Another month, another welcomed Xbox One console update. The May update is available now, adding in the highly requested voice messaging system from Xbox 360, the ability to turn your console on and off via SmartGlass, dedicated Xbox Live Party chat servers, and a new user-selectable power mode.
According to the Xbox Feedback website, voice messaging was the #1 request in the Friends and Parties category and was sorely missed when the console launched without it over a year ago. From your Messages app, you’ll now be able to record messages to send your friends (or the sniper you’re standing behind) and tell them all about how you’d like to sleep with their mother.
What’s unfortunately absent (once again) is the ability to output Xbox Live Party chat during Twitch streams without the use of third-party hardware. With the Xbox’s focus on online multi-player and being a social gaming platform, the decision to avoid this is an odd one–especially considering Sony added this feature to the PS4 months ago.
Here at What’s Your Tag?, we play a LOT of games with our friends. When we want to stream our play dates on Twitch though, all of our viewers just think we’re talking to ourselves. Wouldn’t a live stream be much more engaging and entertaining if you could hear the chaos going on in party chat during Grand Theft Auto Online, Evolve, SMITE, or a Neverwinter dungeon?
We’ve been waiting for this feature ever since the Twitch app was introduced. We’ve sent countless tweets and messages to Xbox, Phil Spencer, and Major Nelson asking for clarification, but they’re busy people and, of course, we never got a reply. We’re also not the only ones though, as this post requesting the feature has over 2,300 votes.
If this is a feature you’re interested in, we highly recommend you follow the link above and cast your vote to include Xbox Live Party chat in our Twitch streams. Even if it’s something you’ll never use, if you think it would make the streams you watch more entertaining, it’s worth a vote, right?
What would you like to see in a future Xbox One update?
Bradley Keene is the Executive Editor here at What’s Your Tag?, generally handling reviews, public relations, and our social media communications on Facebook and Twitter. He’s no stranger to sinking an absurd amount of time in to an MMO, but also has a deep seeded love for pro wrestling, horror films, and his hometown of Baltimore, MD. Get in touch with him by e-mail at the address above, or follow him on Twitter.
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