There’s been a lot of talk in recent months about Xbox and Phil Spencer’s love for handheld devices such as the ASUS ROG Ally, and clearly there’s a desire to make the Xbox experience as accessible as possible on these systems.
The Xbox App for PC introduced something called “Compact Mode” late last year, aiming to offer a “more intuitive user interface on smaller screens” such as Windows handhelds. Now, Compact Mode is getting another set of new features.
Firstly, “Jump Back In” will appear on the home screen featuring the last nine games you played (meaning there’s easy access to “jump back in”), while the “Friends” panel now offers quick access via the sidebar when using a controller.
“We’re excited to announce that the Jump back in feature and enhancements to the Friends panel are rolling out to all Xbox Insiders enrolled in the PC Gaming Preview starting today!”
We’ll throw more details down below, and interestingly, Xbox says it’s working to “bring more enhancements to Compact Mode” in the future to provide “seamless Xbox gaming experiences across all your Windows devices.”
“Jump Back In”
“Jump back in will feature the last nine games you played from the app. When you click on any game card, you will go directly to its game hub where you can jump into game play. You can also right-click or press the menu button on your controller to launch directly into game play from the context menu.”
“Friends” Panel Enhancements
“With Compact Mode, we have also made it easier to access the Friends panel via controller navigation, with quick access directly from the sidebar, and consistent with other panels like Notifications.”
