Microsoft announced in a press briefing at it's Gamescom 2015 event Tuesday that the Xbox One gaming console will include a full-featured DVR functionality next year.
Mike Ybarra, director of program management for Xbox, said that the new feature, which will not require a subscription, will enable owners to "record free-to-air TV, schedule recordings and take it on the go," Polygon reported.
The new feature compliments the Xbox One's TV tuner, a functionality introduced several months ago that allows users to view over the air free TV such as ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox.
Owners will be able to schedule recording remotely, store content on an external DVR and stream those recordings to mobile devices using Wi-Fi connection. Devices supported include phones, tablets and computers running Windows 10 with the Xbox app or SmartGlass on iOS and Android, according to Engadget.
The company has yet to confirm whether the new service will support cable TV, The Verge noted.
Consumers, however, should take note that they "will need to supply their own external hard drive for recordings, despite the availability of a 1 TB Xbox One console, and they won't be able to watch and record programs at the same time using the current TV tuner," which would require a separate dual tuner, according to PC World.
The Xbox One's new functionality reflects a subtle expansion of orientation for the console, as the console now offers TV viewing aside from gaming and digital media content. The move is aligned with the vision Microsoft had for the Xbox One back in 2013 of making the device an all-in-one entertainment system.
