Xboxis testing a new “safety feature” that will give players the ability to report inappropriate voice chat in online multiplayer games across Xbox One and Xbox Series X.Voice chat is one of the key featuresof most online gaming services. It allows players to communicate with each other to strategize against their opponents, though oftentimes voice chat is used for trolling, flaming, and harassing others.
It’s no secret that online multiplayer lobbies can be toxic. This behavior was perhapsmost prevalent inCall of Duty’s early days, as it seems gamers spent more time chatting in multiplayer lobbies back then instead of dedicated party chats. Regardless, it seems Xbox is looking to crack down on potentially toxic behavior in online multiplayer games, if the new voice reporting feature is any indication.
RELATED:Microsoft Says Xbox Lost the Console Wars
The new voice reporting feature will let Xbox gamers record 60 seconds of gameplay and in-game voice chat to report when they’re done playing their game, as long as they do so within 24 hours. Xbox stressed that it is not “saving or uploading any voice clips” that players aren’t purposefully choosing to record and report. Clips of “inappropriate verbal behavior” will be automatically deleted if players don’t submit them within the 24-hour window.Xboxsaid that it will notify players about whether it decided to take action on the clip or not.
It remains to be seen how Xbox users will react to this new feature. Whenever it comes out thatvoice chat is being recorded, it seems to upset people, and it’s quite possible that will happen here, too. However, Xbox pointing out that it’s not just recording all voice chat and only what’s being reported may make people more welcoming of the new feature. We’ll have to wait for the new Xbox voice reporting tools to be rolled out to the Xbox community at large to see how the public reacts to it.
There should be plenty of other features and improvements on the way infuture Xbox console updates. Microsoft releases new updates for its consoles on a regular basis, so while some fans may not be thrilled about the voice reporting features, there could very well be something of more interest to them on the horizon.
