Microsoft Xbox One Cortana Integration Delayed Until 2016

Since Windows 10's launch this past summer, millions upon millions of people have been able to take advantage of Microsoft's AI assistant Cortana. Admittedly, though, there are areas other than just a desktop or notebook where the usefulness of Cortana could prove a boon. Consoles, such as the Xbox One, would be a great example, since people typically won't have a mouse and keyboard in front of them, and thus can't easily tap away to get quick information on something.

It's for that reason that Cortana's appearance on the Xbox One has been no doubt yearned by many. As unfortunate as it is, though, those who've been waiting for the feature addition will have to wait just a bit longer.

Over at his official site, Larry Hryb, aka Major Nelson, quickly notes that Cortana's official Xbox One launch will take place in 2016 - likely very early 2016. Reasons for the delay are not mentioned, but it seems safe to say that it has to do with refinement. Those who are part of the Xbox One preview program will have a chance to use Cortana ahead of the official launch.

And speaking of the Xbox One preview, Hryb notes that many more people will be able to update to a new build this weekend, joining others who were able to update a few weeks ago. It's highly encouraged that if you do test out the updated build, that you provide feedback, as it is undoubtedly useful to Microsoft.

It's not just the Xbox One itself getting some love this weekend; also updated is the Xbox app for Windows 10. Added to this latest beta is party text chat, the ability to read and reply directly to messages from a notification in the system tray, activity alert notifications, and activity feed sharing.