Microsoft has shared the first glimpse of the dashboard you’ll be greeted with on the Xbox Series X, which isn’t too different from what you might see soon on the Xbox One. With the idea of cross-generation play at heart, not a whole lot is changing with the dashboard visually–but there are enhancements that will make it much faster in use.
Dubbed the new Xbox Experience, Microsoft is unifying all the platforms where you can engage with Xbox. This means making it easier to do everything from either your Xbox console, PC, or smartphone, each of which feel like entirely different ecosystems today. Sharing screenshots from your Xbox Series X, for example, will now be instant with the Xbox app on phones, circumventing the need to wait for them to appear on your OneDrive account.
The dashboard on the Series X will be faster too, but not just because of the hardware it’s running on. Microsoft say that loading the dashboard from startup is now 50% faster, while navigating back to home from a game will be “almost 30%” quicker. The design language has also changed to better highlight the three aspects that players use most–Home, Guide, and Store–so that you can get to them faster and with fewer button presses. Microsoft also revealed previously that the Store is getting its own big overhaul soon.
Some of this is already evident in the updates Microsoft has continually made to the Xbox One dashboard, but it’s being refined further still. If you aren’t planning to upgrade to a new console come the end of this year, you’ll also benefit from this change as they roll out to all Xbox One consoles at the same time. Some features are already in testing with Xbox One players, so it might prove to be a good place to iron out the kinks before the Series X launch this November.
The Xbox Series X will launch without Halo Infinite after 343 Industries delayed the first-person shooter into 2021. Microsoft still have more to reveal, however, with a rumored event taking place this month to showcase the heavily-leaked Xbox Series S.
