The user interface of the Xbox Series X and Series S has been a hot commodity since the two consoles launched in 2020. However, while gamers were desperate for some changes to the dashboard, only a handful of updates changed the look slightly, and every time one of those updates did come out, players were quick to criticize features that should have changed.
Recently tried out a new Xbox Home experience for the current Xbox Series X and Xbox Series SUnfortunately, however, it still doesn’t offer the visual overhaul most of us have been looking for.
The new and improved trial home screen was described as confusing and difficult to navigate by alpha testers along with the Xbox Insiders program, as Feedback overview update (opens in a new tab) Via the Xbox Insiders blog, ads for Xbox Game Pass have been disturbing because they take up a lot of real estate on the screen and then cover the background image of the active game more than before.
slow and steady
Thankfully, instead of handing out UI updates as-is, we took player feedback into consideration, and paused the current experimentation with the dashboard while we considered feedback.
In the same blog post addressing the new Home experience, Senior Product Manager Lead Ivy Krislov said they are “working to balance the experience, accessibility, features, and needs of our community” for the next possible update. Also, the cluttering of the home screen and the blocking of the background was acknowledged in the same blog post, which will be taken into account in the next update.
Since the home screen is a player’s first experience with a console, it must be easy to use, navigate, and personalize, something that many players say the console still needs to include. So while this update doesn’t quite hit the mark, it may be a step toward a more enjoyable experience.
