With the Xbox Insider Program, testing not only included updates to the system software but upcoming game and application patches from both first and third-parties.

[10] Xbox Live support was not originally part of the system software as shipped in 2001, but added later in November 2002.

For Microsoft, the separate fork of these apps for the Xbox 360 and for the versions they were developing for the mobile-based Windows CE environment became difficult to maintain.

[10] Microsoft released the Xbox 360 console on November 22, 2005, a year earlier than both the Sony PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii.

For most games this feature also reduces the amount of time spent reading the disc, thereby helping to extend the life-span of the optical drive mechanism.

The new design, nicknamed the "Kinect" dashboard, would incorporate the Metro interface used in other Microsoft products, such as Zune HD and Windows Phone.

Users could still access the Marketplace using bypass methods, however the servers for authorizing card payment was retired on this date as well.

The Xbox System Software contains a heavily modified Hyper-V hypervisor (known as NanoVisor) as its host OS and two partitions.

The UI maintained the same "Metro" design that had been used in the last Xbox 360 update, and which resembled the desktop Windows 8 interface.

[39] The program that Microsoft launched allows developers to build a single app that can run on a wide variety of devices, including personal computers and Xbox One video game consoles.

[44] As Microsoft continued to refine Windows 10 with the Fluent Design System, the Xbox One interface was also modified to reflect these changes by 2017.

The UI includes a HOME screen, consisting of the top bar, the screenshot viewer ("Album") Icons, and shortcuts to the Microsoft Store, News, and Settings.

It is also more focused on the actual games they are playing, which is part and parcel of the company's new direction under Phil Spencer, the current head of Microsoft's Xbox division.

[47] Microsoft aims to release frequent updates to the Xbox System Software, mainly containing new or improved features and faster installation and loading times for games and apps.

[48] Along with introducing improvements and fixes for native console apps and software, the monthly updates to the Xbox System Software introduce major features that are voted on or requested by the community,[49] though some months have included more than one update.

Starting in February 2014, beta releases of updates are tested[50] before going live to check for unwanted bugs and stability.