Users in the Alpha Skip-Ahead Insider ring on Xbox are testing out a Night Mode feature added in the latest preview build. The host of dimming and filter options allow users to fully customize their screen and controller lighting based on the time of day.
Microsoft normally tests the features it intends to bring to its larger Xbox audience by giving Insiders early access. This allows a smaller, more manageable group of hardcore users to work out the bugs and suggest improvements before an update rolls out to everyone. Though there are multiple rings in the Insider program, the Alpha Skip-Ahead users are on the frontlines of feature testing in the Xbox ecosystem. After the launch of the Series X|S, they were the first to get both Dynamic Backgrounds and access to free-to-play games without a Gold membership. Now it appears that Xbox is using Insiders to test another upcoming feature.
Tom Warren over at The Verge reports that Night Mode is currently being tested by Alpha Skip-Ahead users on Xbox. A video on Warren's YouTube channel shows Night Mode available as a Preference option in the Settings menu for the latest preview build. Activating Night Mode gives the user access to sliders for both dimness and blue light, the latter being a known contributor to headaches, eye strain, and inability to sleep. There's also a toggle that lets users decide if they want HDR impacted by Night Mode, as well as an option to schedule the Dark and Light themes to be active at different times of day. Finally, users can adjust the brightness of the LED Xbox logo on their controller and console.
Watch Tom Warren's video on Xbox Night Mode here.
While the Xbox Accessories app has always let players change the brightness of the Xbox logo on Elite Series 1 and 2 controllers, the app has never allowed players to alter the brightness of the logo on regular Xbox One and Series X|S controllers. Blue light filters have become a common feature in consumer tech devices ranging from monitors to smartphones, but video game consoles have yet to implement this long-requested toggle. Fortunately, these complaints and more are being addressed under the umbrella of Night Mode settings.
Features tested in the Xbox Insider rings aren't normally held back from everyone for too long. Depending on how testing goes and what feedback is provided, it could be just another month or two before all Xbox users have access to Night Mode. Hopefully this move by Microsoft will allow Xbox to serve as a role model for PlayStation and Switch, and eventually lead to a Night Mode feature appearing on those consoles as well.
Source: Tom Warren/YouTube, The Verge
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