Microsoft is killing off Snap Mode on Xbox One

Like watching TV while you play your games? Well you're going to have to find another screen for that. Microsoft's Mike Ybarra has revealed on Twitter that the next Xbox One OS update will remove the popular Snap Mode that let you pop a miniature screen into the corner while you play. Removing Snap will "improve multitasking, reduce memory use, improve overall speed, and free up resources going forward for bigger things" so it clearly took up a stack of RAM processing power.

We replaced Snap to improve multitasking, reduce memory use, improve overall speed, and free up resources going forward for bigger things.January 24, 2017

This doesn't mean that all multitasking functions are going to disappear though. Ybarra goes on to explain that music apps like Pandora will now show up in the Guide where they can still be controlled. Ybarra also says that apps like Netflix have "optimized and moved on from Snap long ago." And, for those worried about Twitch broadcasting, you'll just start up the Twitch app, start broadcasting and then switch back to the game. Snap Mode isn't gone yet though so you've still got time to mentally multitask until the next dashboard update.

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Louise Blain is a journalist and broadcaster specialising in gaming, technology, and entertainment. She is the presenter of BBC Radio 3’s monthly Sound of Gaming show and has a weekly consumer tech slot on BBC Radio Scotland. She can also be found on BBC Radio 4, BBC Five Live, Netflix UK's YouTube Channel, and on The Evolution of Horror podcast. As well as her work on GamesRadar, Louise writes for NME, T3, and TechRadar. When she’s not working, you can probably find her watching horror movies or playing an Assassin’s Creed game and getting distracted by Photo Mode.