Xbox Insider 'Alpha – Skip Ahead' ring gives you early access to even more features

By Asher Madan
published

Now you can test our even earlier builds.

The Xbox Insider Program allows consumers to test out upcoming Xbox One features, and today Microsoft announced an expansion to the service. The Alpha ring is getting another entry called the "Alpha – Skip Ahead (opens in new tab)" ring. The subset will allow certain Alpha members to test out advanced builds months before they're ready for the general public. This means that you'll be able to get your hands on new features even sooner. The Skip Ahead ring will be available to all Alpha members in the coming weeks, and later by invitation to Xbox Insiders in other rings.

According to Microsoft, "By piloting builds well in advance of their release, Xbox Insiders will play an even bigger role in shaping the future of Xbox and will be able to communicate their sentiment and suggested changes to members of the Xbox Feature Team... Community and fan feedback has never been more critical to helping craft the future of the Xbox ecosystem." This is a welcome addition to the Xbox Insider Program and one that was desperately needed.

It's great to see the company embracing community feedback in this manner. The Xbox One interface has come a long way since its 2013 release, and this means that even more fan-requested features should hit the console soon. Community feedback has become an important tool for developers over the past few years and with the backing of a company like Microsoft, it should set the standard for how developers approach their projects.

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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.

4 Comments
  • How do i get access to alpha? I think I'm delta right now.
  • You'll have to be invited. I guess just keep on providing feedback and just be more active.
  • This is one of the main problems with the xbox insider program. They should just open it up to whoever wants to join. I've been stuck on Beta ring for ever.
  • I think the Windows Insider Program should work the same way. That is: The more you contribute, the more "inside" you get. If you then stop contributing, you get pushed back in your level of insight and ability to give feedback on very early projects. Why? Because the Windows insider program I see, is filled with people who doesn't care about writing good feedback. They simply desire new features. These are the same people that also has the nerve to complain about how Windows sucks even though they never took the time to tell how it could be improved. In short: All the good feedback is drowned in the amount of bad feedback. Because good feedback takes time and work to write and bad feedback doesn't. The Xbox Insider Program fixes that by limiting this noise to the low levels of the program.
    This leaves a room for contructive feedback for those few whom Microsoft evaluates as more valuable contributers of the program.