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[Update] Xbox One Dashboard Preview Rolling Out Now, Read The Fine Print First
Update: The preview is rolling out to those that opted in. As a reminder, some of your apps and games will not work immediately, and you'll need to wait for more updates to roll out. Microsoft is planning to push them approximately twice per week.
Also, once you are in, leaving the New Xbox One Experience preview will force a factory reset and loss of internal hard drive data. This is a test program and not just early access to new features.
Original Story (September 17, 2015 at 2:14 p.m. Central):
Invitations for the New Xbox One Experience, the upcoming dashboard update, have started going out. You can choose to opt in if you got an Xbox Live message, which will put you on the list for the preview. Before you do though, read the fine print.
There are a number of known issues with the current build, though Microsoft expects to roll out updates frequently on the path to the November public release. The list is long, featuring a number of significant problems that players will likely encounter.
Currently, multi-title discs like Borderlands 2 and The Pre-Sequel aren’t working properly. You’ll also run into problems with other games like Destiny: The Taken King and Pool Nation FX. Some titles, like Forza 6 will run, but you may experience visual issues.
There are a number of things that may result in the need for a hard reset. These include controllers failing to respond to the Xbox button being pressed, resuming the console after being in a party chat, using voice commands in the browser, or games and apps failing to show up in your library after a system update.
Some video apps aren’t compatible at this time, and you won’t be able to snap TV with your voice right now. In short, this is a test environment. It will improve along the way, but if you aren’t interested in providing feedback, you might want to hold off for now.
There’s also a note that if you want to roll back after installing the preview, you will need to reset your console to factory settings. That means all your local data will disappear (external hard drive content is safe). Choose, but choose wisely.
Our Take
The list of errors and drawbacks is clearly labeled and comprehensive. Microsoft is making sure that users know the status of the preview program. If you are comfortable with being a tester, great. If you just want the benefit of early features, at least for now plan to stay in the regular preview program.
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