Xbox Is Bringing A Big Dose Of Nostalgia To Its Current-Gen Consoles

Microsoft's Xbox division has been roiled with turmoil of late, with massive layoffs, studio closures, and the departure of the CEO of Microsoft Gaming, Phil Spencer. Under the leadership of new boss Asha Sharma, the company has undergone massive restructuring, while at the same time trying to recapture some of the goodwill that's dissolved in recent years. Alongside dropping the price of Game Pass to increase its value against competitors like PlayStation Plus, the company will now let you change the startup animation on your console, reaching back to the Xbox One if, bizarrely, that's your favorite Xbox generation.

Some Xbox Insiders already have access to the feature, which lets you choose between a new "We are Xbox" animation, the previous gen Xbox One boot sequence, the updated Xbox One X startup, or the standard animation from the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. You can also choose to mute the boot sound, a valid option since, in a baffling exclusion, the Xbox 360 boot with its signature chimes isn't an option. Hopefully that one is coming eventually.

If you're an Alpha or Alpha-Skip-Ahead member of the Xbox Insider program, check Settings > System > Startup to see if you're on the list to test the new feature. If you didn't make the cut, consider tinkering with some of the Xbox Series X features that you're missing out on.

The boot customization is part of a larger suite of updates being tested for Xbox consoles. There's also a local search tool that will let you find specific games and achievements, instead of having to endlessly scroll through your game library and then individual games' lists. If you've bought a bunch of backwards compatible games or just gone wild checking out every game that drops on Game Pass, you know what a huge deal this is. For a quick swag boost, you'll also now be able to show off up to five badges at once on your profile.

Remote Play is also getting some TLC, finally adding support for streaming at 1440p and higher bitrates for those with the internet bandwidth to support it. In the same vein, there's a new option to continue downloading content even while you're using Xbox Cloud Gaming (again, assuming you've got the data pipe to handle it). On the social side, Voice Clarity aims to cut down on background noise when you're chatting in parties or multiplayer games, though you'll be able to toggle it off in settings if you'd prefer.

For fun crowd pleasers, however, the boot animation selector is the highlight, especially if Microsoft adds additional options (or even the ability to add your own custom boot animations) in the future. Now we just need Xbox to bring back custom faceplates and some of the other 360 features that are pure nostalgia.