Going back to the first generation of Xbox consoles, the system defined what an online platform should look like. Years later and Xbox is still iterating on what that platform should look like, adding features and expanding services for its growing player base around the world. The latest update for the Xbox platform shows just that. Two new features have been added, one building on Xbox's party system and the other offering a clever mix of Xbox Cloud Gaming functionality and Xbox clip and screenshot sharing.This past month Xbox officially added support for Discord to its consoles. Discord has become the leading audio technology on PC, the equivalent of Xbox's party chat in many ways. With Discord now on Xbox, it's understandable that Xbox would want to improve its party chat to meet increasing standards among its player base. As such, Xbox has added Party Chat Noise Suppression, which will automatically suppress background noises like "gamepad clicks, breathing," and other random noises. The functionality can also be turned off.The other major feature added by Xbox in the September update has to do with how users share media with their friends. In 2021, Xbox added a system where users could record game clips or take screenshots and share them with their friends. The new feature will allow Xbox Game Pass Ultimate users browsing their friends' shared media a way to quickly check out games they may find interesting.
Xbox users watching a video clip or looking at a screenshot will now have the option to click on a "Play" button connected to the media. The play button will launch the game via Xbox Cloud Gaming from whatever device the Xbox user may be using at the moment. Xbox says that "some games" may require Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, so it's unclear exactly how this functionality works. It's possible that those without an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription will be prompted to buy the game or something similar.
Both the Party Chat Noise Suppression and shared media Play button should both be available now for Xbox users. The Party Chat Noise Suppression is currently only available on Xbox Series X/S consoles, with no mention of support for Xbox One. The Xbox Cloud Gaming feature tied to shared media is available through mobile and PC.
These two feature additions are just latest examples of Xbox's continued effort to iterate on its multi-platform services. The introduction of Discord likely played a role in driving new party chat functionality. The continued expansion of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate's cloud technology likely drove the new shared media feature. As Xbox's services and player base grow, so does its opportunities to try new ideas out.