Epic Games’ recent proclamation of significantly faster launch times in its new vibration-encoded Epic Games Launcher, followed by a Steam update that makes similar performance improvements, appears to have inspired Microsoft’s Xbox to work on improving its Xbox app for PC, with a new announcement making several claims about improved performance. Although claims about the new Xbox app for PC are more ambiguous, with no startup times claimed or testing data provided, Microsoft says the new Xbox app launches up to 60% faster, while Home, Store, and Game Pass pages load up to 50% faster, and in-app windows are claimed to launch 65% faster. Perhaps more important than the performance improvements, however, is that Xbox has streamlined the app, with “simpler navigation, updated filters, and new ways to organize your games,” plus more prominent placement for the Friends tab, broader search that covers installed games, add-ons, and people, as well as a cleaner aesthetic that “makes the app easier to scan and navigate.” At the moment, these improvements are being tested in the Xbox Insiders program, but Xbox says it will implement visual and UX changes to the Xbox web experience and update the experience for a variety of other devices, such as TVs and VR headsets. Barring any major issues in the testing phase, the new Xbox UX app should reach a wider audience in the coming months. XBOX Insiders will begin to see improvements to the XBOX app for PC designed to make everyday actions faster and easier:
