Xbox Discord voice chat and group calls are coming to Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One consoles later today if you're an Xbox Insider. This means that Xbox Insiders will soon be able to connect with their friends on mobile, Xbox, and PC via Discord, with the update coming to everyone else soon. As this is the generation of cross-platform play, having Discord available on consoles so that friends can play Minecraft or Halo Infinite together is a pretty big deal.
While Xbox Insiders are playing and testing out the new functionality, they'll be able to see who is in their Xbox Discord voice chat call and who is speaking. Insiders will also be able to adjust the sound, and switch between Discord Voice and Xbox game chat if they want to trash talk randoms online.
If you're an Xbox Insider and want some of that Xbox Discord voice chat, you'll have to open the guide by pressing the Xbox button on your console. You'll then have to go to 'Parties & chats' and click 'Try Discord Voice on Xbox'. There'll be an option to scan a QR code, and when it's scanned it'll have you connect a two-way link between your Discord account and your Xbox console. If you've previously linked your Discord account to your Xbox, you'll have to relink them. Once you're connected, you'll be able to join a channel and talk on Discord like you normally would, which is pretty cool.
When will Xbox Discord voice chat be made available to everyone?
While today's update is just for Xbox Insiders, Microsoft expects that the functionality will be expanded out in a few weeks. Basically, it's probably safe to say that by the time summer's out, all Xbox owners will be able to use Discord on their consoles.
What is the state of console voice chat?
Voice chat on consoles varies a good amount for each device. Both Xbox and PlayStation have robust online voice chat offerings tied to their online services with their consoles, with Xbox pushing boundaries on integration much like they have with cross-buy and play. Sony's take has been a more walled garden approach, with their Discord integration currently limited to only showing what you are playing to your friends. Genuine cross-platform chat is unavailable at this time, but with this news, it should hopefully be coming sooner rather than later.
Both are leagues ahead of Nintendo, which continues to march to its own beat. By default, Nintendo's voice chat requires the use of the Nintendo App on a phone and tying them together, but that isn't the only way it works. Some titles like Fortnite implement their own voice chat solutions directly on the Nintendo Switch, circumventing the need to use the Switch App. It's a clumsy system at best, but it's the best system Nintendo Switch players will have for the foreseeable future.
For more information on Xbox Insiders, Discord, and everything in between, stay tuned to TechRaptor.
