Since it first appeared, the Xbox Guide menu has always opened on the left side of the screen. Microsoft is now testing a setting that puts it on the right instead.
Xbox Insiders can start trying this today as part of a small batch of customization features. The batch also has dynamic backgrounds that rotate and a tidier way to sort disc-to-digital games in your library.
Backgrounds that change on a schedule
Of the three changes, the background update does the most. Insiders can mark dynamic backgrounds as favorites, and the console will cycle through them on its own.
“Xbox Insiders can now save favorite dynamic backgrounds and shuffle through them automatically,” said Eden Marie, principal software engineering lead at Xbox. “You can also choose Shuffle at the start of any background category. Have your background change each time you sign in, or set it to change hourly, daily, or weekly.”
There are four timing choices: every sign-in, hourly, daily or weekly. Players who don’t want to set up a favorites list can select Shuffle at the top of an existing category, and the console will rotate through that group.
A separate shelf for disc-to-digital games
The second change matters to players who have claimed a digital license for a game they own on disc. These games now sit in their own category in the library section, apart from everything else you own.
Microsoft is also adding a toggle that hides the digital license icon on game tiles, so players who find the badge cluttered can turn it off.
Left or right
The third option is the most basic. Insiders pick whether the Guide menu shows up on the left or the right side of the screen.
Early access depends on which Insider ring you’re in. “Alpha Skip-Ahead members can try them first,” Marie said. “We’ll bring them to more Xbox Insiders and players over time.” Microsoft has not given a date for the wider rollout. Players outside Alpha Skip-Ahead will have to wait until then.