The Latest Xbox One UI Update is Cleaner, Faster, and Puts Game Pass Upfront

Xbox One Insiders just received a new UI update for Microsoft’s console. It’s felt like the company could never fully decide how they want the myriad games, apps, and other tiles to be organized, with previous updates offering brand new refreshes for the overall look and feel of the console. This latest one isn’t quite as extensive, simply rearranging a few things, and making for quicker and easier navigation on the whole. Having tested it out a bit it’s clear that this latest Xbox One UI update is a nice change that also puts a healthy emphasis on Xbox Game Pass.

The best part of this whole Xbox One UI update is just how much faster it feels

You can read more of an official breakdown right here, where Microsoft explains that this Xbox One UI update was built off of user feedback from other Insiders. Said to be more “streamlined” the latest Xbox One UI does seem to meet that target. Previous updates have often been contentious, with some fans appreciating the changes to navigation while others felt it made their experience worse. This new one is pretty great so far though, with easy options that don’t take quite as long to load as before.

Jumping right to the pins I’ve meticulously setup, having easy to access rows for other often accessed features underneath is a great touch to the main menu. And right there, right beneath the options I choose the most is one Microsoft surely wishes I’d check more often: the Xbox Game Pass tab. Xbox One fans have been more and more excited for Microsoft’s games subscription service as it’s become one of the best deals in the entire video game industry. And now members can get right into the menu, choosing new games or selecting their previously downloaded ones.

And once you’re in there, they’ve made it easier to download the games you want in an easier fashion. “Xbox Game Pass members: we’re giving you additional control over which content to install when downloading and playing Xbox Game Pass titles that are part of a larger bundle listing, such as Shenmue I & II. With this update, you will now see an “In this bundle” overview from the install dialog, as well as the option to select which individual title to download and launch.”

The added tabs at the top are nice as well, getting players where they’re looking to go without as much lag and hassle. Things can still be improved, like perhaps an option to fully delete the Mixer section from the screen, but I’ll take what I can get. And small stuff like being able to decide where your on-screen notifications are displayed are nice touches.

But the best part of this whole Xbox One UI update for me is just how much faster it feels at this point. IT’s still not the fastest and most responsive gaming system UI out there, but it’s a big improvement. And for someone who has found previous updates an overall negative in comparison to what was available before, this is pretty great news. These things usually take time to get used to, but the initial reaction this time is quite positive.