Xbox Insiders can now set their console to swap Home backgrounds on a schedule, keep games they claimed from discs in their own library section and open the Guide on the right-hand side of the screen. The three changes reached the first Insider group on 12 November.
Only Alpha Skip-Ahead members have them for now. Microsoft says the features will reach more Insiders and then all players over time, with no dates given.
The background change comes first. In Xbox Wire’s announcement, Xbox says Insiders can save any dynamic background as a favourite by opening Settings > General > Personalization > My background > Dynamic backgrounds, highlighting one and pressing X. Saved backgrounds land in a new Favorites tab. At the start of each category sits a Shuffle option, which rotates the background every time you sign in, or every hour, day or week. You can shuffle your favourites or a whole category.
One detail helps owners of the Xbox Wireless Controller X25 Special Edition: its exclusive background, once saved as a favourite, stays available even when that controller is not connected.
The library change builds on something Xbox started in August, when players could first claim a digital licence for a disc-based game. Insiders who have done that will now see those games under a separate heading in the full library. Anyone who prefers them mixed in with other owned games can switch back under Settings > General > Personalization > Games & apps, where the small digital-licence icon on game tiles can also be hidden.
The Guide setting is the simplest of the three. Under Settings > General > Personalization > Guide, Insiders choose whether it slides in from the left or the right edge. Microsoft is asking Insiders for feedback on all three through its player-voice page and the Xbox Insider subreddit.
People outside the programme can join it by installing the Xbox Insider Hub app on a console or a Windows PC.
