Games

Microsoft Rolls Out Improved Xbox Main Menu

In April, Microsoft halted its plans to completely overhaul the Xbox’s main menu. The first users who could try the new “Home Experience” were anything but enthusiastic. But now the second attempt at all-round renewal has started.

The first version was not well received by users

Microsoft is now distributing the new Xbox main menu that was announced over a year ago. A lot has happened, even if the team only went back to planning in May and threw the first “completed” new version overboard.

You can now find out for yourself whether the wait was worth it. This is the first time in around ten years that there has been a major change to the console’s main menu, so it’s a significant update.

Xbox manager Ivy Krislov has given the go-ahead for the distribution and published some highlights on the Xbox blog. The new Xbox Home experience includes a new quick access menu for faster access to the game library, Microsoft Store, Xbox Game Pass, and improved search and settings.

The new main menu now places recent Xbox games, apps, and other content at the bottom of the home screen. This frees up more space for the background, which can be customized to show all the games that are currently playing.

Key points of the new Xbox dashboard:

“The new version of Home…”

  • …offers easy navigation to your Library, Microsoft Store, Xbox Game Pass, Search, and Settings at the top of your Home page by introducing a new quick-access menu.
  • … simplifies the layout and creates more space for you to see your background by shrinking some tiles and moving them to the bottom of the screen.
  • …adds a responsive game graphics feature to update the default background and show the beautiful graphics associated with each title when you hover over the tiles.

According to Microsoft, the new Home experience will initially be released to a small group of Xbox owners starting today. The distribution of the improvements is then staggered. The new home screen should be rolled out to all Xbox owners over the next few weeks.