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Xbox One Spring Update Adds Mixer 'Share Controller' Feature, More

The new Share Controller feature will let Mixer streamers on Xbox One share their controller with a viewer watching via Mixer.com.

 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

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Microsoft's Spring Xbox One update is now rolling out to members of the Xbox Insider Alpha Ring.

The update adds a new "Share Controller" feature for Mixer streamers, support for 1440p video output, updates to the Edge browser, new audio options, handy filtering tools for Club owners, and more. Perhaps most notably, the new Share Controller feature will let Mixer streamers on Xbox One share their controller with a viewer watching via Mixer.com.

"Streamers can share their entire controller (except the Xbox button) in the Xbox game they are playing, and a viewer can take control through the on-screen gamepad or by plugging a controller into their PC," according to a post on the Xbox Wire. "Viewer and streamer can work together in the game, or the viewer can cause trouble – resulting in hilarious chaos."

Besides that, Xbox One X and S will now support 1440p resolution for games and media. Sometimes called "2560x1440" or "QHD," 1440p is popular among PC users. It falls between Full HD and 4K, offering more than a million and a half more pixels than 1080p.

Plus, the Edge browser on Xbox One is getting a more "modern" look and improvements to Favorites and History that should make it easier to revisit sites, as well as tab muting, read aloud, and autofill features. The new audio options, meanwhile, will let you "selectively balance game audio against background music within the Guide," the Xbox Wire post states. This way you can "turn down the game volume, crank up the music volume, and rock on."

Club admins will be able to filter invite requests based on criteria like reputation, Gamerscore, and recommendations from current club members. You can, for instance, "set a filter to only show invitees with over 200 hours of playtime" or "filter requests to only show invitees with over 900 Gamerscore." You'll also be able to sort club feeds to see "what's hot" or "top posts."

Finally, tournaments are now available right in Game Hubs, which means you no longer have to be a member of a club to start or join a tourney.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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