Xbox One TV DVR Functionality Now “On Hold,” Microsoft Says

Back in March, I exclusively revealed that Microsoft was secretly testing TV DVR (digital video recording) functionality for Xbox One. But this week, the software giant revealed that it is no longer pursuing this feature.

“After careful consideration, we’ve decided to put development of DVR for Over-the-Air TV on hold to focus our attention on launching new, higher fan-requested gaming experiences across Xbox One and Windows 10,” a Microsoft statement notes. “We’re always listening to fan feedback and we look forward to bringing more requested experiences on Xbox One, Windows 10 and Xbox Live this year.”

So this statement both confirms my original report—thanks, Microsoft—and displays a strategy about face.

As you may know, Xbox One provides OTA (over-the-air) TV *viewing *capabilities on Xbox One in various markets today, and it had originally planned to add OTV DVR functionality—the ability to record live TV—by late 2015. That never happened, but by early 2016, they were testing the feature internally. The previous plan of record was for TV DVR capabilities to appear with one of the Anniversary Updates coming to Xbox One this year.

It’s not happening anymore, of course. And that’s too bad. But I wonder if this is tied in any way to the new Xbox hardware Microsoft is set to announce next week. Hopefully we’ll learn more at E3.