Xbox is testing out a new update that adds a couple of quite significant features. One of these changes is sure to please fans of achievements in particular.
Xbox is adding another new achievement feature
Achievements have been a core part of the Xbox identity ever since they debuted in the Xbox 360 generation. They provide players with a way to have special bragging rights, chart their history of in-game activities, and build up an ever-growing Gamerscore that only grows larger along their gaming journeys. However, fans of Xbox achievements hadn’t had any new changes or updates to the system in a decade since the Xbox One, that is, until recently.
An Xbox update that rolled out a few weeks ago finally saw the first batch of achievement changes in a very long time. The update refreshed the look of the achievement pop animation with new icons. It also added a nice visual flair to titles on gamers’ profiles that have reached 100% completion.
Xbox is introducing gamerscore badges
In a new Xbox Wire post, Xbox revealed three new changes coming to its platform soon, one of which is the addition of Gamerscore badges that will display on gamers’ profiles depending on the tier of Gamerscore they’ve reached. They start at 1,000 Gamerscore and go all the way up to 10 million, which is mysteriously blacked out.
Those who look closely at the designs of some of these badges will see that they pay homage to the Xbox 360 power button, which is a nice touch considering that was the generation Xbox’s achievement system got its start. With that said, the visual differences between a lot of these badges are quite minimal, and, as some fans have already pointed out, the gaps between 200K, 500K, and 1 million are quite massive. A lot of serious achievement hunters will spend the majority of their gaming journeys between the 100K and 1 million marks, where there are only three badges to obtain. If you ask me, there should be a badge for every 100K milestone, as well as for every million milestone. The fact that reaching 2 million Gamerscore doesn’t reward a new badge likely won’t sit right with Xbox gamers gunning for that milestone.
Xbox libraries get new filter option
While the Gamerscore badges are the main highlight of this new Xbox update, it also brings two more significant changes. The new Xbox logo and startup animation that was revealed a few weeks ago will finally be implemented once this new update is applied. The green translucent logo is a homage to the original Xbox, and it seems to be a signal of good things to come under the leadership of new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, whom many Xbox fans seem to be pleased with so far. Finally, the update is adding a new filter feature in gamers’ libraries that will display only the games that they have access to at that time. It’s a nice wrinkle for Game Pass subscribers especially, who can now more easily keep track of which downloaded games have cycled out of the service.
These new Gamerscore badges are a nice addition to Xbox’s achievement system, though I still think there are ways the badges can be improved. Nevertheless, the update is currently only accessible to Xbox Insiders, but will roll out to all Xbox users in the coming weeks.
The post New Xbox Update Makes 3 Big Changes, Including Gamerscore Badges appeared first on VICE.
