Now that we know the Xbox One DVR is a reality, we’re learning more and more about how it works, thanks to Gamescom. While the device is coming with the very cool feature of being able to record live, over the air programming there is apparently a rather large catch. The DVR won’t be able to record television programming unless users also hook up an external hard drive.
During this year’s Gamescom, Microsoft talked about the upcoming dashboard redesign and project lead Richard Irving laid out how the DVR will work if you want to actually record your favorite shows using the console and why users won’t be able to record to the internal drive. “You need an external hard-drive specifically for DVR because we want to keep the [storage] paths optimized between playing games and watching TV,” he said. “We don’t want them to interact with each other.”
Another tool that users will need to purchase if they want to get the most out of their DVR will be a digital TV tuner. This particular device is already available across both North America and Europe. The DVR is coming as part of a massive redesign to the user experience when it comes to the Xbox One. Phil Spencer announced the redesign during his own time at Gamescom and the move appears to be yet another step in trying to help the Xbox One make up ground when it comes to sales as compared to the PS4. The redesign and the Xbox One DVR are expected to hit by the end of this year.