The latest iteration of the Xbox experience is available now to select Xbox One Insiders. From updates to the dashboard, community pages and avatars, this update is expected to launch for everyone this fall.
No longer will you be stuck to the ever-drab appearance of the current dashboard; this update is bringing what Microsoft calls the Fluent design—a customizable dashboard that’s centered around what you want. All you have to do is go to your guide and pin it to home. That simple. It’s very reminiscent of Windows 10’s block-like design, and is said to “evolve” over time.
The guide will be overhauled once again with speed in mind, and navigation will be more than just mindlessly clicking up and down. Triggers and bumpers will shift between tabs to get you where you want to go, and everything that’s really important—sign-in, achievements, multiplayer and more—will have its own tab.
The Community page is getting a massive makeover as well, with an entirely new activity feed. Now, you’ll be able to catch up with everything at a glance in full-screen. Read comments, peruse game hubs and discover clubs to your heart’s content.
On PC, enabling Game Mode on Windows 10 won’t be such a chore. The game bar will have a switch within it so you won’t have to go hunting. Mixer will also have new options to stream in-game audio only, or system-wide audio. And for those of you who can’t get enough multiplayer but keep running into hurdles, a troubleshooting option has also been added to the game bar.
If you’re not on of the “alpha ring” members of the Insiders program, never fear: We have a sneak peek for you right here.