Kodi debuted an official client for Xbox One earlier this month.
The launch saw Kodi – which started out as XBMC, or Xbox Media Centre, since that was the only hardware it was designed to run on back in 2002 – come full circle.
For those who don’t know, Kodi is a neutral, open-source media player that can play local media files, as well as those stored online. It can also stream content from networked drives.
Apps – known as add-ons – can be built by third-party developers to unlock a swathe of new functionality for the barebones media player.
The Kodi app on Xbox One does not boast all the features on its desktop counterpart – for example, users cannot access an attached storage drive via the Kodi media player.
Kodi on Xbox One also has no access to the Blu-ray drive to start the disc.
Elsewhere, Kodi warned users that it “may contain missing features and bugs”.
The open-source player has pledged to regularly update its Xbox One client with bug fixes, patches and new features.
Impatient Kodi fans can sign-up for beta releases of the new software – guaranteeing they’re always first to get their hands on new features.
If you want to sign-up, simply head over to Kodi’s Google Forms page and input the email address associated with your Microsoft or Xbox account.
Kodi will let you know when the latest software is available for your Xbox One.
The media player states, “Your account e-mail address will only be used to add you to the recipient list of these pre-alpha Xbox versions.”
According to Kodi, it has taken more than a year to bring the hugely-popular media player onto the Xbox.
The company shared, “In December 2016 (yes you read that right) the initial reconnaissance was done on what it would take to get it done and it seemed plausible.
“Initial work that needed to be done was to convert most if not all external code libraries Kodi relies on and get these changes accepted by the original maintaining developer group(s).
“Once that work was started the current Windows specific code was picked apart piece by piece and slowly converted to be with the UWP specs.”
Kodi is available to download from the Microsoft Store now.
