Microsoft will release a new NFL app later this month that will let football plans enjoy playing fantasy football on the Xbox One.
The app will focus on the Redmond, Wash.-based company's NFL Now video service as a way to make the console a better option for watching highlights and getting updates on fans' favorite teams and fantasy leagues, according to The Verge. A premium subscription will allow users to stream classic games, documentaries and shows from the NFL Films "vault."
Fans will also receive live programming from NFL Network, along with access to DIRECTV Sunday Ticket, which could come in handy for people living in areas that can't get the satellite service, Business Insider reported.
"People that are big NFL fans, and having the NFL Films library at your fingertips and be able to go through and find the content you want to watch in a single destination, we think it's going to have a lot of value for fans this year," David Jurenka, executive producer for Xbox Sports said in recent interview.
Jurenka added that the updates will be available on Aug. 28th, right before the beginning of the 2014 NFL season. The Xbox One will also offer football fans Fantasy Zone, DirectTV's new version of the Red Zone channel, which shows when teams are close to scoring. Fantasy Zone lets users know when players relevant to their fantasy league are in situations where they have a chance to score.
"They are [whipping] around doping live look-ins. Instead of focusing on the score, they focus on fantasy," said Jurenka, "... tracking more closely what's going on in the fantasy world and bringing that front-and-center."
The new app also focuses on fantasy football tracking with its updated Snap mode, which shows plays made by fans' fantasy players, The Verge reported. Users are also able to set global Xbox One notifications for when their fantasy players score by holding the Xbox button, which will have a replay Snap to the side of the screen.
Users can also customize these notifications among up to eight fantasy teams they're tracking, but they currently can't customize ones for their players on those teams, Business Insider reported. NFL Now also includes a carousel that scrolls through what's going on with users' fantasy teams or in the NFL while they watch TV on their Xbox One, play video games, or stream Netflix and other services.
"You see a TD here, an INT there. It feels like a Twitter stream of content," Jurenka said.
Buying an Xbox One won't be necessary for getting these features on the NFL app, The Verge reported. The app is being designed as one of the first "universal" apps for the console, so it will be able to also work on Xbox Ones and Windows 8 PCs.
