The May system update for the Xbox One has arrived, bringing with it an array of new features. The features were detailed in a blog post on the Xbox website.

Voice Messages

Xbox users can now record short voice messages and send them to each other through the messages app. This feature was actually introduced in the April update, but was only available to preview members. Apparently this feature was in high demand, with the Xbox Feedback site showing that it was “the No. 1 feature requested in the Friends and Parties area.” The messages app can be accessed with a double tap of the Xbox button. Xbox claims the feature will allow users to “quickly and easily record audio to send to your friends or others through your snapped messages app.” Messages can also be sent between an Xbox One console and an Xbox 360. Pretty nifty.

Power On From SmartGlass

Speaking of nifty, there’s now an app for iOS, Android, and Windows Phones called Xbox One SmartGlass. If your phone is on the same network as your Xbox One, you can now use the app to power on your console. Apparently, this feature request on the Xbox Feedback site had more than 4,000 votes, so it’s also been in high demand. It should prove extremely useful for those too lazy to go to the next room to turn on their Xbox.

Selectable Power Mode

Users will now be able to choose what power mode their console should use. It can be set to “instant-on”, which means you can use the “Xbox On” voice command to turn the console on, or it can be set to energy-saving mode, which will require users to press the power button to boot it up.

Dedicated Servers For Party Chat

This is another feature that was made available in a previous update, but only for preview members. It enabled dedicated chat relay servers to solve a bug that broke party chat for the some users. This feature won’t roll out right away, but over the next few weeks. “We will start to expand the availability of the party chat relay services beyond preview members to a broader audience as we continue to fine tune the feature and scale out the servers needed to support party chat relay services.” That’s code for saying they don’t have the capacity to give it to everybody yet, but they’re working on it.

We’re seeing some pretty nice features coming to the Xbox One, but might all be too little too late. The Playstation 4 is apparently taking the world by storm, leaving Microsoft’s console playing catchup. If you’re an Xbox One user, you can always go to their Feedback site to leave your suggestions.