Discord on Xbox is about to get much, much better with the addition of this highly requested feature

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What you need to know

  • Discord is one of the most popular communication platforms in the world, especially for gamers. Nearly two years ago, it was officially integrated with Microsoft’s Xbox consoles, allowing Xbox users to voice chat with their friends on Discord.
  • Now, starting this week, Xbox Insider Program members in the Alpha Skip-Ahead and Alpha rings can preview a new feature: watching Discord game streams. This comes after the ability to stream games to Discord calls came in September last year.
  • By relinking your Xbox and Discord accounts, you’ll also be able to see your Discord friends on your Xbox friends list and join their calls or streams directly from the Xbox dashboard interface.
  • Notably, stream viewing coming to Xbox widens the advantage it has over PlayStation in terms of Discord integration, as it’s not possible to stream to the platform or watch streams from it on Sony’s consoles.

As a tech enthusiast who has been deeply immersed in the gaming world for decades, I can confidently say that this latest development between Discord and Xbox is a game-changer (pun intended). It’s like the ultimate fusion of two platforms I’ve spent countless hours on, making gaming experiences more seamless than ever before.

Approximately two years have passed since Microsoft, creator of Xbox, and Discord, the renowned chat platform, joined forces to introduce an official integration on Xbox consoles. Over this period, various features have been added to enhance the experience. Among these additions, the option for Xbox players to share their gameplay with friends during a Discord call was introduced last year; shortly, they’ll also be able to watch streams without requiring a PC or mobile device.

Microsoft shared the news earlier on Wednesday morning through an Xbox Wire blog post, indicating that Discord live streaming would be made accessible to members of the Xbox Insider Program within the Alpha Skip-Ahead and Alpha rings this week. After rigorous testing, the feature should become available for all users — hopefully in the coming days.

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From the image Microsoft posted (see below), it appears that you’ll soon be able to control the volume of streaming content or mute it as needed, similar to using Discord on both PC and mobile devices. Additionally, this new feature will eliminate the need for a separate app on your Xbox console, enabling direct access to streams right from the Xbox dashboard interface.

Apart from the upcoming enhancements on Discord’s integration with Xbox, another feature being trialed today is the capacity to view what your Discord friends are currently playing or streaming, and whether they’re in a call, all visible on the Xbox dashboard. Additionally, you can see who they’re conversing with and the server name they’re part of in those two scenarios. If their voice channel is accessible to you, you will also be able to join it directly from there.

To accomplish this task, you should reconnect your Xbox and Discord profiles. Once linked, you’ll be able to see your Discord friends within your Xbox friend list. More specifically, your Discord acquaintances will show up on the right side of the friend list under the “Currently Active” header.

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If you’re part of the Alpha Skip-Ahead and Alpha groups within the Xbox Insider Program and want to utilize these exclusive features, remember to share your thoughts on the user experience with Microsoft. They’re constantly working to enhance and polish these features, and a great place to do this is the Xbox Insiders subreddit, where you can engage directly with official Xbox staff. Additionally, if you require assistance, you can post there as well.

Analysis: A long-awaited feature finally arrives

Xbox gamers have been eagerly anticipating the ability to watch their friends’ live Discord streams since the integration of the two platforms. It’s terrific news that this feature is now available on consoles! Considering that streaming directly to Discord from an Xbox was introduced back in September, I must admit I’m a bit surprised it took this long for stream viewing functionality to follow suit. However, I’m mostly just thrilled to see it’s finally been implemented.

It’s worth mentioning that incorporating this feature strengthens Xbox’s edge over PlayStation when it comes to Discord compatibility. Although Sony has enabled PS5 users to participate in Discord voice chats directly, they can’t stream games or watch streams within the console. Features like Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and day one console exclusive releases on PC, as well as this limitation on PS5, make the Xbox platform more appealing for gamers who play PC games or engage with PC gaming communities.

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2024-07-31 20:11