Xbox just one-upped PlayStation with an unexpected free update

Microsoft has partnered with Discord to bring Discord voice calls to Xbox consoles for free in an unexpected move that was first announced for PlayStation more than a year ago. 

As confirmed in an Xbox blog post, the new feature will allow users to chat directly with anyone on Discord via voice channels or group calls from the Xbox console. This is a massive win for cross-platform play, something Microsoft has been championing for quite some time. 

While the movie itself is not that shocking, it's the fact that Xbox has received the new update ahead of players on PS5 and PS4. Sony announced its own partnership with Discord in May 2021 – which also saw the company take a minority stake in the social messaging platform – and confirmed that voice chat would be available on its consoles in early 2022. 

In February it was then made possible for those on PlayStation to link their accounts and share their game activity via the user's profile within the messaging platform. Full Discord integration like now on Xbox is still not available.

"While you are playing on your console, you will be able to see who is in the call and speaking. You’ll also be able to adjust the sound, and switch between Discord Voice and Xbox game chat," wrote Microsoft program manager Eric Voreis. 

To start utilising the social platform, first, you need to download the Xbox mobile app before connecting your Xbox account to Discord itself. If this has been done previously, you will need to do it again to accept the new voice permissions. After this, simply start a call on Discord and choose the "transfer to Xbox" option to continue chatting on the console. 

It's worth noting that there is no dedicated Discord app on Xbox and there is no way to join a Discord call straight from the console, meaning you must always go through the mobile app. 

Discord on Xbox is now available to anyone signed up to Xbox Insiders programme across Xbox Series X / S and Xbox One. The new update is then expected to roll out for everyone else reasonably soon.

It's not all bad news for PlayStation with Sony recently revealing that it's working on a long-overdue update for classic games on PS Plus.