A new system update has been rolled out across Xbox consoles, offering a handful of improvements to the overall experience. Starting today, Xbox users should notice some helpful quality-of-life improvements to things like backgrounds, cloud gaming, and more. There’s nothing too significant here, but Microsoft has found ways for players to customize their experience and enjoy their games in small, but noticeable ways. That’s been a theme over the last four years, and some of these changes can add up!ย
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Dynamic Backgrounds
Today’s update features a change to how Dynamic Backgrounds work on Xbox consoles. Previously, players were forced to choose between seeing a Dynamic Background, or showing the artwork for a highlighted game. Following today’s update, Xbox users will have the option of mixing and matching. For example, if the user wants to see the Madden NFL 24 background of Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen most of the time, they can do that, but they can also have the cover art for Resident Evil 2 takeover the background when that game is highlighted. Xbox users can make the adjustment under Settings > General > Personalization > My Background > Show selected game art.ย
Xbox Cloud Gaming
Xbox Cloud users now have an option to manage their save data on their desktop or mobile device “to help get you out of a bad spot or start your game over again.” Basically, you can resync your game saves, and even delete them now under the Manage Games tab in settings.ย
Mouse and keyboard support has also been added for all Xbox Cloud users. Now, when bringing up Cloud Gaming on PC or Mac, users will find a section called “play with mouse and keyboard.” Currently, games like Atomic Heart, Quake II, and High on Life all support the option. However, readers should keep in mind that the latter game will be leaving Xbox Game Pass in just a few short days.ย
Other Improvements
The changes to Cloud Gaming and Backgrounds are the biggest ones, but there are a few others, as well. Xbox users can now manage their subscriptions straight from their console. A firmware update for Xbox controllers has also been added, and the Xbox Adaptive Controller will now “better support full functionality of some accessibility peripherals.” Xbox has also noted that it’s experimenting with other improvements, including updates to the layout for Game Pass, and improvements in being able to find people through console search. Also, “a random subset of players” will get a chance to try some of those new improvements before they go live for everyone else.ย
How do you feel about these Xbox changes? Do any of these improvements appeal to you? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter atย @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky atย @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram atย @Dachampgaming!
