Microsoft: Here's the new Xbox homescreen

Microsoft has revealed yet another new Xbox homescreen that introduces new navigation icons at the top and leaves more room for dynamic backgrounds.

Last month, Microsoft abandoned a plan to launch a new Xbox homescreen full of ads, after pushback from users.

A new version, which Microsoft has revealed this week, has slightly fewer ads at first glance but it is not clear how the end result will be when it arrives publicly on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S consoles.


 Abandoned homescreen (left), new homescreen (right)
The new features
Microsoft is currently testing the revised Xbox homescreen with users on the 'Alpha' software.

Microsoft highlighted three key features of the new homescreen:
Provides easy navigation to your library, the Microsoft Store, Xbox Game Pass, search, and settings at the very top of your Home by introducing a new quick access menu.
Simplifies the layout and makes more space for you to see your background by reducing the size of some of the tiles and moving them to the bottom of the screen.
Adds a responsive game art feature to update the default background and show off the beautiful art associated with each title when you hover over the tiles.

The responsive game art feature is shown below, courtesy of twitter user Klobrille.




Microsoft added that the 'My games & apps' (the first tile in the second row) has also been refreshed to let you know if, for example, a game on your wish list is on sale.

Microsoft has not said when the new homescreen will be available to everyone.