Microsoft is beefing up its Xbox Live service for its next-gen console, and that means the company is making it look a lot more like Twitter.
Today, Microsoft revealed new details of how player profiles and the friends list will work for its online-gaming service on Xbox One. The Xbox Live Friends app for Xbox One connects players with their friends, but Microsoft is also expanding the service to work more like Twitter. Players still have a core list of friends — although the limit is now 1,000 rather than 100 — but they can also follow other people without having to confirm them as a friend.
“Similar to the other social media networks, Xbox One allows you to share the latest in games and entertainment with fellow gamers, friends and family, or even celebrities and gaming personalities by following people,” Xbox evangelist Larry “Major Nelson” Hyrb wrote in a post for Xbox Wire. “For example, on Xbox One you can search for me by my gamertag — Major Nelson — and follow me to see what I share publicly, such as my latest game scores and achievements.”
Hyrb posted a video running through some of Friends app’s other features. Check it out in the video below:
In addition to the friends and followers lists, the Friends app also has an activity feed that shows players what the people they follow are up to. Gamers can snap this feed to the side of the screen at any time by saying: “Xbox snap activity.” This gives a quick overview of what others are playing and doing.