Starting soon for Xbox preview members
Discord has supplanted all other PC chat services to become the current standard-bearer for online gaming. Soon, it’ll expand its horizons to console functionality.
Microsoft revealed today that it’s in the process of integrating Discord into Xbox. By linking Discord and Xbox accounts, people will be able track their friends’ activity while on either platform. The example Microsoft gives hypothesizes that someone might look at their Discord friends list to see someone playing Sea of Thieves. So, they hop on Xbox Live and join their buddy.
However, there’s a substantial limiting factor: This integration doesn’t include any sort of audio chat. Xbox Live parties and Discord chat aren’t compatible in any way. That’s disappointing considering that Discord is the go-to for online gaming voice communication for many people. But, Xbox needs to keep its platform secure, and granting full access to third-parties flies in the face of that notion. Microsoft has made significant strides to meld the PC and Xbox One experiences for its audience — as long as those experiences stay within the Windows 10 ecosystem.
Microsoft And Discord Team Up To Connect Gamers Across Xbox Live And Discord [Major Nelson]