Release date announced for merged Xbox Stores and Cortana

Microsoft announced yesterday that the Windows 10 Anniversary update, including the implementation of Cortana and merged Xbox Stores, will be released this August.

The announcement included all of the features first announced at the Windows 10 Spotlight a few months ago, and those looking to upgrade to Windows 10 can still do so for free until July 29th, 2016. The voice commands will be changed with Cortana, which we'll cover below, but the main gaming features included with the anniversary update are:

• With the Xbox Play Anywhere program, you can buy a game once and play on your Windows 10 PC and Xbox One with shared progress, shared game saves and shared achievements. Every new title published from Microsoft Studios will support Xbox Play Anywhere and will be easily accessible in the Windows Store.
• Xbox Play Anywhere games will be offered within the new unified Windows Store on both Windows 10 and Xbox One. You’ll be able to find the content you want faster and purchase game and app bundles, pre-orders, pre-downloads and subscriptions such as Xbox Live Gold.
• On Xbox One, gamers will be able to use Cortana commands to find great new games, see what your friends are up to, start a party, accomplish common tasks and turn on your Xbox One by saying “Hey Cortana, Xbox On”.
• Top fan requested features for Xbox One, such as Language Region Independence (allowing gamers to choose any supported language, regardless of their location) and support for background music, will come with the Anniversary Update.
• Gamers can enjoy the Windows 10 Anniversary Update on the new Xbox One S. Available starting at $299 USD this summer, with a limited 2TB Xbox One S launch edition available in August for $399 USD, it’s the only console with support for HDR gaming and 4K Ultra HD video and Blu-ray.

You'll notice that Kinect users will have to vary up their voice commands as the now uses "Xbox On" will no longer work when the update goes live come August 2nd. All commands will now start with "Hey Cortana", so "Hey Cortana, Xbox On" will be the new command. You will of course still need the Kinect to use this feature, although once the console is on you will be able to use the headset with Cortana as well. Initially, it may seem that the Kinect's use is now limited, but it's not totally the case. Those who use their Xbox One to watch Youtube, Netflix, TV or other non-gaming related apps will find the Kinect extremely useful. After all, not everyone sits there with a headset on watching Netflix, so you'll have to use a controller for navigation while doing so if you don't own a Kinect.

All of the upgrades correlate to Microsoft's transition of Xbox into a more diverse and unified platform opposed to simply a console. A number of other upgrades are included and you can see them all on the official Windows blog. The update wil be rolled out to Xbox users beginning August 2nd on both console and Windows 10.

[Windows blog]