Microsoft has enabled customization options in the latest Xbox One dashboard update. Currently, the update is available only to alpha members. The updated version will be open for the masses towards the end of this year.
What’s new with the Xbox One dashboard?
In March, Microsoft baked some new features into the Xbox One dashboard, and now again, the company is making changes to the user interface. With the new changes, users will see a clean top page compared to the vertical columns introduced in the last update. The controller now works quicker for the user when it comes to switching sections.
Microsoft Corporate Vice President Mike Ybarra said about the updated dashboard, “This release is the next major update for gaming on Xbox One, and is designed to make the Xbox gaming experience more fun, personalized, and social than ever.”
Further, Ybarra said that fans have long asked about customizable features, and therefore, the new updates will give fans just that, notes Thurrott.
On the home screen, players will be able to see their most recently played games along with hints, suggestions and advertisements. Players will also be able to customize their home pages using the custom “Content blocks.”
The community section in the Xbox One dashboard will also see some updates with changes such as a new activity feed layout, full-screen view and comments in full screen. Changes will also be visible in the game hubs, profiles and clubs, making it easier to navigate and follow.
“Updates to Home, Guide, and Community are available today, with updates to Avatars, Game Hubs, profiles and more coming this fall,” the executive said.
The new UX with Fluent Design System will give gamers a “new look and feel,” further enhancing the various translucency effects. A new activity feed layout has also been added to the community section, which will offer more content to view. As a user selects a feed item, the content will show in the full-screen view.
More coming to Xbox One app
Some of these new gaming features will also be introduced in forthcoming updates to the Xbox One app for Windows 10. However, for these updates, one will have to wait until the Windows 10 Fall Creators update, which will have an enhanced Game bar and Mixer broadcasting features, plus a new Xbox Live network troubleshooting area.
Ybarra notes that this is only the beginning, and Microsoft will keep pouring in new features in the coming months across Xbox One, mobile devices, Windows 10 PCs and Mixer.
There are also rumors that Spotify will release an Xbox One app soon. A Reddit user named Larry “Major Nelson” posted a screenshot of the Spotify Music app for the Xbox One. Spotify is already available as a Windows 10 app in the Windows Store, but it has yet to come on the Universal Windows app.
Also earlier this month, Microsoft announced a new line of Xbox controllers. The company launched three new controllers, all of which will work with the Xbox One console. Controllers come in different shades, starting with a two-tone gray design and with green accents. Microsoft also launched the Volcano Shadow controller, a special edition of the Shadow series, which was launched by the company last year.
