Microsoft’s revamping its Xbox App for handheld gaming PCs
Microsoft’s revamping its Xbox PC app for the ROG Ally and other PC gaming handhelds
The Xbox App has just received a new “Compact Mode”. Microsoft has noticed the growing popularity of Windows-powered gaming handhelds, and they are ready to exploit that.
Microsoft’s November Update for their Xbox App has been released. With Compact mode, the app is now much more usable on devices like ASUS’ ROG Ally and Lenovo’s Legion Go PC handhelds. Compact Mode makes the app better suited to smaller mobile screens, making it more readable and easier to utilise.
Moving forward, Microsoft are working to make sure that compact mode is enabled by default on Windows-powered handheld devices. This will make sure that handheld PC gamers have the best possible Xbox experience.
Introducing Compact mode
We’re excited to announce that Compact mode is now available as part of the latest update on all Windows devices, including handhelds like the ASUS ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go! Compact mode is a new feature that enhances your gaming experience by providing a more intuitive user interface on smaller screens. With Compact mode, the side bar collapses into icons, providing you with more space to browse content. To use this feature, click on your profile in the top-left corner of the app and turn the toggle for “Compact mode” on.
We’re also partnering with ASUS and other manufacturers to ensure that Compact mode is enabled by default on your handheld devices. We’ll continue to focus on updates to deliver a great Xbox app experience for Windows handheld screens.
The Xbox App is getting a repair tool
While Microsoft’s gaming storefront and launcher is a lot better than it used to be, their app is still prone to errors and other issues. Now, Microsoft has added a “Gaming Services Repair Tool” to their Xbox app to diagnose that troubleshoot issues. This should make it easier to PC gamers to address problems with the Microsoft Store or Xbox application. If you have ever had a problem with Game Pass or the Microsoft Store on PC, you will know how welcome this addition is.
Additional improvements
We’ve heard that you want a more streamlined experience when diagnosing and troubleshooting, so we’ve added the new Gaming Services Repair Tool, a dedicated tool to fix any issues with Gaming Services or missing content when launching the Xbox app on PC. To use this feature, click on your profile in the top-left corner of the app and select “Support.”
With their November update, Microsoft has made some major chances to their Xbox App. These changes are very welcome, and we hope that more are coming.
Right now, the Microsoft Store does not offer PC gamers a strong user experience, and installing games through Game Pass can often result in issues. If Microsoft wants to expand their PC audience, they need to improve their user experience. Let’s hope that future updates will achieve this. Today’s update deliver some huge improvements, but we want to see more.
You can join the discussion on the Xbox App’s incoming Compact Mode on the OC3D Forums.
