The latest Xbox system update adds a range of new features that should make it much easier to find what you want. It also comes with new special perks for Xbox Game Pass members and game hubs for games.
One of the biggest improvements in this update is the customization of the home screen. This finally gives players more control over their console’s main screen. You can now hide system apps you do not use often, which will clean up the surrounding clutter. This has been available on PlayStation since the PS3 era, but for some reason, Xbox has forced users to keep every app regardless of how often it is used.
Not only can you remove the apps that are just taking up space, you can also pin your favorite games and apps. Instead of being given a default Home list, your pinned apps and games will take up that space. This will make it so much easier for you to find the content you like and use it often. On top of this, you can choose to show fewer tiles on the Home screen.
While the fewer tiles seem small at first, it will help you with your “recently played games” section, which tends to get too crowded far too fast if you play many games like I do. With all these improvements, you finally get to decide how your home screen looks on Xbox instead of being forced onto a bland, sometimes unintuitive page.
Another big addition for Game Pass members is the addition of in-game benefits for certain free-to-play games. These special perks can be found in the Perks section of the Game Pass app, close to where you turn in quests. The benefits vary and are likely to encourage you to try free-to-play games. It is likely that the perks will be cosmetic items like unique character or vehicle skins, unlocked characters to expand playable options, in-game currency for purchases or upgrades, and other extras tied to specific free-to-play games.
There are already plenty of rewards given every week or so for being a Game Pass subscriber, but it’s much better when you benefit from games you actively play. Microsoft keeps adding a free games library over time, so hopefully, these perks will be extended to more titles than are currently offered.
The update also brings more improvements to game hubs, making them more useful and available to everyone. I didn’t use hubs much, but some parts of the game hubs were restricted. However, now they are open to all players, which is more like a central spot for detailed information about games. This is where you will see player stats, achievements, friends currently playing the same game, recent in-game screenshots or clips, all available add-ons, and details about upcoming or current in-game events.
Finally, cloud save management is getting an upgrade. If players find old game saves on another device that has not synced, the system now provides more details to help them decide what to do. This includes a new progress bar that shows how far along the sync process is. The system also displays the names of the devices linked to unsynced saves, along with exact timestamps, so players can see when and where the saves were last changed.
Source: Microsoft
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