USB-based TV tuner and view a sorted list of channels and channel logos so you can tell what channels you receive.

Opt-in power mode. As I wrote about previously in Microsoft Promises to Improve Xbox One Power Consumption, the initial setup experience on Xbox One will now let you select the power mode you prefer, Instant-on or Energy-saving.

Voice messages. This isn’t actually new to the preview program, but the voice message feature—by which you can send and receive voice messages from the Xbox One messages app—will stay in preview this month. But you will now be able to create a voice message while in a party chat using a third party headset too.