Xbox is following in PlayStation's footsteps this month by discontinuing its long-time favorite TV feature Just as Sony announced the end of PlayStation Video two weeks ago, Microsoft announced the end of OneDrive TV programming

Those unfamiliar with this useful Xbox feature may not miss it when it's gone However, if you have been using your Xbox as a TV tuner since 2013, your console is about to lose a valuable feature

This information comes from the official Xbox Wire blog in a post about the Xbox's latest software update Starting today (March 10), you can download the update for the Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, and Windows 10 Xbox apps The major focus of the update is compatibility with the upcoming Xbox wireless headset, but there will also be per-game graphics options and the removal of OneGuide TV programming

If you didn't jump on the Xbox One bandwagon in 2013, you may not even know the console had TV programming Initially, however, Microsoft strongly promoted the Xbox One as a comprehensive media center, but has since settled on the paradigm of the Xbox One as a game console first and foremost

The Xbox One was inseparable from the Kinect peripheral, which could control the entire system with voice and gesture commands Additionally, the Xbox One had an HDMI pass-through for antennas and cable boxes

The TV passthrough was an interesting feature, and Microsoft still publishes setup guides However, Xbox used a program called OneGuide to handle the channel list and turn it into a navigable interface Once the new Xbox software update is installed, OneGuide will no longer support TV programming lists

You can still watch TV using the Xbox pass-through, but you will not be able to see a list of programs that are currently airing or that will air next If you enjoy old-fashioned channel surfing, this won't be much of a hindrance, but for the rest of us, it's definitely a deal-breaker omit

While the loss of a useful feature is always troublesome, it is understandable that the Xbox TV listings feel a bit less relevant today than they did eight years ago Back then, you could connect a digital antenna to your TV, but most TVs did not have the necessary interface to display anything more than channel names Today, smart TVs can handle and edit their own programming listings without the need for additional expensive hardware (A special adapter was needed to receive TV signals on the Xbox One)

Whether you use the TV programming feature every day or are just now discovering its existence, it is important to note that Microsoft's focus now is very different from the early days of the Xbox One era That is to say (Remember, the Xbox Series X does not have any TV pass-through at all) In the future, there will be more gaming features and less streaming-specific features