Microsoft has announced that it is rolling out a new dashboard for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One consoles. The updated UI, which seems to take a few pages out of Sony’s dashboard design for the PlayStation 5, features a number of improvements, including cleaner aesthetics, a quick access menu, dynamic backgrounds, and a list of recently accessed content at the bottom of the screen. Microsoft has warned that some Xbox users may not see this new UI for a few weeks, however.
New Xbox Home Dashboard UI Features
- 1: Makes it easy to go to your Library, the Microsoft Store, Xbox Game Pass, Search, and Settings at the very top of your Home by introducing a quick access menu.
- 2: Creates more space for your personalized background by simplifying the layout and putting the games you recently played and other content and apps towards the bottom of the screen.
- 3: Adds an option to change your background to match the game you are highlighting in the recently played list.
- 4: Improves game discovery by introducing lists of games curated and personalized for you.
- 5: Allows you to customize your experience by pinning your favorite games, curated groups, and system groups like Quick Resume to Home.
- 6: Helps you find what’s going on in your community through the updated Friends & Community Updates row.
- 7: Shows you what media apps and content are available to you via a Watch & Listen spotlight and list of entertainment apps
Improving the Home Experience has been truly a Team Xbox effort —from engineers to designers to researchers and many more. We started by investing in infrastructure that would allow us to try different layouts of the page with different content for different situations and customers. We then evaluated many different elements of the design process including what people interact with in the experience, how easy it is for people to complete the action they want to take, and how satisfied they are with the overall experience. Once we had a version that was ready to share, we started to roll it out to our Xbox Insiders.