Microsoft Store update rolling out to Xbox Insiders this week

The rumored Microsoft Store on Xbox update is coming, and Xbox Insiders will start to see the new version of the store on their consoles this week.

Many of the features and UI elements in the new Microsoft Store that Thurott’s Brad Sams leaked last month seem to have made the jump to the final version. User-friendly features like choosing between different editions of a game on the same landing page are there, as well as the slicker and more easily navigable toolbar on the side. You can also press the X button when browsing the store to bring up a filter menu that will let you search for games based on genre, rating, and more, without having to go into a separate category or menu.

One of the best new features is that you can now turn off autoplay options for video and sound, meaning you can now choose if you want to watch or listen to the deafeningly loud trailers that play on the games’ landing pages. You can access these settings just by pressing the start button when searching for games, movies, and apps.

Safety is another keynote aspect of this update, specifically when it comes to parental controls. Xbox is taking a similar approach to Nintendo’s Switch eShop, in that it’s requiring users to sign in before browsing this store. This will help personalize the experience, as well as allow parents to filter content based on the games’ ESRB ratings.

Another feature present in what appears to be the final version of the update is that the new store’s loading times are much faster than the old store. Xbox’s Larry Hryb and principal program manager Cody Bird demoed the store in a video, showing off how much faster it is, though it seems as if Hryb is demoing the store on an Xbox Series X. That being said, it seems as if the faster loading times will also apply to how it runs on current-gen Xbox hardware.

The update is rolling out gradually, starting with Xbox Insiders. The first batch of Insiders will get to try out the new store on August 5th. More users will get access to the store over the next couple of weeks, and Bird stated that it’s expected to fully launch in September. It seems that Microsoft has made sure to launch the new store before the Xbox Series X arrives, though Microsoft has yet to confirm the release date and price of the next-gen console.