Amman – Microsoft has begun testing new updates to the Xbox application via the Windows 11 operating system that improve the experience across mobile devices and small screens.
Within the Xbox test application that it released earlier this week, Microsoft introduced a new compact mode that significantly reduces the sidebar on the left side.
The new version of the app also brings a UI update to the installation queue, with updated button, font and game channel design, an improved notification UI with an option to show only unread messages, and improved joystick navigation across the app.
The company designed this new compact mode to optimize the experience across mobile devices and small screens, and it also works across any screen size.
This is a relatively minor change to the UI, though it’s useful across devices like the ROG Ally, where you only have a 7-inch screen.
Early concepts for a Windows mobile mode leaked earlier this year from a hackathon project within Microsoft, including a floating taskbar, an improved game launcher, and changes to the Xbox app.
This gaming mode was just a prototype designed before devices such as ROG Ally from Asus and Legion Go from Lenovo were announced.
Asus’ ROG Ally is now emerging as the portable Xbox of choice for the Xbox Game Pass subscription service, and even Xbox chief Phil Spencer is a fan of the ROG Ally, describing the portable device earlier this year as an Xbox on the go.
There is still a lot that Microsoft can do to improve the experience, as Spencer admitted in July via tweet: “We are focused on making the Xbox and Game Pass experience great across devices like Ally, and we have more things to do.”
Users are hoping that these small Xbox app improvements now will be a first step toward some major improvements for Windows mobile devices.
Microsoft hinted earlier this year at offering benefits, such as quick resumption, to players using Windows devices, along with commitments to work with publishers to resume games across devices.
“Arab Portal for Technical News”
