Select Xbox Insiders can now test Xbox Avatars on Windows 10

By Asher Madan
published

Go forth and provide feedback.

Yesterday, a lot of new features hit Alpha – Skip Ahead and Alpha Ring Xbox Insiders. Aside from the new "Shopping Cart" functionality, ability to broadcast your whole dashboard on Mixer, and the first build of the Avatar Store, select Xbox Insiders got the chance to test out Xbox Avatars on Windows 10. According to a post in Xbox Wire (opens in new tab) by Microsoft's Brad Rossetti and Randy Santossio, "the Avatar Editor is a Universal Windows Platform application and now we're ready to start collecting feedback from Windows 10 users! If you're in the Alpha – Skip Ahead, Alpha, or Beta Rings on Xbox One, you'll find a new quest in the Windows 10 version of the Xbox Insider Hub that will tell you how to download and provide feedback for the Avatar Editor on your Windows 10 device. Please note that the Avatar Store will not appear on any version of the Avatar Editor on Windows 10."

A report by The Verge said that you probably have to be a registered Xbox Insider in order to use the Avatar Editor on Windows 10. Simply downloading it from the Microsoft Store on your desktop won't grant you access it seems.

The old Xbox Avatars have been around for years and they don't cater to everyone. A revamp was long overdue and it's surprising that it didn't happen sooner. One of the major exclusions numerous gamers continuously asked Microsoft to implement was the ability to add wheelchairs and prosthetics to their characters.

If you use a wheelchair or any other prosthetic, these new Avatars include ways you can tailor them to fit your needs. It's unclear why they weren't included in the first place as it's a rather significant oversight.

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Asher Madan
Asher Madan

Asher Madan handles gaming news for Windows Central. Before joining Windows Central in 2017, Asher worked for a number of different gaming outlets. He has a background in medical science and is passionate about all forms of entertainment, cooking, and antiquing.

7 Comments
  • Avatars on 10 already worked using the download from my library feature the store. it also worked on windows 10 mobile
  • Doesn't work on windows 10 mobile for me. Well, not on my windows 10 phones app anyway
  • I want beta to get the Dolby Vision update, so that I can test it out.
  • That would be the Alpha. I don't have it either. I'm stuck in beta
  • Wasn't there a link here earlier?
  • When are the rest of us getting them? They've been in development for over a year now.
  • The new avatars are nothing like what we were shown in the demo. Although, better than the original avatars by far, the options are still pretty generic and limited. No minute details like freckles (as we were shown), no tats, scars, etc. The app also still stutters and freezes at times. Hopefully, the app gets better but as it is so far, it was more 'Meh' than WOW!