Xbox November 2021 Update Brings New Features, Improvements to Xbox Series S/X, Xbox One Consoles, Controllers

Microsoft has also updated the Xbox app for mobile devices with a new link sharing feature.

By David Delima | Updated: 18 November 2021 17:15 IST

Xbox November 2021 Update Brings New Features, Improvements to Xbox Series S/X, Xbox One Consoles, Controllers

Photo Credit: Microsoft/ Xbox

Xbox November update improves accessibility and audio, and adds new features to older Xbox controllers

Highlights

New features for gamers with colour blindness or colour vision deficiency
Older Xbox controllers get features found on next-gen controllers
Xbox audio settings have received improvements with the latest update

Xbox November 2021 update has been rolled out by Microsoft and it brings new features and improvements to Xbox Series S/X and Xbox One consoles. The company has added accessibility enhancements in the form of new colour filters for current-gen console owners as well as new audio settings for all Xbox consoles that improve the user experience when wearing headsets. Alongside improvements to some Xbox controllers and an updated Xbox mobile app, developers will also be able to use accessibility feature tags to games in Microsoft Store, according to the company.

In a post detailing the changes that are part of the November Xbox update, Microsoft stated that it has added new and improved colour filters to Xbox Series S/X consoles to help gamers with colour blindness or colour vision deficiency play titles that have been inaccessible to them in the past. After the update, users will be able to head over to Settings > Accessibility > Color filters and choose from three filters: Deuteranopia, Protanopia, and Tritanopia. Unlike some games that have such a feature built-in, Microsoft says that an applied colour filter's effects will be visible on all games, movies, apps, and menus across the system. Gamers can also use the guide in Profile & system > Quick settings to toggle these filters while viewing on the console.

The company has also added another accessibility feature that allows game developers to specify which accessibility features like adjustable difficulty, custom volume controls, colour options, and input remapping their gaming titles support. These will be visible on the Microsoft Store, the Xbox website, the Xbox Game Pass mobile app, and the Xbox app for Windows PC; over 325 games including Sea of Thieves and Microsoft Flight Simulator already display accessibility data, according to Microsoft.

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Xbox update also brings new firmware for the Xbox One Wireless Controller, Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2, and Xbox Adaptive Controller. These controllers will now benefit from lower latency, better cross-device connectivity, and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), features that are seen on the more advanced Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X controllers.

Microsoft has also changed the way Xbox Series S/X and Xbox One consoles handle audio, with an option to "Mute speaker audio when headset attached". This setting, found under Settings > Additional options, will eliminate the need for gamers to separately change their speaker volume while putting on a headset. Meanwhile, the company has also added a new Audio testing & details screen under Settings to better control volume and output settings.

The Xbox app for mobile has also been updated with a new link sharing feature that allows gamers to get a link to screenshots and special in-game moments, which can then be shared with anyone on the Web. Gamers will also be able to view content on the app based on what is trending and watch or comment on game captures shared by other players. The Xbox November update is available for all Xbox Series S/X and Xbox One consoles, and owners can navigate to Profile & system > Settings > System > Updates to make sure they have the latest software installed on their console.

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Microsoft Xbox Series X

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Good
Really powerful
Delivers constant 4K 60fps
Reduced loading times
Great backward compatibility
Support for Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos
Capable of 8K / 120fps
Network transfer feature

Bad
Expensive
Lack of truly next-gen exclusives
Not a generation leap over Xbox One X at launch
Proprietary storage expansion
No rechargeable battery with controller
Implementation of Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos

Read detailed Microsoft Xbox Series X review

HDD 1TB PCie Gen 4 NVME SSD

Processor Custom 8-core AMD Zen 2 CPU @ 3.8GHz

Graphics Custom AMD RDNA 2 GPU 52 CUs @ 1.825GHz

RAM 16GB GDDR6

USB 3

Weight 4.45kg

Ethernet Gigabit

More Microsoft Gaming Consoles

Microsoft Xbox Series S

KEY SPECS
NEWS

HDD 512GB PCie Gen 4 NVME SSD

Processor Custom 8-core AMD Zen 2 CPU @ 3.8GHz

Graphics Custom AMD RDNA 2 GPU 20 CUs @ 1.565GHz

RAM 10GB GDDR6 RAM

More Microsoft Gaming Consoles

Microsoft Xbox One

KEY SPECS
NEWS

HDD 500GB, 1TB

Processor AMD Jaguar 1.8GHz 8-core

Graphics AMD GCN Radeon 853MHz

RAM 8GB

AV S/PDIF out, IR-out, Kinect port

USB 3 USB 3.0 ports

Weight 3.5kg

Ethernet Yes

More Microsoft Gaming Consoles

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Further reading: Xbox, Xbox November update, Microsoft, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Xbox Controller, Xbox mobile app

David Delima

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As a writer on technology with Gadgets 360, David Delima is interested in open-source technology, cybersecurity, consumer privacy, and loves to read and write about how the Internet works. David can be contacted via email at DavidD@ndtv.com, on Twitter at @DxDavey, and Mastodon at mstdn.social/@delima. More