Although the Xbox Home UI gets some updates from time to time, people do complain that it lacks a lot of features that would make for a more enjoyable and useful experience. Today, Microsoft has announced that it has started to tackle this problem by revamping the home screen.
Microsoft has described its latest initiative as a multi-month "series of experiments" in which it will be exploring how to make the home experience more personal to the user, while also catering to feedback and requests.
This testing process will kick off this week with Xbox Alpha Skip-Ahead Insiders, who will start to notice some ease of access improvements as well as different layouts and designs. However, not all Insiders in this ring will receive the changes, just a select few. Here are the experience modifications present in the first batch of updates:
- The new "Jump back in" row gives you quick access to your most recently played games and apps.
- Easily access important system apps like Settings, Store, Search and My Games & Apps with their own dedicated tiles on Xbox Home.
- Consistent design and visual identifiers with updated layouts to keep the experience familiar.
- When you scroll down, you’ll see curated categories and recommendations tailored to your gaming preferences.
The idea is to have a better Xbox Home UI ready by 2023. Up until then, Microsoft will slowly and iteratively roll out changes and gather feedback from end-users. The Redmond tech giant has recommended Xbox gamers to join its dedicated Insider subreddit and has also advised the use of the "Report a problem" button.