Some big changes are coming to the Xbox Preview Program, not the least of which is its new name: the Xbox Insider Program. The news was announced in a blog post by Xbox's Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb, who notes that the new name is meant to reflect an expanded program.
Perhaps the biggest change is that the Xbox Insider Program is now open to everyone. Whereas the Xbox Preview Program had been restricted to those who received an invite from other members, the new Xbox Insider Program reflects Microsoft's other Insider programs by offering the chance for anyone to participate. Now, so long as you own an Xbox One, you'll be able to opt-in to testing and providing feedback on new features before they go live to the public.
In addition to the name change, the Xbox Preview Dashboard is getting some changes as well. From the Major Nelson blog:
- A new name – the Xbox Insider Hub
- Personalized to give you more relevant announcements, quests, and Insider content opportunities to get early access to select games and apps
- A new UI, inspired by the New Xbox One Experience, makes it easier to find the right info and provide more robust feedback
- The Xbox Insider profile card where your contributions in the program come front and center
- Support for multiple users on a console to participate and provide feedback
The changes are gradually rolling out to preview program members now, and access to the new Xbox Insider Hub should be available to all existing Xbox Preview members in the next few weeks. It's unclear when users who aren't already in the Preview will be able to opt-in to become Xbox Insiders, but more information should become available on a dedicated Xbox Insider Program FAQ once it is live.
Thanks to Thomas H. for the tip!
