Imagine being able to watch a live broadcast of a sport and keep track of highlights and scores, while playing your favorite games on the side. It was like the picture-in – picture feature on PS5, only with an app that had its own window, so every part of the UI for your game could be seen.
Snapping informational apps is also possible. You can snap the Activity Feed to stay up to date with your friends’ location, or bring up the browser to look up a walkthrough if you need help advancing through a particular game. Xbox users may laugh at the marvel of this feature. It’s a feature PC gamers have enjoyed for years. It’s true that not everyone has access to a gaming PC, or a setup that allows for multiple-monitor multitasking.
Snap Mode is activated using the Kinect sensor. You can either use the voice command “Xbox Snap” and the app name or manually access it by pressing the Xbox Button. Snap Mode allows users to easily switch between two apps once activated.
The snapped app would use a smaller, more scalable space to the side, and the game would have black bars on it, maintaining the 16:9 aspect. This wasn’t a very cinematic experience but it was great for binge-watching episodes and keeping up with live television while grinding through dungeons and levels.