Microsoft
introduced
a
compact
mode
for
its
Xbox
app
on
Windows
last
year,
which
is
designed
to
improve
the
handheld
experience.
While
compact
mode
initially
focused
on
UI
improvements
for
small
screens,
Microsoft
is
moving
on
to
tackling
some
of
the
challenges
of
navigating
around
the
Xbox
app
with
a
D-pad
and
sticks.
In
a
new
update
for
Xbox
Insiders
today,
Microsoft
is
adding
a
new
“Jump
back
in”
feature
that
lets
you
quickly
launch
games
you’ve
recently
played
on
a
Windows
handheld.
Jump
back
in
will
list
up
to
nine
games
on
the
main
screen
of
the
Xbox
app,
and
you
can
press
the
menu
button
on
a
controller
to
launch
the
game
directly.
The
new
“Jump
back
in”
section.Image:
Microsoft
It’s
intelligent
enough
to
know
if
you
already
have
a
game
running,
so
it’ll
simply
switch
to
that
instance,
and
by
default,
it
will
navigate
to
the
game
hub
for
a
game
so
you
can
see
which
friends
are
playing,
your
achievements,
and
more.
Microsoft
is
also
improving
the
friends
panel
to
make
it
easier
to
access
with
a
handheld
or
controller.
There’s
now
quick
access
from
the
sidebar
to
a
slide-out
friends
list
that
has
big
buttons
to
tap
to
join
party
chats.
The
“Friends”
panel
is
now
easier
to
navigate
to
with
a
handheld.Image:
Microsoft
While
it’s
good
to
see
this
addition,
I
still
find
it
difficult
to
navigate
around
the
Xbox
app
on
a
ROG
Ally
without
touching
the
screen.
Accessing
the
sidebar
can
often
be
difficult
if
you’ve
navigated
down
a
page,
and
the
Xbox
app
seems
to
get
stuck
in
certain
sections
and
prevent
you
from
accessing
the
sidebar
by
navigating
left
unless
you’re
at
the
top
of
the
page
or
you’ve
highlighted
a
particular
element.
Microsoft
still
has
a
long
way
to
go
to
improve
the
overall
handheld
experience
in
Windows,
but
if
you’re
a
PC
Game
Pass
subscriber
who
owns
a
Windows
handheld,
then
you’re
getting
some
early
improvements
ahead
of
the
Windows
team
really
focusing
in
on
controller
navigation
throughout
the
OS.
Original author: Tom Warren
Comments