The new leaders of Xbox have wasted no time in making changes to Microsoft’s gaming division. Since Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond left the company in late February, new CEO Asha Sharma and chief content officer Matt Booty have taken several steps to rebuild goodwill among gamers. Back in April, they rolled back a controversial price hike for Xbox Game Pass, reducing the price of the top-tier Ultimate subscription to $22.99 from $29.99 — with the caveat that future Call of Duty games would no longer be day-one additions to the service. Just a couple of days later, they ditched the moniker of Microsoft Gaming and went back to being called Xbox.
The newest console update underscores that mission to go back to the brand’s roots by revamping the boot up experience, introducing tiered Gamerscore badges, and expanding game library filters. The updates are available now for Xbox Insider members and will roll out to all users in the near future, according to a post on Xbox Wire.
First and foremost among the changes is a new boot-up experience, which players will encounter each time they power up their consoles. It sounds like a small detail, but think about the warm fuzzies you get from seeing the PS1 or Nintendo GameCube boot up screen all these years later. Judging from the description on Xbox Wire, this one aims to evoke the good old days of Xbox while gesturing toward greater things to come.
“We’ve updated the console boot up experience with a new animation and sound, featuring the new Xbox logo with the signature green players know so well. You’ll see and hear the update when you power on your console, bringing a refreshed look and feel from the moment you jump in,” senior product manager Alex Charters wrote in the post.
The iconic Gamerscore system, first introduced for the Xbox 360 in 2005, also gets a facelift with this update. The more achievements you’ve managed to rack up over the years, the flashier your badge. While the lower tiers are a simple green circle with the four cardinal directions, the highest tiers get larger badges flanked by stars and laurels. It’s a small change, but one that feels a bit more special than a plain old number.
Finally, tweaks to Xbox’s library management system will allow players to more easily get a snapshot of what’s on their consoles. “New filters make it easy to separate games you own from those shared with you and identify installed titles you no longer have access to. Whether you’re switching devices or jumping between consoles, it’s now clearer what’s in your library and what’s actually playable,” reads the Xbox Wire description.
If you want to test out potential new features early and provide feedback to Xbox, you can learn more about the Xbox Insider Program here. It’s available for users of Xbox One, Series X|S, and Windows PC.
Xbox is dead, long live Xbox
Asha Sharma seems willing to change everything about Microsoft Gaming, even the name. How far will she go?
