Xbox Insiders Get 6 New Console Features Today

Xbox Insiders in the Alpha rings can try six new features starting September 9, including customisable startup animations, better streaming, and badges.

Ever wanted to swap out your Xbox's startup animation for something a little more you? Well, that dream just got a whole lot closer.

Starting today, September 9, six new console features are rolling out to select members of the Xbox Insider program. Specifically, they're hitting the Alpha and Alpha-Skip-Ahead rings first, so if you're in those groups, you might want to fire up your console and start poking around.

So what's on the menu? The headline act is customisable startup animations, which means you could soon be greeted by something other than the standard boot-up sequence every time you switch on your Xbox. It's a small touch, but those little personalisation wins add up.

That's not all, though. The update also brings better streaming, which should be welcome news if you spend any time watching or broadcasting content through your console. Alongside that, there are badges making their way into the mix, giving you more ways to show off and express yourself on the platform.

The source material doesn't spell out every detail of all six features, so we'll have to wait and see what else is tucked inside this rollout. But the combination of customisation, streaming improvements, and badges gives Insiders a pretty solid batch to test out.

As always with Insider drops, this is a gradual process. The features are only going out to those select Alpha and Alpha-Skip-Ahead rings for now, and they'll eventually become available for everyone in the weeks and months ahead. So if you're not in the program, don't panic. Your turn is coming.

If you are an Insider, this is your chance to kick the tires and see what works and what doesn't. Feedback during these early rings is exactly what shapes how these features land for the rest of us down the line.

What do you think of the new lineup? Will you be changing up your startup animation the second you get the chance, or are you happy with the classic boot-up? Let us know in the comments.