What you need to know
- Microsoft started testing a new Xbox dashboard with Insiders earlier this month.
- The revamped interface focuses on accessing certain content quickly but has received criticism for blocking wallpapers and its lack of customization options.
- Our readers are split down the middle on the dashboard, according to our recent poll.
A new Xbox home screen was unveiled by Microsoft last week. While it’s still in its early stages, the revamped dashboard has caused quite a stir around the web. Dubbed the “New Xbox Home Experience” by Microsoft, the new interface focuses on accessing the settings menu and recent content quickly. There are also plans to highlight curated titles from Xbox Game Pass in the future.
Microsoft revamps its Xbox dashboard every so often, usually to modernize its look and highlight new features. The latest interaction of the interface has a row of recent games on top and a permanent Microsoft Store button on the home screen.
We ran a poll over the weekend about the new Xbox dashboard, and the voting could not have been closer. Just a single vote gave “No” the edge over “Yes.” With a nearly perfect 50/50 split among our readers, it will be interesting to see if feedback will affect Microsoft’s plans for the new dashboard. The company has said that it wants users to shape the Xbox home screen experience.
The new dashboard makes it easy to access a wide range of content with minimal navigation. Recent games, the Microsoft Store, and other types of content are only a few clicks away.
On the flip side, one of the biggest complaints is that the Xbox dashboard is cluttered and that it blocks any wallpaper set as a background. “Looks nicer and faster to access things but the problem is that the tiles are still hiding the background,” said Ming Enterprise in our Discord thread on the topic.
The general lack of customization has also been criticized. “They took away the ability to customize with pins and instead replaced it with “ads” pushing Xbox store stuff and game pass stuff,” said Corkenstein on Discord. “Loved using pins to customize the home screen with content that mattered to me.”
Got the new Xbox dashboard. It’s nice pic.twitter.com/HqjIavLhrtSeptember 12, 2022
While this has been a hot-button issue for some, others don’t seem that bothered. No Boogers Left Behind said on Discord, “I don’t see what’s wrong with the current one, but I don’t mind the new one either.”
Do you agree with our polled readers? Hop on over to our Discord to share your thoughts.
