New Xbox Home screen update finally brings dashboard to the present

27 July 2023 , 17:00

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Microsoft is rolling out a new home screen for its Xbox Series X|S and One and despite it still being outdated we can only hope the Xbox PC app is next. (Image: Microsoft / Xbox)

Microsoft is rolling out a new Home screen for the Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One and despite it still missing HDR we can only hope the Xbox PC app is next.

After having the same user interface for a while now, Microsoft is finally rolling out a fresh new Xbox Home screen update for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One. The dashboard now has more features to increase ease of use including the implementation of a quick access menu as well as customisation options.

In a blog post, Microsoft clarified that the new Xbox Home screen update will include more customisation options such as allowing you to pin your favourite games and letting you change your background to match the game you're highlighting in the menu. The addition of the quick access menu means you can easily go to your library, the Microsoft Store, Xbox Game Pass and others at the top of your home screen at all times.

Despite this being a fresh UI update, the new Xbox Home screen still doesn't feel like it's enough. Seeing these powerful consoles have to fade to black when launching a game or software is so bizarre given that this isn't the case with PS5 – making this the perfect time to implement HDR into the UI.

High dynamic range being worked into the UI would mean that when you launch HDR games they would seamlessly be able to boot and transition into them rather than having to completely reset the display each time. The lack of HDR here makes the console feel outdated even with all of these changes. This new element of customisation, and increasing ease of use when navigating the new Xbox Home screen just feel like the console has been brought inline with the basic functionality players expect, rather than an innovative change.

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The new Xbox Home screen is slowly rolling out to all Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One users, with some players getting access to it right away and some having to wait a few weeks in order to have the fresh dashboard. If you don't get the prompt then manually rebooting your Xbox can bring it up. If you're still not seeing it after this then you may have to wait for the update to reach your region/ device.

New Xbox home screen changes

The seven main changes Microsoft will be implementing are:

Makes it easy to go to your Library, the Microsoft Store, Xbox Game Pass, Search, and Settings at the very top of your Home by introducing a quick access menu.
Creates more space for your personalized background by simplifying the layout and putting the games you recently played and other content and apps towards the bottom of the screen.
Adds an option to change your background to match the game you are highlighting in the recently played list.
Improves game discovery by introducing lists of games curated and personalized for you.
Allows you to customize your experience by pinning your favourite games, curated groups, and system groups like Quick Resume to Home.
Helps you find what’s going on in your community through the updated Friends & Community Updates row.
Shows you what media apps and content are available to you via a Watch & Listen spotlight and list of entertainment apps

Let's hope that these changes to the Xbox Home screen will inspire Microsoft to do the same with the UI of its Xbox PC app, which feels exceptionally hard to navigate, search or do anything other than launch a game you already have installed.