Xbox announced today that Discord voice chat is coming to Xbox. Xbox Insiders will have access to the feature on Xbox consoles, allowing them to connect and chat with those using the app on PC or mobile.
It will be "available soon for everyone," making an even better case for Discord being the best place to chat with friends in gaming.
The pink elephant in the room regarding this Discord, Xbox partnership
It's worth noting that there's something a little strange about this announcement. Some might remember when Sony revealed that PlayStation formed a new partnership with Discord. This was in May of last year, yet all we've seen of this partnership is the ability to link your Discord and PSN accounts with one another.
Somehow, Xbox beat PlayStation to the punch here, which is not only a fascinating plot twist, but also frustrating as an avid Discord user. I've been patiently anticipating this addition to PlayStation consoles ever since I started using the service.
I was even so hopeful that I imagined a world where I could stream my PS5 gameplay while in a Discord call, giving my friends the chance to tune in. But after more than a year of scant updates from this partnership, it seems that dream is a distant memory. With voice chat functionality still not available, it's easy to wonder if it'll happen at all.
But at the very least, Xbox players are getting this functionality. It'll essentially work as an overlay tab, allowing players to quickly access it while gaming. However, you will have to link your Xbox and Discord accounts to make it work properly, even if you've already done so before.
