At some point today, a new wave of Xbox One preview updates will be rolled out to Xbox Ones that are registered in the preview program. This new version of the Xbox One software uses the unified OneCore Windows platform, and with that release comes two big new features: Cortana integration and apps for the Xbox.

Cortana-powered voice control was initially promised for last year's update, but the feature slipped. Cortana will subsume existing Xbox voice functionality, such as starting apps and navigating the interface. She'll also be used for more complex scenarios. For example, you'll be able to ask her to invite a particular friend to a party when they come online. As ever, Cortana is subject to various restrictions: she only speaks English (US and UK variants), French, Italian, German, and Spanish, so those are the only markets in which the service will work at first.

With this update, the Xbox will be able to respond to "Hey, Cortana"—just like Windows 10 PCs, Windows 10 phones, and even some Android devices already do. We hope that Microsoft will add some kind of smarts to the system so that if it knows you're using the Xbox, your PC and phone will ignore the "Hey, Cortana" prompt rather than causing three devices spring to life and try to respond to commands.

The second feature is apps: the Xbox Store and the Windows Store are being combined, and at some point apps built for the Universal Windows Platform are going to start showing up on the Xbox. On the Xbox side, Microsoft is working to make it easier to discover things in the store, with better searching and filtering along with end-user reviews. On the Windows side, the Windows Store will include support for browsing and buying game bundles, DLC, season passes, and all the other things that complicate buying games these days.

The update also includes a number of smaller changes both on the Xbox and in the Windows 10 Xbox app. On the Xbox, the My Games & Apps app has some nice quality of life improvements, such as download speed indicators when installing games and a special category for owned but not yet installed games. Social integration is also enhanced, with the ability to find Facebook friends and easier sharing of game video clips. Those game video clips can now be edited on both the Xbox One or on a PC, allowing easy insertion of meme text to enhance all your dankest MLG no-scope 420-BLaZEit-420 moments.

In the PC app, capturing can now record at 60fps, up from 30. Certain non-Xbox games will now show up in the Xbox app, so you can do things like party chat and use the Xbox overlay in them. The social integration extends to the PC, too, with Twitter-sharing of clips and screenshots from the app.