Microsoft reveals redesigned much faster Xbox store

Microsoft has announced a significant overhaul of its digital store for Xbox, and the result is a much faster browsing experience and more straightforward navigation.

“Far more than a typical app update, we’ve rebuilt the experience from the ground up to be faster, safer, and easier to use than ever before,” wrote the Xbox team’s Cody Bird in a blog post.

The new Microsoft Store app for Xbox will roll out to some Xbox insiders on August 5th before expanding to other testers in the coming weeks and ultimately reaching all Xbox One owners — and the Xbox Series X — this fall. For me, stores today can be an authentic hassle to explore, and this feels like a big step in the right direction.

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The new store is dramatically faster than the current version. Microsoft says it’s “more than twice as fast as before” and can load in under two seconds — sometimes even in less than a second. It restructured to make it easier to achieve whatever part you want using the Xbox controller. The side navigation pane is similar to the Xbox app for PC.

You can get a good feel for all the changes by watching the Major Nelson video below.

The revamped Xbox Microsoft Store has fully optimized for the Game Pass era, and it now shows more details about a title at the top level as you browse without making you dig deeper. The design does a better job highlighting deals/sale pricing and makes it easy to compare various editions of a game where applicable to know what you’re getting with each choice.

There’s a focus on parental controls; Users must now sign in to browse the Xbox store, and content filters should ensure younger players in your house don’t see anything inappropriate.

Microsoft has also thought of some smaller, helpful additions. There’s now a “recently viewed” section that’ll let you get back to a game you’ve been considering but haven’t yet added to your wish list.

Read More: Xbox Series X can play all Xbox One games (except they use Kinect)

“The new Microsoft Store on Xbox is just the first of many updates we’re rolling out in the coming weeks, all built to keep the gamer at the center of the entire gaming experience,” Bird said. Microsoft expected to announce a lower-cost Xbox Series S sometime this month as it continues to prepare for a holiday face-off with Sony’s PlayStation 5.

Keywords: xbox store game, microsoft xbox, xbox store