Xbox Testing Out Ability To Watch Your Friends Discord Streams

Discord integration looks to get even better on Xbox consoles as Microsoft rolls out new features for the Insider program. This week will bring about the option to view Discord streams directly from Xbox to people in the Alpha Skip-Ahead and Alpha rings. There's no timetable for a general public rollout at this time.

Along with watching Discord streams from your Xbox, Microsoft also revealed that Discord buddies can show up under your Friends list by relinking accounts. They will appear whenever playing a game or joining a voice channel on Discord. This also means Xbox players can jump into a Discord voice channel without having to utilize the app on their smartphone or PC.

It's been almost two years since Discord first came to Xbox. Then, last September, Xbox added functionality to allow players to stream their games on Discord.

The last notable Xbox update arrived in June. Microsoft brought more personalization options to Xbox backgrounds and the ability to manage subscriptions on consoles, among other improvements.

Meanwhile, this week has seen quite a few developments for Xbox. For starters, the Xbox 360 store was finally shuttered after running for 19 years. Hardware sales have declined significantly for Xbox Series X|S, as Microsoft noted in an earnings call they're down 42% year over year for the company's fourth quarter. Last but not least, there's a new Xbox translucent controller on the way in August.