Xbox One required system update hits today

The first required system update since the Xbox One's launch day patch will go live at 8 p.m. ET today, Microsoft's Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb revealed today on his blog.

The update includes the following items:

• Addresses SmartGlass issues for some users when coming in and out of connected standby
• Addresses multiplayer issues for some users when re-joining games
• Addresses issues with inconsistent notifications for some users
• Addresses dashboard performance for some users
• Offers improvements for Xbox One's TV, system update, and content update services for scaling over time
• Updated wireless networking driver to improve connectivity issues for some users

Those using the next-gen console's "instant on" feature will find that their console checks for updates like this in the background. Those consoles will automatically download the update in the background, install it and power down completely. Users will need to manually power the console on, as spoken commands aren't available when the Xbox One is fully off. The Xbox One will apply the update the next time it's powered on, then reboot. The installation process should take between two and five minutes.

Those not using the "instant on" feature will be required to download and apply the update after Thursday, Dec. 12, at 7 p.m. ET.

"We've got quite a few updates planned for the next year based on the community feedback we've been seeing," Major Nelson wrote, "and I'll have details on those in the future."

For more on possible changes headed to the Xbox One, be sure to read Polygon's interview with Xbox Group Program manager Jeff Henshaw about the console's chat features. You can also learn more about the console in Polygon's Xbox One review.