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Xbox One TV DVR feature "on hold", probably forever

Brenna Hillier avatar
News by Brenna Hillier Contributor
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Microsoft has axed TV plans for the Xbox One - again.

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Xbox One TV DVR feature "on hold"

It's time for an update to the ongoing saga of Microsoft's ever-collapsing ambitions to turn the Xbox One into an all-in-one entertainment device.

Remember how Microsoft announced the Xbox One would be getting a DVR feature for TV, allowing you to record and playback TV shows on your console or any connected Windows 10 device? Well, that's gone the way of its original programming and all that other not-actually-games stuff.

"After careful consideration, we've decided to put development of DVR for Over-the-Air TV on hold to focus our attention on launching new, higher fan-requested gaming experiences across Xbox One and Windows 10," the platform holder said in a statement issued to The Verge.

It could have been a pretty nice feature and I'm sure there's some disappointment, but if this is the price we pay for features like backwards compatibility with Xbox 360 titles, it's hard to complain. Games first, innit - although I'd personally be very happy to see Microsoft take another look at arguably-non core features like sharing screenshots, which is currently best described as "a chore".

Of the marvellous TV-centric ambitions Microsoft announced way back when the Xbox One first peeked over the horizon, only Quantum Break really eventuated. It didn't turn out as revolutionary as anticipated, though.

The next Xbox One update overhauls the storefront and adds virtual assistant Cortana, which will hopefully make it easier to navigate the system and find what you're after.

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