Microsoft is rolling out the anticipated Xbox Live multiplayer features for Xbox One Preview members, namely Clubs and Looking for Group or LFG.
These two are part of the three social-focused functions that the Redmond company unveiled at E3 2016, and the third one out of the bunch that has yet to launch is called Arena.
Clubs On Xbox Live
With a pretty straightforward name, it's fairly obvious what this feature has in store, but to make sure that everyone gets a good idea of what this brings to the table, it allows players to form groups called Clubs so they can create parties, chat using voice or text, play games and share content with one another via the Xbox One, PC running on Windows 10 and smartphones using the Xbox app.
"You can search for Clubs (or create your own) in the Community tab on Xbox One and the Clubs section on other devices, and Clubs associated with a game will be accessible in the title's Game Hub," Xbox Partner Group Program Manager Scott Henson says, noting that Club Admins will have the resources to make a "lively and inclusive environment."
Looking For Group On Xbox Live
Next up is the LFG feature, and it more or less works the same way as the function to find parties in massively multiplayer online or MMO titles. To explain, the player can look for other individuals who have the same plans in mind such as playing a specific Xbox game or completing a certain Achievement.
"Looking for Group on Xbox Live allows gamers to browse and send 'want-ad' like posts to the Xbox Live community, helping you to quickly connect with other gamers looking to accomplish the same goal," Mike Ybarra, director of program management for Xbox, says.
As for how it works, the gist of it is that players can browse and request access to LFG posts. After that, the host of a particular post will get to choose among those who applied to join it, they can start up a chat and start gaming.
Arena On Xbox Live
Partnering up with eSports organizers, Microsoft is bringing Arena on Xbox Live, and it's basically a platform for online tournaments. In other words, the company is making such events more accessible, allowing gamers to easily discover, register and participate in them.
For the record, this isn't available just yet, but it's expected to come soon.
Gamerscore Leaderboard And Emoji
Henson also outlined on his post how the Gamerscore Leaderboard has been revamped and how emojis are now available on the Xbox virtual keyboard.
First off, the leaderboard is now "faster and more reliable," and it will now refresh at the start of each month.
Last but not least, conversations on the console now stand to become more colorful and livelier thanks to the addition of emoji.
Launch Issues
While these features are supposedly available for every Preview member out there, it appears that Microsoft is unfortunately facing some issues with their full launch.
It is staggered. https://t.co/eGF6c5HyLr
— ♏️ike Ybarra (@XboxQwik) September 6, 2016
By "staggered," that means some gamers might not get to use them as soon as the others.
What do you think of Clubs, LFG and Arena on Xbox Live? Feel free to drop by our comments section below and let us know.
