Discord’s Voice Chat Function Finally Coming To Xbox Consoles

Discord has announced that local and cross-platform voice chat is finally coming to Microsoft gaming consoles, namely the Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One. Though not widely rolled out just yet, the feature is now available to testers under the Xbox Insiders program.

At its current state, the platform only offers limited functionalities on Xbox consoles – with its key feature, voice chats, missing entirely. One way to remedy this is by initiating or joining calls via the Discord app on your smartphone, but that also means you’ll be relying on multiple audio sources for the session – one for game audio and another for tuning in to voice chats, which is doable but not too practical.

The upcoming Discord voice call functionality that’s coming to the console, however, is not as straightforward as most users would’ve hoped. The long and short of it, this new ability is somewhat an improvement to the solution we’ve mentioned above, sans the need for an extra audio source for the experience. You are required to have the Xbox mobile app installed on your smartphone though, as it will be the platform that bridges Discord’s voice chat to your Xbox console.

First, you need to connect your Discord and Xbox accounts on both the former and latter’s apps. Even if you’ve already done so in the past, Discord notes that you’ll have to relink them again when this new feature is available. Once that’s done, initiate or join a call via the Discord app and tap “transfer to Xbox.” Activating this will then automatically bring up the Xbox app, where you’re required to confirm the process.

From here, both input and output for voice chats are handled directly by your Xbox console, provided that the device and your smartphone are connected to the internet. The platform adds that you can transfer calls from desktop or web clients to your Xbox console as well.

“While you are playing on your console, you will be able to see who is on the call and speaking,” explains Xbox principal program manager Eric Voreis via an official news release. “You’ll also be able to adjust the sound, and switch between Discord Voice and Xbox game chat.”

Both Microsoft and Discord say the new voice chat feature will expand to more testers in the coming weeks. Seeing that the former’s testing period often spans a couple of weeks to even months, it might take a while for it to be widely available to all Xbox users.

Spongebob Squarepants And TMNT Made Into Xbox Series X Special Edition Consoles

There have been plenty of special edition video game consoles over the years. Adding to that list, Microsoft has announced that it will be immortalising a couple of our favourite cartoon characters as upcoming special edition Xbox Series X consoles, namely Spongebob Squarepants and Leonardo from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

These consoles were made specifically to celebrate the recently released Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl video game, which takes on a Smash Bros vibe of allowing players to battle it out using iconic characters from various Nickelodeon franchises. The all-star cast includes popular characters from SpongeBob SquarePants, TMNT, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, The Wild Thornberrys, Hey Arnold!, Rugrats, and more.

Gaze upon the sponge’s eyes when you push and prod them with your fingers on the controller, as he stares back at you from the console seemingly designed to fit hit pants. Leonardo’s Xbox console is, of course, outfitted with his favourite slice of pizza – pepperoni, with no anchovies.

Unfortunately, these limited edition Xbox Series X consoles aren’t up for sale. Instead, Microsoft is offering them through an ongoing Xbox sweepstakes on Twitter. The contest will run until 24 October but to be eligible, you must be living in a country where Xbox Live is officially supported, which sadly rules out Malaysia.

Acer Malaysia Launces Its First HDMI 2.1 Monitors: Nitro XV2 Xbox Edition and Predator XB3

Thanks to the increased bandwidth capacity, HDMI 2.1 provides a number of advantages over its predecessor including the support for Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and refresh rate as high as 120Hz at 4K resolution. Manufacturers everywhere have begun to incorporate the new standard into their products including Acer who has just launched two HDMI 2.1-based 4K gaming monitors in Malaysia.

One of them is the 28-inch Nitro XV282K KV Xbox Edition which is an interesting choice given how Xbox is not being made available in Malaysia by Microsoft. For those who are wondering, no, this gaming monitor is not something that is made specially just for Microsoft’s gaming consoles despite being certified for them.

Plenty of features on this 28-inch gaming monitor which carries an Agile-Splendor IPS panel can be utilized by any PCs and gaming consoles that support them. Among them include refresh rate of up to 144Hz at 4K resolution, 1ms response time, AMD FreeSync Premium and VESA DisplayHDR 400.

