Downloading will probably not be among Torrex Pro’s capabilities once it’s available on the Xbox One. However, the app also functions as a media player, which will probably be a tempting proposition for power users dissatisfied by the stock solutions pre-installed on the hardware. Despite seeming like a rather unassuming app, Torrex Pro may well set the standard for future Unified Windows Platform software releases. Depending on what functionality the app loses and what it keeps, we’ll be able to determine a bit more about how Microsoft’s policies relating to this kind of software.
Xbox One users could soon have access to a torrent client compatible with the multimedia console. As announced at Build Developer Conference, the upcoming Windows 10 Anniversary Update - due to be rolled out this summer - sees Microsoft bring the PC operating system and closer together. Chiefly, it does this with the Universal Windows Platform, a development platform aimed at helping developers create games and apps that work across multiple Windows 10-based devices.
The Xbox and Windows stores will also by unified. By Matt Kamen Exactly what functionality Torrex Pro might retain on Xbox One remains to be seen though. Owners currently have little access to the console's hard drive, beyond backing games up to external storage, and browsing illicit torrent sites through the built-in web browser would likely be a chore, if not blocked entirely. Torrex may come into its own as an alternate media player though. Although is legal technology - a way to distribute downloads across many computers, rather than straining one server - the process is infamously used for acquiring pirated content. However, Finebits stresses in the documentation for the current PC version that 'this application is designed to download/share legal content.
The responsibility lies upon the user to not spread malicious, false or illegal materials.' WIRED has contacted Microsoft for comment and will update this story accordingly. Updated @ 14:15.