Xbox One multiplayer and party updates coming in March

The first product update for Xbox One will release this week, and as previously reported, the update contains stability and product updates such as with Kinect. According to Marc Whitten, Microsoft's chief product officer, there's more to come in March as previously rumored.

"This is step one on our journey and commitment to deliver continuous innovation to Xbox One customers," he said. "Xbox One is a platform designed to offer the best games and entertainment experience and we are committed to delivering more and more features to our customers.

"While we’re thrilled to launch the February update this week, we’re already looking ahead to March. We’ve prided ourselves on having the best multiplayer service for Xbox 360 and we’ve listened to your feedback about the features you want to see on Xbox One and Xbox Live. We’ve heard your feedback and the team has been working overtime to deliver updates that will significantly improve the multiplayer and party experience on Xbox One."

Here are more details on what’s coming for parties and multiplayer in March straight from Microsft:

• Get to your friends list faster. The friends list will be front and center on the homepage of the Friends app. Click the Social tile on Home, or say “Xbox, go to Friends” to see who’s online and what they’re up to. From there you can quickly send messages and get into a party.
• Party chat will be turned on by default. When you party up, chat audio will be turned on by default.
• Chat with friends playing different games. Party chat will be separated from people playing your game, so you can chat with your friends who are online or you can chat with everyone playing the game.
• “Invite friends to game” option to your multiplayer titles moving forward. Similar to Xbox 360 titles, this will appear inside a games’ menu and offer a simple and quicker way to set up your multiplayer battles. Selecting “Invite friends” will let you invite friends to your game and party.
• “Recent Players.” This is a simple list that shows you Xbox Live members you’ve recently played with, making it easier to stay in touch with people, or add new friends after your multiplayer battles.

The March Xbox One system update will start rolling out in the early part of the month, and in-depth videos will be released touching upon the new features.

The February update was expected to land today, but Microsoft has said the team is working on finalizing it. Major Nelson will announced when it will be made available later this week.