At the end of 2013, Microsoft introduced to players a new feature “Snap” for the then-new game console Xbox One. Recently, it allows players to open other applications while playing the game without exiting the game. But, recently, Xbox engineering chief Eden Marie said the Snap feature is unlikely to return, even though the company’s engineers miss it.
When Microsoft released the Xbox One, the Snap feature was unique and eye-catching, allowing users to “snap” TV, movies, or other apps in the corner of the screen while playing a game to do both (equivalent to today’s floating frame and split-screen function). While the Xbox One’s focus on the dual function of movies and TV didn’t get a good start at first, Snap was very popular, and users saw it as one of the Xbox One’s strengths.
Despite Snap’s popularity, Microsoft decided to remove the feature from the main page four years after the console was released. According to then-Xbox platform head Mikey Barra, it was removed to improve multitasking, reduce memory usage, increase overall speed, and free up resources for more important things.
