This week, Discord began rolling out several new features for Xbox users, bringing the console experience a little closer to the PC experience.

The update will integrate Discord activity with the Xbox friends list and will show users chatting in Discord Voice in the "Happening Now" section. Xbox users will also be able to watch Discord streams directly from their Xbox, even if their friends are screen-sharing from a PC, mobile, or another Xbox.

Being able to keep a friend's stream on in the background is nice, but what about doing it without a separate monitor; it is unclear if watching a stream on the Xbox will take up the entire screen or if there will be some sort of windowing solution.

Finally, Discord direct calls will be available to Xbox users. If you want to have a conversation with one person, you no longer need to join a voice channel.

These features will be available first to users participating in the Xbox Insiders program and will be available worldwide shortly thereafter.

Discord continues to be the most popular way to communicate with fellow gamers, despite the various frustrations that have accumulated in its rise to dominance. The company reportedly resisted a takeover attempt by Microsoft in 2021, presumably for good.

I've used Discord to watch friends push for Immortal in Dota 2, coordinate raids in EverQuest, and hang out with the crew for the launch of Path of Exile. Hopefully, this new feature will allow Xbox users to share similar experiences a little more smoothly, allowing multi-platform gamers to move more seamlessly between PC and Xbox.