Microsoft is rolling out four quality-of-life updates to Xbox Insiders in the Alpha Skip-Ahead ring today. The headliner is longer gamertags, up to 15 characters for unique names, but the cloud gaming while updating feature is probably the one most Game Pass subscribers will actually notice day-to-day.
Gamertags Up to 15 Characters
Unique gamertags now support up to 15 characters, up from the previous 12-character limit. The expansion applies to gamertags that are unique and available. If your gamertag isn’t unique or contains non-Latin characters, you’ll still be capped at 12 with a numeric suffix appended. For everyone else, three extra characters is a meaningful bump for anyone who’s been trying to fit a name into the existing limit.
Xbox 360 Achievements in Game Hubs
Xbox 360 games now get proper game hubs in their game cards. Open the card for any installed Xbox 360 title and you can view achievement progress, captures, and game info directly. Detailed achievement popups are also available from the achievement list in your profile. Xbox 360 achievement data has always felt like a second-class citizen in the modern Xbox UI, and this brings it closer to parity with how newer games are presented.
Play With Cloud While Your Game Updates
This is the most practically useful addition. If a game needs an update and is available to stream via your Game Pass membership, you can now start playing immediately through cloud gaming while the update downloads in the background. The option shows up directly in the game card when a game is installing or updating. For large updates on slower connections, that’s the difference between playing now and waiting an hour.
Wishlist from Any Game Card
You can now add both released and upcoming games to your wishlist directly from the game card, without navigating to the store separately. Small convenience change, but it makes the game card more useful as a single place to act on any title you’re interested in.
Rollout
All four features are live today for Xbox Insiders in the Alpha Skip-Ahead ring, with additional Insider rings to follow. If you’re not in the program yet, sign up through the Xbox Insider Hub on console or PC.