Microsoft have confirmed today that their chat system will see a major overhaul when Microsoft updates the dashboard in anticipation of Kinect this Fall.
The refresh, will come sometime before the launch of Kinect, which is pencilled in for a November launch. It will see an upgrade of the codec and audio infrastructure that underpins the quality of the current party system.
This has long been asked for by many users of Xbox Live and will be welcome by anyone who uses the Xbox to communicate with friends or to trash talks other users. Some users have been demanding this so much, that they actually use Skype instead so they can hear their fellow fraggers in perfect clarity.
Xbox Live Studios boss Jerry Johnson said at the Edinburgh Interactive Festival yesterday afternoon “The codec we used when we first launched was a low bit rate codec and we stuck with that,” Johnson explained.
“We launched and we said we required broadband. We required a 64k connection, which not many people think of as broadband any longer. But that was the minimum requirement to run the service at the time.
“It’s time for us to move on. Especially if we want to think about broadening – a crackly headset on the top of your head - not what people think of when they talk about popular entertainment.”
Microsoft's plans will no doubt please the community, especially those of you who play team-based multiplayer games. And it will no doubt be a lot better with a the new higher bitrate and improved codec.
Do you use your Xbox as a form of communication? Let know what you think below.