Xbox One gets a makeover with backwards compatibility; Microsoft tries to redefine game consoles [see details here]

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Microsoft launched an Xbox One software update on Thursday which redesigned the dashboard, aims to make it faster and bring back old user-friendly features.

One notable feature that the update brings is the backwards compatibility. This will mean that the Xbox One console can now play Xbox 360 games. According to Wall Street Journal, there will be over 100 older games that gamers can play on the newer Xbox console including "Mass Effect," "Fallout 3" and "Assassin's Creed II."

Additionally, the update also allows the console's operating system to be upgraded to Windows 10 which means you can play your games on your computer instead of your TV or play with friends who are on their PC as well. Because of this, launching and loading games is much faster.

Microsoft has also dropped the Kinect gestures which come with the console via a camera attached to it. Players will no longer be annoyed by annoying gestures that would trigger randomly when moving hands.

It was explained by Mike Ybarra, head of the update developing team, why the feature was omitted.

"When we looked at the New Xbox One Experience (the new update) we wanted to prioritize features that customers were asking for, plus areas of improvement from the existing Xbox One UI (user interface)," Ybarra said, as reported by CNBC. "With gestures, the reality was the usage was very, very low. So for now, we've cut that from the New Xbox One Experience."

However, games that use Kinect will still function as normal.

The update also brings a redesigned dashboard where it is a lot more controller-friendly now that Kinect gestures are out the way. However, you can still use voice controls. Navigating across Friends, Notifications, Settings, Messages and Parties is easier through the column that slides from the left.

According to Time, the new Community tab has Activity Feed entries inlined similar to social networks such as Facebook or Twitter.

While the new update isn't perfect, Microsoft is taking steps to fix known issues that they have listed in their website. Some known concerns for Xbox One include "blank tiles in My Games & apps," the console is not responding to voice commands after an update, app launching errors and many more. They have listed troubleshooting solutions as well for frustrated gamers who are looking to fix the console glitches.

More update will roll out in the coming months and Microsoft's digital assistant, Cortana will be launched into the console next year.