Microsoft is getting ready to test a new Xbox Home Screen with Xbox Insiders. It’s been a while since Microsoft made any changes to the Xbox dashboard, and the Xbox Series X and Series S also didn’t launch with a new UI two years ago.

“Starting this week, a random subset of Xbox Insiders in the Alpha Skip-Ahead ring will see some layout, design, and ease of access changes as we experiment with different approaches. In addition, we are also exploring options for new game channels and collections when you scroll down that include content that’s curated for you based on things like the games you’ve played or how to make the most out of your Game Pass subscription,” the Xbox team explained.

Here are the main changes that Microsoft will start testing with Xbox Insiders soon:

New “Jump back in” top row: This area on the top of the dashboard still shows your most recently played games and apps, though the first icon in the row is no longer bigger than the rest. There’s now six icons in there instead of seven currently.

New app shortcuts: Microsoft added a shortcut for the Microsoft Store next to My Games and apps, and there’s also a new Search bar and Setting icon at the top right corner of the dashboard.

Curated categories and recommendations: When scrolling down on the Home Page, Xbox Insiders will see new recommendations tailored to their gaming preferences.

The Xbox team also said that it has worked to make the design of the Xbox dashboard more consistent with “updated layouts to keep the experience familiar.” These changes are indeed quite incremental, and Microsoft will also continue to display ads on this Home Page.

“We want to ensure this experience is the best it can be, and we know getting it right will take some time which is why we will be rolling it out slowly and iterating throughout the process. With your input, we’re looking forward to launching this new, better Home experience in 2023,” the team said today.

This new Xbox Home experience will start rolling out to a subset of Xbox Insiders on the Alpha Skip Ahead Ring tomorrow. This ring and the Alpha ring are currently invite-only.

Tagged with Xbox, Xbox Insider