You'll soon be able to stream footage from your Xbox console straight to Discord
Playing with friends
Microsoft has just rolled out a new feature to some Xbox Insiders (a group of passionate fans who have early access to the latest platform developments) which allows players to stream gaming footage from their Xbox console directly to Discord, and this update is hitting the masses soon.
The Xbox Series X and platforms such as Discord go hand-in-hand thanks to the party aspect that Xbox Live has cultivated over the years, and now, things are getting bigger than just voice chat. As announced in a recent blog post, Xbox Insiders can now stream from their Xbox consoles to friends on Discord. It's currently only available to the "Alpha Skip-Ahead" and "Alpha" rings, but the hardware manufacturer has promised it will be "coming soon for everyone".
It's an exciting prospect, to be able to stream some of the best Xbox Series X games to your Discord party which could make live streams and group sessions convenient and easy. The process itself has been outlined by Microsoft to be straightforward. Eric Voreis, Principal Program Manager for Player Experiences and Platforms, writes: "To try it, press the Xbox button on your controller to open the guide, scroll to Parties & chats, and select Discord. Then scroll through your available Discord servers and pick a voice channel and start streaming!".
Your Discord account needs to be linked with your Xbox console and you can join voice channels and then stream gaming footage from there with a few small steps from your Xbox Wireless Controller.
Our most requested feature is becoming a reality: streaming games from your @Xbox directly to your friends on Discord.Playing games always feels better when you have your squad cheering you on. A subset of Xbox Insiders can stream to Discord starting today, with availability to… pic.twitter.com/Gz33yZsVyOAugust 2, 2023
Generally speaking, it looks as though the news has been received positively on Twitter, however, according to the Xbox Insider sub-Reddit, some early adopters appear to be having difficulties getting things up and running. It appears as though some users haven't been able to make it work yet, and there are some concerns regarding watching streams from other devices.
One user writes: "Doesn't work just getting stream unavailable while connected to console. Did this get tested during development or are you letting us the insiders be the guinea pigs and testing a feature that doesn't seem to want to work[?]". It's currently unknown exactly when this feature will arrive with everyone in a system update, but by then, it's far more likely that all the kinks will be straightened out. If you want to stream with your friends then it's looking like a good casual streaming option.
Gear up for the Discord and Xbox collaboration with the best Xbox Series X headsets and the best microphones for streaming. You'll also get the proper experience with the best monitors for Xbox Series X and one of the best Xbox controllers.
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Aleksha McLoughlin is an experienced hardware writer. She was previously the Hardware Editor for TechRadar Gaming until September 2023. During this time, she looked after buying guides and wrote hardware reviews, news, and features. She has also contributed hardware content to the likes of PC Gamer, Trusted Reviews, Dexerto, Expert Reviews, and Android Central. When she isn't working, you'll often find her in mosh pits at metal gigs and festivals or listening to whatever new black and death metal has debuted that week.