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Xbox October 2018 update includes new expressive avatars, enhanced voice navigation

Those interested in streaming video get a new boost too, with Dolby Vision HDR support added for Xbox One S and X users.

Charles Singletary Jr

October 11, 2018 12:45 PM

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Interaction is the name of the game with this new update from Microsoft. Starting today, the October 2018 Xbox update is rolling out to users and includes improvements to Avatars, voice integration with Cortana and Alexa, new languages for the Narrator function, and Dolby Vision DHR streaming support.

The new addition for Avatars in this October 2018 update delivers expressive and creative figures with a diverse collection of options via the Avatar Editor. The new Avatars can be seen on your profile, the pages of others, on activity feed posts, leaderboards, club headers, friend blocks, and more. Licensed objects from games like Halo and Gears of War are also being added to the new Avatar Store, offering up even more custom options for players. While they'll actively represent you all across the Xbox One, you can also use Photobooth for some stylish shots of your own. The original Avatars are still available as well.

Cortana and Alexa are stepping their game up in the October 2018 update with the Xbox Skill, which enables voice interaction and navigation beyond what the late Kinect was capable of. This new function allows you to start and stop broadcasts on Mixer, capture screenshots, launch games, and more all through Cortana and Alexa enabled devices.

Enhancing video streaming capabilities, this update also includes the Dolby Vision HDR option for Xbox One S and Xbox One X. This enables select TVs to deliver an enhanced version of HDR through sources like an premiuem Netflix subscription. Lastly, five additional languages were added to Narrator. This function reads dialogue boxes and window controls for better accessibility and now includes Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Swedish, and Dutch.

Charles Singletary Jr

News Editor

Charles Singletary Jr keeps the updates flowing as the News Editor, breaking stories while investigating the biggest topics in gaming and technology. He's pretty active on Twitter, so feel free to reach out to him @The_CSJR. Got a hot tip? Email him at Charles.Singletary@Shacknews.com.