It is also equipped with a built-in KVM switch that allows users to switch between multiple PCs using just one set of keyboard and mouse. At the same time, you can easily differentiate this particular Xbox Edition model from other Nitro monitors by the green-coloured cable hook on its base.

Moving on, another HDMI 2.1-based 4K gaming monitor that Acer has brought into Malaysia is the Predator XB323QK NV which features an even larger 31.5-inch Agile-Splendor IPS panel. Unlike the Nitro XV282K KV, the Predator model is a universal Adaptive Sync product although it is still a VESA DisplayHDR 400 certified monitor and has a native refresh rate of 144Hz.

The Predator XB323QK NV also features an RGB lighting strip on its back that can be customized using the Light Sense software in which gamers can set it to be in sync with their games, movies, and music. Acer has also integrated a KVM switch into this Predator gaming monitor as well.

In terms of pricing, the Nitro XV282K KV Xbox Edition goes for RM3,299 while the Predator XB323QK NV can be obtained for RM4,299. Both gaming monitors are now readily available for pre-orders until 6 October through Acer Malaysia’s own e-store and Authorized Predator Partners across the country as well as Acer Certified/Official Stores at Lazada and Shopee.

Microsoft Xbox Series X Mini Fridge Now Official And Arriving This Year

A couple of months ago, there was a Twitter poll where the Xbox Series X beat out Skittles. The poll saw a surge of interest when Aaron Greenberg, marketing manager of Xbox, said that if his console won the poll, he’d make mini fridges that look like the console. Well, it did win and now, Greenberg is keeping his word.

Microsoft concluded its E3 2021 keynote with the announcement of its mini fridge and that it would be available for purchase sometime this holiday season. It’s officially named the Xbox Mini Fridge and they promised that it is “the world’s most powerful mini fridge”, and that it’s built with a cutting-edge “Xbox Velocity Cooling Architecture”; an obvious play on the Xbox Series X’s “Velocity Architecture”.

Maybe you’ll be able to purchase this mini-fridge and cool your head about the fact that Microsoft will not be officially launching the Xbox Series X and Series S in the Malaysian market. That said, the mini fridge might not even make it to our market officially either, for the same reasons as the console’s unavailability in Malaysia.

Microsoft Will Not Adjust Xbox Store Revenue Split

Microsoft has announced that it will be taking only a 12% cut from games sales via the Microsoft Store starting 1 August. But it looks like this is exclusive to games on the PC store. So come August, Xbox game prices will not see any change to the amount game devs get per sale.

The Verge reports that a partially redacted Microsoft document from January indicated the 12% cut change. The document states that the change would come to the Microsoft Stores of both PC and Xbox. You can see this on page nine of the document.

Microsoft has since denied that it will be changing the revenue share rate on Xbox. That being said, the company did not specify if the document was inaccurate, or plans have changed since then.

The document in question also mentions the importance of the revenue split changes for games on the PC Microsoft Store. In exchange for the Epic Games Store-like 88/12 split, game devs would also need to grant the company streaming rights.

Which makes sense, considering the way xCloud is such an important part of the company’s games ecosystem. But for now it’s not known whether the condition is part of the announcement over the weekend.

AMD Reportedly Selling Defective Xbox Series X CPUs In China

It’s being reported that AMD has begun selling off what could be defective Xbox Series X CPUs, as part of mini-ITX gaming PCs in China. According to Tom’s Hardware, the CPUs are the chipmaker’s 4700S processor, which do not come equipped with its RNDA2 GPU graphics cores.

The discovery of the gaming PC was picked up by popular leakster 188号 (@momomo_us), who found the machine fitted with the AMD 4700S being advertised on TMall, the country’s popular online retail store. One important point to note is that the CPU is devoid of the Ryzen branding, which adds fuel to the fact that the CPU is a custom processor, tailored and made specifically to the requirements of one of its client. In this case, all arrows are pointing towards Microsoft.

