Microsoft started testing a new Xbox Home UI last year that will be released in 2023, but fans are unimpressed by the outdated tile interface that does nothing to show off the dynamic wallpapers and backgrounds available on the console. The new Xbox Home UI started to feel like a giant Xbox Game Pass ad, and now Microsoft acknowledges that it feels a bit crowded.
“We heard from you that the changes to the top of Home didn’t leave enough space to enjoy your wallpaper and it felt crowded,” said Ivy Krislov, senior product manager lead of Xbox Experiences, today in a blog post. “We are working to balance the experience, accessibility, function and the needs of our community to provide you with a great and refreshing Home experience.”
Microsoft is now removing the new Xbox Home UI for testers, pausing the experiment to prepare for bigger changes to come. Krislov says the Xbox team will be sharing more about the new Xbox Home UI soon. “Thanks for all the feedback you shared. It’s an important part of our process and our team is working hard to incorporate it into the experience and make sure you can use it,” says Krislov.
I wasn’t a fan of the new Xbox Home interface, and I hope to see something like we’ve seen from many fan concepts that put the backgrounds at the center of the UI and offer a lot more customization.
It’s encouraging to see how Microsoft is responding to criticism and fan feedback around this part of the Xbox dashboard. Microsoft has redesigned the Xbox dashboard many times over the last decade, but it now feels like it’s mostly in a good place and just needs a revamped Xbox Home UI and some improvements to the Xbox DVR feature to feel more complete.
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