I’ve used the Xbox app with a mouse and with a controller, and it always felt built for whichever one I wasn’t holding. Well, it looks like Microsoft finally wants to fix that.
Microsoft said on Thursday that Xbox Insiders can start testing a redesigned, faster Xbox PC app today. A matching refresh is also coming to Xbox cloud gaming on the web, TVs, and VR headsets (via Xbox Wire).
What’s new in the Xbox PC app?
I’ll start with speed, as that’s one of the most important bits. Microsoft says the app launches are up to 60% faster. Pages like Home, Store, and Game Pass load up to 50% faster, and in-app windows open up to 65% faster. For those catching up, I always read “up to” as “best case.”
Speed matters because the app competes with Steam and the Epic Games Store. In the era of speed, a slow launcher is the first one anyone stops opening. Simpler navigation should suit a controller as well as a mouse.
Then there’s the everyday stuff. The Library gets simpler navigation, updated filters, and new ways to organize games. The friends section now sits in the main navigation, making it easier to chat, join a party, or see what they’re playing.
Search covers games (installed titles and add-ons included) and people from one place, along with refreshed game cards, Home, Settings, and animations that make everything easier to scan.
What about cloud gaming, and how can you try it?
The same cleanup is heading to Xbox cloud gaming (playing games streamed from Microsoft’s servers instead of installing them). A refreshed web version that Insiders previewed earlier this year will reach more players automatically over the next few weeks, or you can try it now at play.xbox.com.
It adds a Library tab for every cloud-playable game, owned or on Game Pass, a desktop mode for big screens, and dark and light modes with five new high-contrast options.
Microsoft is also starting to bring the new look to cloud gaming apps on supported TVs and VR headsets. However, there’s no confirmed timeline. It also hasn’t said when everyone will get the PC app.
To try it, you’ll need to join the Xbox Insider Program through the Xbox Insider Hub on Windows.