As part of its series of multi-month experiments, Microsoft announced that some significant changes are in store for the newXboxHome Experience in the future. The news arrived in a blog post from theXboxdevelopment team, who thanked players who participated in its consoles' experiments.InApril’s Xbox console update, a new gallery-style search interface was added, along with features to help adjust how much power the Xbox consoles use. On the console’s main home page, players can press the Y button or tap the search icon and navigate to the magnifying glass icon on the top of the dashboard to begin their search. Search categories can also be filtered with the LB and RB buttons, including a filter to see what is installed on the Xbox console. In addition, as part of Microsoft’s moves to make the Xbox consoles more carbon-aware, the April update includes the option for players to set their active hours to save power and money when the console is in sleep mode. With feedback at the forefront of Microsoft’s updates, this will hopefully extend to the Xbox Home Experience that has been tested for months.RELATED:Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Update Adds New GameAccording to a blog post by Ivy Krislov, the Xbox Senior Product Manager Lead, the multi-month Xbox Home console experiments are being paused in order for the developers to prepare for bigger updates that will be released in the near future. The experiments began last fall, withthe new Xbox Home Experience being testedby Xbox Insiders in the Alpha and Alpha-Skip rings. Insiders that were on those experimental versions of the dashboard will see their interfaces reverted to their original state, but the settings that were used for the updated dashboard will be saved for future use.
Krislov stated that the developers heard the feedback from testers thatthe look of the Xbox dashboardfelt cluttered, particularly at the top of the screen. In short, this left players feeling unable to fully enjoy the backgrounds and wallpapers they wanted. Krislov added that the team is looking to strike a balance between how the dashboard looks and functions while considering accessibility and the different player needs as well. It remains to be seen how much will change in future updates, whenever those updates arrive for both regular users and Xbox Insiders.
Though Microsoft remains in the public eye withthe imminent acquisition of Activision Blizzard, that has not stopped it from continuing to refine the Xbox console experience for its players. Only time will tell what the acquisition will mean for its players soon.
