Xbox beta app for Windows 10 gets significant performance improvements with 2004 update

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by Radu Tyrsina 

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Last week, Windows Insiders received a new version of the Xbox beta app for Windows 10 that introduced some welcome under the hood changes. Indeed, the app ditched the Electron framework in favour of Facebook’s React Native, bringing some significant performance improvements along the way.

This new React Native revamp of the Xbox beta app is now available for non-Insiders with version 2004.2000.36.0. After installing this update, you’ll notice that the app now uses much less memory and CPU, making it just as efficient as an app like Steam. Previously, the Xbox beta app could use close to 50% of your CPU during game downloads, meaning it was often better to just close it when playing games.

We’ve also noticed some minor design changes with this update, including a slightly slimmer top navigation bar. The taskbar icon also changed from a white Xbox logo to the same logo above a green square. The Xbox beta app could still do a better job at displaying content by wasting less space, but this is a solid update overall.

It’s now been almost a year since this new Xbox app has been beta. Microsoft launched it along with Xbox Game Pass for PC back in June 2019, and the subscription service remains great value for PC gamers. In case you missed it, Football Manager 2020, Stranger Things 3: The Game and more are joining the catalog this month.

Radu Tyrsina

Radu Tyrsina Shield

Radu Tyrsina has been a Windows fan ever since he got his first PC, a Pentium III (a monster at that time). For most of the kids of his age, the Internet was an amazing way to play and communicate with others, but he was deeply impressed by the flow of information and how easily you can find anything on the web. Prior to founding Windows Report, this particular curiosity about digital content enabled him to grow a number of sites that helped hundreds of millions reach faster the answer they're looking for.