With Windows 8, Microsoft introduced a brand new method to multitask called Snap. In brief, you may have two apps running simultaneously straight away when you could choose which app got to absorb more of the screen. Because the Xbox One’s OS is predicated heavily on Windows 8, an identical functionality is present at the console besides. That’s all well and good, but how does it work on a game console?

In a brand new video released today, Yusuf Mehdi from the Xbox team shows off Snap for the Xbox One. While playing games, you need to use Kinect to assert “Xbox Snap” after which say the name of the app it’s good to launch. The sport will pause and an aspect window will open with the app you requested. From there, you could return to the sport with the side window still open. The instance below shows Mehdi playing Forza Motorsport 5 while watching ESPN within the Snap window.

With Snap, Microsoft could have an exceptionally unique feature on its hands that helps the Xbox One to distinguish itself from the PS4. I can’t imagine playing a game while watching TV concurrently, but using Internet Explorer in a Snap window to seem up a game guide while playing a game could prove useful.

So, what concerning the PS4? While it doesn’t feature multitasking at the same level because the Xbox One, it does have its own enhancements. In step with Engadget, you could pause your game, open up another app after which return to the sport by simply double-tapping the PS Home button. Doing so will immediately take you back to the last open app. This may be used to leap between any two active applications. It’s not as nice as Snap, but PlayStation fans will surely appreciate it after years of coping with the PS3′s utter loss of multitasking capabilities.