Battle.net, the app for Blizzard and Activision's various games, has remained unchanged for almost eight years. But today, Blizzard has given B.net a spring cleaning makeover in the form of Battle.net 2.0. And it is rolling out right now for users in North America.

While Battle.net 2.0 doesn't feel dramatically different from its predecessor, the layout has definitely improved. Instead of games being listed on the left, they are now placed at the top, leaving more space for trailers and official Blizzard news about selected games. But what I like best is that the friends list is now permanently located on the right side, giving you a better view of what your friends are actually doing. In the old version, you had to click on an icon to bring up a separate friends list window.

Blizzard also states that Battle.net 2.0 is more accessible. The whole thing can be navigated using only the keyboard and better supports screen readers. The color contrast is also better.

If you need a side-by-side comparison, here you go:

I look at this app for about 8 seconds every day, and I really like the new look and efficient use of space.

Right now, Battle.net 2.0 is only available to some users in North America, but Blizzard said it will be available to all users in the coming weeks. If you are in North America and the update is not automatically provided to you, you can still try Battle.net 2.0 by accessing the beta. Here is a brief description of how to do that:

If you are not in North America, you will have to wait a little longer to try Battle.net 2.0, but it will be available shortly.