Microsoft has simply improved the Xbox app for Home windows significantly, with a redesigned Dwelling web page packing a sensible addition for these utilizing a gaming handheld with Home windows 11.
TweakTown observed the brand new characteristic that’ll attraction to the likes of Asus ROG Ally house owners, and it’s a ‘Leap again in’ means.
As Microsoft explains, this “permits gamers in Compact Mode to click on on any sport card and soar proper again into gameplay from the sport’s hub.
That means it’s principally a financial institution of shortcuts to rapidly get again to the video games you’ve not too long ago been taking part in with out having to wade by means of extra bits of clunky interface.
Extra broadly, the brand new Dwelling web page for the Xbox app is designed to make it simpler for folks to search out new video games they may like, and advantages from some streamlining work alongside these traces. Microsoft has beforehand stated that its goal right here is to supply a “unified Dwelling expertise that mixes the very best and newest content material from each the Recreation Move and Microsoft Retailer tabs,” to keep away from having to leap between these tabs.
That Microsoft would attempt to push the shop a bit extra isn’t precisely a shock, in fact – the corporate has been doing rather a lot of labor on it of late.
The redesigned Dwelling expertise additionally flags up reductions on video games and any offers on the boil, alongside curated suggestions.
Microsoft additionally boasted that there are actually 400 extra video games that you could purchase within the Xbox app. The titles highlighted aren’t precisely huge releases (Jackbox Social gathering Pack for instance), however they’re recent blood nonetheless, and 100 of them are ‘Xbox Play Anyplace’ video games that means you’ll be able to play the Xbox PC model once you purchase the Xbox console model (and vice versa).
The extra of that kind of cross-platform spreading the wealth, the higher. Nonetheless, this ‘Leap again in’ characteristic will solely be obtainable for video games you buy by means of the Xbox Retailer. This implies you will not be capable to launch video games from different libraries comparable to Steam and Epic Video games Retailer, which is disappointing, and limits the usability of this characteristic for lots of PC avid gamers.
Evaluation: A optimistic signal for the hand held future
These modifications for the Xbox app have been in testing since October, so it’s good to see them go reside – notably the addition of that handheld characteristic which is a laudable further contact of comfort for these gaming on a Home windows 11 moveable.
Microsoft isn’t forgetting about these moveable units, definitely, which is an efficient signal that the rumored handheld mode that may ultimately arrive might nonetheless be within the works. In case you recall, it was a 12 months in the past that Microsoft took one of many largest strides ahead on this respect, bringing in that key Compact Mode for the Xbox app on PC, which rejigs the interface to work higher on a small show.
