Today's the day for the new Xbox dashboard! Microsoft has confirmed that a brand-new version of the Home UI is rolling out from today for all Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles.
The Xbox team has highlighted seven benefits of the new UI over on Xbox Wire, which are as follows:
- 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 favorite 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
You can see examples of these features in the video shared by The Verge's Tom Warren up above, and he's also provided this quick look at how the game art changes in the background based on which game tile you've highlighted:
Team Xbox says that the journey to improve the Xbox dashboard has been a huge effort, and there have been multiple changes made to the design over the past eight months since it first began its testing phase for Xbox Insiders.
"When we first showed Xbox Insiders what we were working on we heard your feedback clearly – you wanted more room to show off custom backgrounds or game art, quicker navigation options, and more personalization.
Over the last 8 months since initial release, we’ve implemented changes to meet those requests and have a new Home that feels fresh, puts the focus on your games and apps, and creates space for beautiful backgrounds."
It's finally now time for the new Home UI to begin its public rollout to all Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles, although keep in mind that the rollout takes place in multiple stages, so while some Xbox owners will get access to the dashboard immediately, others may need to wait up to a few weeks before it arrives.
In any case, you can guarantee you'll be seeing this new design on your Xbox console soon!