Microsoft has shed more light on its new Xbox One UI, including the multiplayer features and Friends App on its next-gen console.
Xbox Live’s Director of Programming Larry Hryb, better known by his gamertag Major Nelson, explains that the Friends App is like a new social network for Xbox One gamers.
Your Xbox 360 friends are automatically added to the app, but it also enables you to follow other players without adding them to your Xbox Live friends list, similar to Twitter.
“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,” explains Hryb in the Xbox Wire post. “You can follow anyone you want and it’s completely up to them if they follow you back. You can also decide what information your followers can see about you.”
All of your Xbox Live friends and their activity is shown in the app as well, including their video uploads, how many followers they have and what their reputation is like.
Hryb also suggests that the Friends App will offer new ways to discover games and other activities to take part in on the Xbox One.
The Xbox One can also present your friends’ activities as a side bar using the Snap Mode that lets you use two apps simultaneously, as shown in the video below.
Microsoft has also revealed that the Xbox One will have two different types of achievements. The first are your average Xbox 360 achievements, but the second kind are time-based Challenges.
“As a nod to our stellar community, many Challenges require a community to work together towards a common goal. Imagine, for example, a game releases a weekend objective that requires players to cumulatively secure an objective ‘X’ number of times in a three day period. And every person who participates and helps build towards the challenge’s goals unlocks that Achievement and earns its reward.”
Expect more Xbox One revelations for the rest of the week as Microsoft is celebrating its “Week of Xbox Live” ahead of the November 22 Xbox One release date.
Next, read our Xbox One vs PS4 comparison.
