Microsoft reveals Destination Brazil World Cup hub for Xbox One

Microsoft might be gearing up for E3 next week, but that doesn’t mean the company isn’t ready to reveal it’s plans for the summer; today it revealed Destination Brazil and Brazil Now, two new features set to arrive on the Xbox One in time for the World Cup later this month.

Destination Brazil will be a hub page, accessible through the Xbox One Dashboard, that will put all of Microsoft’s World Cup content in one place. As well as containing links to Xbox Original video series including Every Street United, the talent search hosted by Thierry Henry to find the world’s best street footballers, and Copa 90, a show for fans being filmed in and around Brazil throughout the world cup, Destination Brazil will also include links to watch World Cup Games games live using the console’s HDMI passthrough ability.

When it comes to game time, Brazil Now will pin real-time statistics, group standings and interactive fan feedback to the side of your screen using Xbox Snap. It will work in tandem with OneGuide, the electronic programme guide built into the Xbox One June update that works with your set-top box – whether you have Freeview, Sky or Virgin. That means you’ll be able to watch games live, get details on possession, shots on target and goals scored, read Twitter as fans post updates and earn collectible cards (the virtual equivalent of Panini sticker albums) for taking part in live polls and surveys. According to Microsoft the entire system is powered by the Bing search engine, with most updates being entirely automatic.

Notifications will keep track of kick-off times, goals scored and full-time scores, even when you’re playing games or watching video on-demand, and will let you jump straight into the Brazil Now app.

Microsoft has pledged to update Destination Brazil every day with new content, and will be launching complimentary updates to games including Kinect Sports Rivals. When it arrives, the update will allow players to choose a team and kit, then track their country’s performance against their rivals.

Destination Brazil should arrive alongside the June Update, the latest firmware patch for the Xbox One that promises to add support for external storage, bring Xbox One games to the Games with Gold programme for the first time, end the Xbox Live Gold requirement for entertainment apps and streaming video services like Netflix, and display gamer tags with real names for the first time.

Microsoft has yet to confirm an exact date for the World Cup features, or the June Update in general, but we were told the company is aiming to begin rolling out the update to users from the beginning of the month.

Will you be watching the World Cup through an Xbox One – or will you be tuning in down the pub? Let us know on Twitter @expertreviewsuk