Xbox Insiders who are members of the Alpha Ring are getting an advanced peek at some tweaks Microsoft has made to the Games & Apps section of the Xbox One dashboard.
The current Games & Apps page has a sidebar that is divided into several distinct sections, including Games, Apps, Updates, Queue, and Memberships such as Xbox Game Pass. When the Games menu option is selected, the entirety of the Xbox owner’s installed games is loaded into the larger window on the right side of the screen, and there is yet another tab at the top of this second window that allows players to view games that they own but have not installed.
For people with an especially large gaming library, there can be noticeable lag when the Games menu option is loading. A partial explanation for the slowdown might be that the console displays the cover art for every single title and perhaps even performs a background check for licensing rights.
Microsoft seems to be trying to fix this while also making the Games & Apps section more streamlined and intuitive to use. The new Alpha Ring version removes Updates, Queue, and Memberships, and replaces them with options for Full Library and Manage. When selecting Full Library from the sidebar, a secondary menu opens in the window to the right that divides the player’s gaming library into several additional subcategories: All owned games, all owned apps, Xbox Game Pass, Games with Gold, and other offers such as games acquired via an EA Access membership.
The Manage option in the sidebar also opens a secondary menu in the right-hand window, and players will notice that some options previously tucked away in the Xbox One’s Settings menu are now available here. Updates and Queue have been relocated to this submenu, along with the ability to manage storage, free up space, turn on automatic updates, handle subscriptions, and install apps remotely.
The Xbox Insider program is a way for Microsoft to test out experimental changes and new features before they either get scrapped or pushed out to all consoles as an official update. It is an opportunity for Xbox One players who like to see upcoming changes ahead of the crowd to also share feedback and ideas with Microsoft.
Participation in the Xbox Insider program is currently divided into five tiers, called Rings, which range from Alpha Skip-Ahead and Alpha all the way to Omega. The Alpha Skip-Ahead and Alpha Rings can only be joined by invitation. And, for now at least, the changes to the Games & Apps section can be previewed exclusively by Xbox Insiders who are part of the Alpha Rings. However, if feedback from Alpha Ring members proves favorable, then the interface changes will become accessible to Insiders in the other Rings as well and eventually they might even make it to the public with an official Xbox console update.
The Xbox One was released in November 2013.
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Source: Windows Central
