Microsoft has rebranded its Xbox Music and Xbox Video service as ‘Groove’ and ‘Movies & TV’ respectively.
In addition to the new name, Groove is also getting some new features, including redesigned menus and navigation controls suited for either a mouse and keyboard or touch screens and built-in OneDrive integration.
A Groove Music Pass will be available for $9.99 per month or $99 per year, with a large streaming music library including over 40 million tracks. Subscribers will also have an option to create custom radio stations based on their favorite songs, albums and artists. Existing Xbox Music Pass subscribers will be automatically transferred to Groove, and there are iOS and Android apps coming soon.
The Xbox Video app has also been rebranded as “Movies &TV.” Movies & TV for Windows 10 will now allow users to manage their personal videos. Another feature is that the app will also be able to play videos in .mkv formats. The rebranded Movies & TV service will come fully integrated with the Windows Store, where users can buy or rent from all the latest movies and TV shows in HD. With the app, users will be able to start watching purchased or rented content on one device and pick up where they left off on another.
According to Microsoft, the changes will hit Windows 10 PCs first, before coming to other devices “in the coming months.” The newest OS is set to launch on July 29.
