Microsoft is rolling out a redesigned Xbox PC app that it says launches up to 60 percent faster than the previous version, alongside a refreshed Xbox Cloud Gaming interface on the web and on supported TVs and VR headsets. Xbox Insiders can begin testing the updated PC app today, while the new cloud gaming interface will reach users over the next few weeks. The changes affect players using Xbox on Windows, in browsers, and on TV and VR hardware.
Jason Beaumont, VP of Xbox experiences, said pages including Home, Store, and Game Pass load up to 50 percent faster, and in-app windows open up to 65 percent faster. The app has simplified navigation intended to make controller use easier, and the library section now offers updated filters and improved ways to organize installed games. The social features have also been reworked: friends appear on the main page, with quick buttons for starting a chat or joining a party.
The overall app now feels less like a web product, appearing to blend native and web elements. Microsoft has refreshed the game card interface along with the home and settings sections, and it has updated animations to bring the experience closer to an Xbox dashboard. The overhaul follows Microsoft's launch of its Xbox Ally handheld devices last year, after which the PC app still needed work to deliver a console-like experience on Windows.
The refreshed Xbox Cloud Gaming web experience shares a similar look and feel with the PC app. A new library tab surfaces cloud games from a player's own library and from Xbox Game Pass, a desktop mode makes better use of larger displays, and users can select dark or light modes along with five new high-contrast options aimed at improving accessibility support.
Beaumont said Microsoft is bringing the refreshed Xbox web experience to more players and rolling out updates to Xbox Cloud Gaming apps on supported TVs and VR headsets, describing the effort as making Xbox faster, simpler, and more familiar wherever people play. The designs are not identical across PC, web, and smart TVs, according to Beaumont, who said playing on a PC, TV, or VR headset differs and each experience needs to suit the screen in use. He said the basics should feel familiar everywhere: finding games, knowing what is playable, and getting into a game quickly.
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