Microsoft has updated the Xbox App for Windows for PC Gaming Insiders, offering a better gaming experience on handhelds and small screens.
Key Takeaways
- Microsoft expands its gaming segment to cater more to the PC and cloud gaming market with the release of a new Xbox App for Windows, offering a compact mode and improved controller navigation for handheld PC gaming.
- The latest version of the Xbox App includes bug fixes such as resolving issues with app loading, UI elements displaying incorrectly, and crashes, as well as improving game add-ons and notifications.
- While there may be some expected bugs, users are encouraged to report any issues directly to Microsoft through the app or the Xbox Insiders Subreddit.
Although Xbox is a term more closely associated with home console gaming, Microsoft has been expanding its gaming segment over the past few years to cater more to the PC and cloud gaming market. This category has started to become even more diverse with gaming handhelds like the Lenovo Legion Go and the Asus ROG Ally, which allow you to play graphically intensive titles natively on the go. Now, Microsoft has released a new Xbox App for Windows build to Xbox Insiders enrolled in the PC Gaming Insiders preview in the form of version 2311.1000.41.0.
The latest version of the Xbox App improves gaming for handheld PC form factors by offering a “compact mode”, along with better controller navigation. It also revamps the installation queue, buttons, font and game channel styling. The notifications section has been improved with a toggle to show unread notifications only too.
There are tons of bug fixes included in this release as well, such as:
- Fixed an issue where the app might not load based on some language settings.
- Fixed several issues related to the UI elements or text boxes displaying incorrectly.
- Fixed several issues with which fonts were being used in various parts of the app.
- Fixed issues where the UI might not scale properly as the window is resized.
- Fixed an issue where game add-ons might not reflect the current Game Pass discounts.
- Added a button to “Check connection” if the Xbox app cannot connect to the internet.
- Fixed a recent issue where the Xbox app might stay stuck on the launch screen.
- Fixed several various issues that might cause the Xbox app to crash.
- Fixed an issue where tooltips might not always disappear after actioning on them.
Since this is an Xbox Insider release, it’s natural to expect bugs. Microsoft has highlighted a few known issues such as UI scaling problems, certain UX components of the app not being accessible via the controller, and users receiving a frowny face when facing an installation error. That said, if you do find any issues, make sure to highlight them to Microsoft directly through the app or via the Xbox Insiders Subreddit.
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