Specs-wise, the 4700S is believed to be an eight-core Zen 2 processor with SMT, has 12MB L3 cache, and runs on a base and boost clock of 3.6GHz and 4GHz, respectively. As for the specs of the ITX gaming PC, the TMall listing indicates that the system comes built with an AMD Radeon RX 550 and up to a 480GB SSD or 2TB HDD.

The list also says that the system comes with 16GB GDDR6 memory, which is the same amount of memory as the Xbox Series X. However, a quick Google translate suggests that this could merely be a mistake and that the seller is very likely indicating the amount of system memory on the pre-built PC.

At this point, it is unclear if AMD intends to sell the 4700S as a separate product to consumers in the future or simply continue selling it as OEMs. To that end, it is highly unlikely that the CPU or the Xbox Series X will be officially making their way to our shores anytime soon.

Xbox: Bethesda Games Will Be Exclusive To Platforms With Game Pass

Earlier in the week, Xbox lead Phil Spencer said that some Bethesda games will indeed be exclusives. More recently, Spencer said something a little more specific. And it’s that future Bethesda games will be exclusive to platforms that have access to Game Pass.

The sort of clarification came via a “roundtable” discussion between people from both Xbox and Bethesda. Relatively early on, around the ninth-minute mark, Spencer says that the deal is “delivering great exclusive games for you that ship on platforms where Game Pass exists”. He also clarifies that some Bethesda titles will still be on other platforms, due to “contractual things or legacy”.

On one hand, this reinforces what Spencer has said before about not all games being Xbox exclusives. With the mention of legacy, many of Bethesda IPs that have been available on PlayStation platforms will likely continue to be available.

But on the flip side, the emphasis on Game Pass sounds a little worrying. Sure, PC has access to Game Pass, but like Xbox, it’s not officially supported here. And there’s no sign of that changing anytime soon. Hopefully these games will be as Spencer said, platforms that have Game Pass, and not strictly within Game Pass itself.

Xbox Head Confirms Some Bethesda Titles Will Be Exclusives

Back in September last year, Microsoft announced that it will acquire Bethesda’s parent company ZeniMax Media. Many thought that, as a result, some of the publisher’s IP will become exclusives to the former’s platforms. At the time, Xbox head Phil Spencer said that this will be examined on a case-by-case basis. Now, the company has confirmed that indeed not all games will be available on the PS5.

This follows the green light being given to the acquisition by the US and the EU. Spencer says that this is “the next step in building an industry-leading first-party studios team”. Though it’s not clear if this only applies to new IPs, or if new entries of ongoing series will also potentially be platform exclusives.

Ultimately, this should not come as a surprise. After all, the entire reason a company will spend US$7.5 billion in acquiring another is to bolster their first-party lineup. It would make little sense to spend that sort of money and not have any exclusives to show for it.

But as long as Xbox game all ultimately end up on PC, then it’s no real loss for us. After all, Xbox has no official presence in Malaysia, and our only real access to their games is via PC.

Microsoft Announces Xbox Wireless Headset; Available Starting 16 March

Microsoft has announced the Xbox Wireless Headset that it will be launching next month. It is naturally made to work with the Xbox Series X and S, but it also works with PCs and mobile devices.

The Xbox Wireless Headset connects to all the devices listed above via Bluetooth 4.2. It is also built with support for Windows Sonic, Dolby Atmos and DTS Headphone:X sound tech. It has a battery life of 16 hours, and Microsoft claims that 30 minutes of charging provides four hours of audio life. Charging to full takes three hours while not in use, which sounds pretty long by today’s standards.

The drivers of the Xbox Wireless Headset consists of 40mm neodymium magnets and paper composite diaphragm. Pretty standard for headphones these days. Though it comes with a lot of extra bells and whistles with emphasis on party chat. These include a game/chat balance dial in addition to the volume dial. The adjustable boom mic also lights up when it is turned on.

The Microsoft Xbox Wireless Headset is set to launch on 16 March, for a price of US$99.99 (~RM404). That being said, it will likely not be made official here, the same way the Xbox consoles are not brought in officially by the company.