Xbox Testing An Extra Button Press To Open Games

A new home screen feature is possibly on the horizon for Xbox Series X/S owners. Microsoft is currently testing new Xbox Game Hub pages that would provide players with more information but also put their games an extra button press away.

The Verge’s Tom Warren shared a clip of how the new feature works on social media. Currently in testing for members of the Xbox Insiders program, Xbox Game Hubs open after you click on a game tile, and display additional info like your current Gamerscore in that title, time played, friends who play, and recent captured screenshots and videos. A bottom row of icons also includes shortcuts to the game’s store page, recent updates, and other game details.

It’s a neat idea that unfortunately seems like it will create another needless step for people who just want to turn on their console and immediately get back to the game they were playing. Warren notes that the feature as it’s being tested can be turned off for game tiles on the home screen but not for ones beyond that. Another user points out in the comments of his post that a better way to implement the feature might be pushing the Xbox Game Hub pages to the X button, which already brings up a mini-menu for additional options, rather than the A button that’s traditionally been used to immediately start a game up.

We’ll see how other Xbox users who are testing the feature respond. While it’s always good to see Microsoft experimenting with new ways to improve the home screen UI and layout, it hasn’t always felt like those experiments are done exclusively with user interests in mind. Xbox dashboard updates in the past have improved the overall presentation, but also still prioritized too many elements that really serve no purpose beyond trying to advertise stuff.

Ideally, the modularity of the home screen would give players the option to fully customize their experience from top to bottom. In the meantime, I hope the Xbox Game Hubs don’t end up being another small forced layer of abstraction between turning on the console and playing the games you purchased it for.

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