What you need to know
- The Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S consoles share one interface, with a large button on the control panel dedicated to joining your digital games.
- The Xbox Insider program allows Xbox users to test future versions of the dashboard and other apps.
- The latest build in the Xbox Insider Program has some improvements to the Games and Apps library, adding a tabbed interface that separates content by source.
The Xbox Dashboard has seen some interesting updates recently, most notably perhaps the inclusion of Discord as part of the Xbox Insider Program. This latest build of the Xbox Insider Alpha Ring has released some notable changes to the Games and Apps section, where you normally go to browse all your installed content and games available for download.
The new interface revamps the “Complete Library” section of the dashboard, which was admittedly a bit cluttered in the previous incarnation. Now, it has a quick tabbed interface with horizontal labels for different sets of content, separating “owned games” you’ve bought directly from libraries like Xbox Game Pass or EA Play.
Each tab section has a design with specific features for that content group in mind. For example, the full list of “owned games” doesn’t need to show you exactly the “recent additions” or “leaving soon” filters, which is exactly what the Xbox Game Pass tab has instead . You still get the regular filters as before, with the ability to resize tiles to fit more content on a single screen.
For now, the tabs are as follows:
- All Games, which brings together every content source into a single library.
- “Owned Games”, which refers to all content you have purchased.
- Xbox Game Pass, which is the licenses you have access to as a result of that subscription. This section also has lists for “Play Later”, “Recently Added” and “Leaving Soon” at the top of its library.
- EA Play, which can be purchased separately or as part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. This includes games from Electronic Arts including Battlefield, FIFA and Mass Effect. Similarly, this has a “recently added” list, but also includes a “Game Trials” list for new titles that come with a 10-hour limited access feature as part of that subscription.
- Games with Gold includes all the titles you can grab as part of Xbox Live Gold’s monthly free games offer.
- Finally, there is a section specifically for apps like Netflix, Disney+, Spotify, etc.
To speculate, Microsoft may have built this simplified section to incorporate other game subscription groups into the library. Recently, Ubisoft+ assets were discovered by Lumia updates on Twitter on the back of the Xbox. It lends more credence to earlier rumors that Microsoft may be exploring a partnership with the Assassin’s Creed publisher, in a collaboration that could be similar to what Xbox Game Pass has with EA Play. Ubisoft+ is already available as a separate service on PC, but can also be purchased as part of PlayStation Plus and even Amazon’s new streaming service Luna.
Increasingly, it looks like subscription services will be an important part of AAA publishers’ revenue streams, and the change to the Xbox Games and Apps library is most likely designed to accommodate that. Xbox has been hard at work adding features and content to its Xbox Game Pass service, with a Friends & Family plan just around the corner.
The new library of Xbox games and apps is available now as part of the Xbox Insider Program and will likely roll out to the general public in the coming weeks.