Xbox's home screen update offer a new quick access menu
There's a big new update out now for Alpha users
The Xbox home screen has had a bit of a change for preview users.
Yesterday on May 1, an Xbox Wire update revealed several new features would be going live for Xbox Alpha and Alpha Skip-Ahead previewers. There are now three key changes to the Xbox home screen on Xbox Series X/S for these preview users, based around feedback from all Xbox players.
Chiefly, there's now a new quick access menu at the top of the screen, providing access to your library, the Microsoft Store, Xbox Game Pass, search, and settings features. This should significantly speed up players navigating their way to any of the aforementioned features.
Secondly, there's an overhaul to individual tiles on the home screen. Some tiles have now been shrunk, while others have been moved to the bottom of the main home screen, meaning it's now easier to get a clearer look at the background image of your Xbox dashboard.
Finally, there's some experimentation going on with one tile in particular. The bottom left corner tile on the main dashboard has typically been deserved for the 'My games & apps' feature, but this will now periodically change to an app that needs your attention, or just a new feature.
This final feature is actually a work in progress from Xbox, and so you might see the tile change every now and then without justification. When an item in the Microsoft Store on your wishlist goes on sale though, you'll see the Microsoft Store pop up in this tile with a notification.
Right now, there isn't a clear date for these new features making their way to all Xbox Series X/S users at large.
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Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.