Xbox Series X Dashboard: Criticism rains down, even fans can do better

The new Xbox dashboard design that Microsoft has planned for 2023 is being torn apart by fans.

A new design is always a matter of taste, but Microsoft doesn’t seem to be doing itself any favors with the new dashboard. Criticism is pouring in everywhere and many Xbox fans are venting their frustration and complaining about the look and feel – and admittedly, that little something extra is simply missing, isn’t it?

Here is a picture of the new planned design:

The biggest criticism from fans is that the wallpaper is too obscured and it has no real touch at all. Not only do the tiles vary in width and feel somewhat out of place, but the smaller navigation bars bother many Xbox users. The majority would rather have a “Clean & Simple” than a jam-packed start page.

Clean & Simple can Xbox fan “toilet seat‘ capture graphically particularly well what he has often demonstrated. So he immediately came forward with his version of the new dashboard, which you can see here:

Image via @Klobrille – Twitter

In this example, the focus on the start page is clearly on the background image, which should change depending on the “selected tile”. So if you switch to Halo Infinite in this example, a wallpaper of Halo would load. It remains to be seen how this will be implemented in practice and how much it would affect the loading times. Nevertheless, everything seems a bit more coherent at first sight.

Now let’s look at an image of the new dashboard again:

Image via @Souls_Ninja – Twitter

It immediately becomes clear that there doesn’t seem to be any correct orientation and the design looks very untidy, just not consistent. The mere fact that the lower right options bar lies slightly over the next tiles looks wrong.

Microsoft has announced that there will be important updates in this first round of previews:

• The new “skip back” row provides quick access to recently played games and apps.
• Easy access to essential system apps like Settings, Store, Search, and My Games & Apps with their own tiles on Xbox Home.
• Unified design and visual identifiers with updated layouts to keep the experience familiar.
• If you scroll down, you’ll see curated categories and recommendations tailored to your gaming preferences.

The Xbox fan and graphic artist “Souls_Ninja‘ has also played around with the dashboard, this time taking inspiration from the Windows Fluent design:

In this design, the selected tiles are larger, so the focus of the controller is visualized once again. The background image is clearly visible, while the tiles are slightly smaller. There is also an info area that shows statistics about the game.

An important note comes from “Hey Mr Zweistein“, who also pointed out that despite all the criticism, Microsoft developers have to consider many things that any graphic artist may not have considered in their designs. Issues such as compatibility and the requirements of people with disabilities – vision, color blindness and others – need to be considered.

You can’t always please everyone in the end, but we think it would make sense for Microsoft to give all Xbox owners more layout customization options. Thus, you could offer different grid models to choose from in the dashboard settings and if you want, you could simply choose your favorite from the three designs (listed here), for example. Or you can make a uniform design that has additional customization options especially for people with disabilities.

Who with the current draft for the Xbox dashboard theme 2023 If you can’t do anything at all, not only should you send in your feedback through the Xbox Insider program, but also note that Microsoft has officially announced that they are starting a series of tests lasting several months to find out how they can further customize the start screen and some of the most important trends and fan wishes. So it sounds like Microsoft has other startup layouts up its sleeve.

Which of these three designs do you like best and what changes do you have for the new Xbox dashboard design?

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