Microsoft has unveiled a new Xbox Home UI that offers more space for background customization and easier access to key parts of the dashboard. The company had to halt testing of the upcoming UI last month to refine it further.
This was in response to criticism from fans that the old tiled interface was overcrowded and failed to showcase the console’s dynamic backgrounds and wallpapers. Microsoft has removed the new UI for testers and paused the experiment to prepare for more significant changes.
The new design moves the tiles of apps and games down lower on the screen, providing more space to display a background. At the top of the screen, a new floating UI offers quick access to the game and app library, Microsoft Store, Xbox Game Pass, search, and settings. This menu eliminates the need to navigate to the usual parts of the Xbox dashboard to quickly access the user’s entire game library.
The new Xbox Home UI is currently being tested with Alpha Skip-Ahead and Alpha Xbox Insider testing rings and will be rolled out to Xbox consoles in the coming months. The Xbox team has designed hundreds of options, refined them with prototypes, and user-tested them in research labs to arrive at the current design, according to Ivy Krislov, the senior product manager lead for Xbox experiences.
According to Microsoft, the new Xbox Home experience has a novel “game art” feature known as “responsive game art.” It displays game-specific artwork when the user hovers over the relevant dashboard tile. This feature bears a resemblance to the PlayStation setup, which has a similar feature related to recently played titles.
Microsoft has made significant strides in redesigning the Xbox dashboard in recent years, introducing Discord integration, a night mode, a 4K dashboard, and energy-saving power options. The new Xbox Home UI and some improvements to the Xbox DVR feature will make the Xbox dashboard feel more complete.
It’s encouraging to see Microsoft listen to feedback and criticism from fans and make changes accordingly. The Xbox team will share more on the new Xbox Home UI soon, and the company hopes that Xbox owners will love the new experience.