If you’re a PC gamer, you can now start using the new Xbox Game Bar app on any device running Windows 10 version 1809 or later.
The new experience is entirely different from its predecessor. In this new version, instead of a single interface, the overlay takes the full real estate of the screen — similar to other experiences offered by Discord and Nvidia –, and it’s filled with many customizable widgets that allow you to check system performance (CPU, GPU, and RAM), adjust volume, capture gameplay, and much more.
The Xbox Game Bar now also integrates with Spotify, so you can easily control music playback during gameplay.
Similar to the previous version, you’re also getting controls to broadcast and capture game images, which you can then share on social media. There’s an audio widget that gives you control over the system audio as well as for each application running on your computer.
At the top, there’s a taskbar with a clock, a menu to enable or disable overlays, and a shortcut to each overlay.
You can even have widgets for friend lists, messages, and looking for groups (LFG), and you can display them all in the screen.
Using the experience, you can position widgets anywhere on the screen, and you can also pin widgets into place.
The new Xbox Game Bar app is available immediately after the release of the Windows 10 version 1903, May 2019 Update, and the new experience should download and install automatically on any device running version 1809 or later.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows expert and the Editor-in-Chief who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He is also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 12 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows, software, and related technologies, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.