Xbox One March update rolling out with improved multiplayer features, Dolby Digital support

The Xbox One March update begins rolling out today, bringing with it a number of improvements across Microsoft's multiplayer services, the company announced today.

The update will bring the Friends List to the front of the Friends app, allowing players to access the list and see who's online more quickly. Party chat will also be enabled by default, with audio already on when players begin a party, and will now allow players to chat with others online playing different games. Multiplayer modes will now include an "Invite friends" option which simplifies bringing friends into games, as well as the ability to view a list of other players recently met in-game.

The Xbox One is also getting 5.1 Dolby Digital support for optical out and Dolby Digital surround sound over HDMI, as well as 50Hz output for television. The update will also ready the console for the launch of Twitch streaming integration on March 11 alongside the release of Respawn Entertainment's Titanfall.

A number of smaller fixes including general stability improvements are also hitting with the update: volume controls have been tweaked; new Smartglass options have been added for checking messages and un-Snapping windows; improvements have been made to the Xbox One browser and new gesture control features have been added; and the console can now support new Xbox One accessories — like the media remote.

In a statement sent to press, corporate vice president of Xbox Live Marc Whitten noted Microsoft will continue to listen to user suggestions and assemble future updates accordingly.

We know external hard drive storage is another big one on your list," Whitten wrote. "It's on our list too. We're working on that for a future update and will keep you posted. We're also working on friends notification improvements and experimenting with how to make that better.

"Just as we do with Xbox 360, we'll be continuing regular updates to Xbox One — some will be big, like this March update, and some will be smaller. Big or small, we're committed to delivering continuous innovation through system updates like this one. Thanks for your feedback."