One of Microsoft's big announcements at gamescom 2015 was an upcoming DVR feature for Xbox One. Unfortunately, the DVR function will only be available in three countries at first.
Microsoft told VG247 that Xbox One's DVR will debut in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. The company expects the feature to be released in those countries sometime in 2016. Release details for France, Germany and other countries will be announced at a later date.
The DVR for Xbox One lets users record live TV. They can also schedule recordings in advance. This schedule can be edited from Windows 10 PCs along with iOS and Android devices. Recorded TV shows can also be streamed to these other hardware devices. Windows 10 phones, tablets and computers can also download these shows for offline viewing.
There's no extra subscription fee needed for DVR. Microsoft says that certain features may require Xbox Live Gold, though. You'll also need a digital TV tuner (priced at $60) for your Xbox One. Microsoft's Richard Irving also revealed during gamescom that you can't use the Xbox One's hard drive to store these recordings:
A digital TV tuner, already available for Xbox One across Europe and North America, is also required to play over-the-air TV.
The DVR function is one of two major features for Xbox One highlighted at gamescom. The other is backwards compatibility, which will allow XB1 owners to play both digital and physical copies of games for no additional charge. Backwards compatibility thankfully won't take as long to go live as the DVR feature. Microsoft expects to release it in November with support for around 100 Xbox 360 games.
The rest of Microsoft's gamescom showcase was devoted to hardware and games. They revealed a new console bundle for Halo 5 along with themed controllers. FIFA 16 will also be getting its own special bundle. The biggest software on display included time-shifting shooter Quantum Break, Platinum Games' hack-and-slash game Scalebound, and open-world supercop game Crackdown 3. Microsoft also threw in some indie announcements as well to round out the show.
