Last month, Microsoft began testing a new Microsoft Store experience with Xbox Insiders, which promised to be faster and easier than the existing one. Today, the company announced that the new experience is now available to everyone on Xbox consoles.
As previously announced, the new experience is much faster than the previous Microsoft Store interface - more than twice as fast, according to Microsoft. The store should now load in less than two seconds, too. To help you find games more quickly, the store also now shows games your friends are playing, as well as which games are part of Xbox Game Pass.
On the topic of making it easier, the store now offers a few new capabilities, such as the ability to glance at your wish list or shopping cart to check on prices and sales. Filters can be accessed more easily with the X button, and "one-click scrolling" that makes it easier to move to the next page or channel. Additionally, there"s a new navigation system with primary and secondary menus to make things easier to find.
Finally, on the topic of safety, the new Store experience now requires users to be logged in so things such as age restrictions can be enforced. The age rating information will also now be shown higher on the screen, and there"s a new feature referred to as "ask to buy", so parents can be notified when purchases are about to be made.