Microsoft is Changing How the Xbox Controller’s Home Button Works

A new post on Xbox Wire by Mike Ybarra reveals that Microsoft is changing how the home button will work on all Xbox One Controllers in an upcoming update.

Microsoft has announced that the company is changing how the home button will work for the Xbox One in an effort to make things easier for gamers who want to minimize any potential interruption to their gameplay. In a recent Xbox Wire post, the company revealed that an upcoming update will allow gamers to press the ‘Home’ button on their Xbox One controller to go to a revamped Guide screen, which allows for faster access to a few select features.

This new guide screen will appear as an overlay, so as to not interrupt whatever application the gamer currently has open. From there, gamers can start recording a GameDVR clip, adjust the length of the video to record, and take a gander at their existing video captures all from the same snapped guide. The guide will also allow gamers to start instantly broadcasting to Beam, a broadcasting service that was announced last October which works between Windows 10 and Xbox One devices.

Microsoft has also stated that the update will introduce a new achievement tracking overlay, a Gamerscore leaderboard, fresh controls for background music, and a brand new design to the Cortana interface which was introduced in the large summer update of 2016. 

There will also be a few changes to the social activity feed, Clubs, and Looking For Group, like the ability to share LFG posts on the social activity feed and better moderation tools for those seeking to manage for Clubs.This week, Microsoft also offered its congratulations to Nintendo for its presentation of the Nintendo Switch, and Xbox boss Phil Spencer also stated that he couldn’t confirm if the long-awaited Project Scorpio would make an appearance at E3 2017. It’s been somewhat of a rough week for Microsoft, as the company decided to cut its losses by cancelling Scalebound, although Phil Spencer sent a clear message that Microsoft would still be taking risks despite the setback.

Whether games are playing from a snazzy Elite Controller or a hot pink custom design job, one thing that’s certain is that the functionality of the home button is in for a change. The Xbox Wire post refrained from estimating a release date for the new update, but did mention that a few more surprises were on the horizon.