Microsoft Xbox 360 Firmware Update Goes Live For All

Microsoft has rolled out its latest firmware update to everyone. But don't expect any monumental change to your Xbox Live experience. Yet. This is mainly an update to prepare your system for future major updates. Micosoft's Larry Hryb, also known as Major Nelson, confirmed on his blog that the update is now mandatory for all users.

"What's in it, you ask? Behind the scenes foundational improvement that will not be visually noticeable, but will help enable an easy update this Fall," Hryb confirmed. There is only one real update, and that's for Australia and New Zealand users – Bing-powered Kinect voice search has been added for those regions. Hryb also noted that a weird issue in the update makes some controllers by third-party company Datel inoperable. Datel offers firmware updates for its devices to fix this.

Among the new features announced during Microsoft's big media briefing are brand new video streaming options for live sporting events, new ways to interact with your Xbox 360 through the Kinect's voice recognition feature, and of course the SmartGlass platform that allows users to use their smartphone or tablet as a second screen for the Xbox 360. Microsoft hasn't provided any information as to when exactly those updates will be rolled out.

[via Major Nelson]