The Xbox One console from Microsoft will soon receive 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound through the optical out port. Currently, the optical out port on the new console supports just two-channel stereo sound, which is an odd omission considering the fact that 5.1 optical sound has been a regular feature on Microsoft, as well as Sony’s consoles after the original Xbox generation.
The director of product planning at Microsoft, Albert Penello said that 5.1 optical sound features were postponed after the release date because of a software scheduling issue. The Xbox One was officially launched in November 2013. The addition of the new feature comes as good news for gamers who have optical-only home cinema setups, or the ones with gaming headsets which usually use optical sound.
The update for the Xbox One operating system is expected to be released on March 11, 2014 and will coincide with the release of Titanfall. The new update will also offer easier access to the next-gen console’s friends list, which will be on the front and center on the homepage of the Friends app.
Party chat will be turned on by default and the ‘Invite friends to game’ option will be added apart from the ‘Recent Players’ section.
Photo Credits: Digital Trends
