New Xbox Home UI Felt Too "Crowded," So Microsoft Is Making Changes

Microsoft is walking back changes to the latest Xbox Home page refresh following comments and criticism from early testers. In a blog post, Microsoft said it has heard the feedback that the top of the newly designed Home screen "did not leave enough space" for players to see their backgrounds. Not only this, but Microsoft said fans let the company know the refresh made the Home page look and feel "crowded."

To address this, Microsoft said it is working on changes to "balance the experience, accessibility, function, and the needs" of players.

Microsoft rolled out the new Xbox Home screen at the end of 2022 for people in the Xbox Insiders testing program. Those people will now have their system reverted from the "experiment" version to the standard one.

"Thank you for all the feedback you've shared. It's a key part of our process, and our team is working hard to incorporate it into the experience and get it to you to use," Microsoft said. "We are excited to share even more details with you soon!"

The Verge got access to the early "experiment" version of the refresh Home UI and found that it made the Home screen basically look like a giant Xbox Game Pass ad. You can see the UI In action in the video above.

Microsoft has regularly updated the Xbox dashboard over the years with new features and functionality, as well as design changes. It's standard practice for Microsoft to test new features with members of the Xbox Insider program before distributing them widely. It'll be interesting to see the new Home UI in action, based on the feedback, when Microsoft is ready to show it.

The new Xbox Home UI is scheduled to become available for everyone in 2023.