New Xbox update includes game streaming to Discord friends and VRR improvements

05.09.2023 - 15:41 / theverge.com / Tom Warren / An Xbox / New Xbox / New

By Tom Warren, a senior editor covering Microsoft, PC gaming, console, and tech. He founded WinRumors, a site dedicated to Microsoft news, before joining The Verge in 2012.

Microsoft is rolling out a new Xbox dashboard for September that includes the ability to stream your Xbox gameplay to Discord friends and variable refresh rate (VRR) improvements for the Xbox Series S / X consoles. The dashboard update also includes the new Xbox voice reporting feature and a new way to pair accessories to Xbox consoles.

The updated Discord functionality means you can now stream your gameplay to anyone on Discord. It’s built into the Parties & Chats section of the dashboard, and a new “stream your game” option now appears once you’re connected to a Discord server. You can customize your stream quality, and the feature arrives just in time for tomorrow’s release of Starfield.

This Discord stream feature is only one-way, though, so you still won’t be able to view streams from PC friends who are broadcasting on Discord. Microsoft first launched a basic version of Discord on Xbox in September before improving it in November to allow Xbox users to directly connect to Discord voice channels without needing a phone.

VRR is also being improved on Xbox Series S / X consoles. You can now choose to enable VRR only when gaming or to keep the feature always enabled. That’s useful if you’re using an Xbox Series S / X for entertainment apps that might not always play well with VRR.

Microsoft is also starting to roll out the new Xbox voice reporting feature that the company unveiled in July. Xbox players in the US, UK, Canada, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand will now be able to submit 60-second audio clips of inappropriate voice chat messages, which will then be reviewed by the Xbox safety team.

If you’ve always wanted to add a new controller or accessory without having to leave your couch, there’s also a new way to pair accessories without having to push the Xbox pair button. An Xbox will now automatically start pairing once you navigate to the Xbox Accessories app and use the new “connect a device” option.

Finally, the last big addition to the Xbox dashboard this month is the ability to now request a game invite from a friend. A new “ask to join game” option is now available on profiles, and friends will be able to respond with a game invite, party invite, or message.

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