Xbox Series X|S Owners should soon find socializing to be much easier thanks to a return feature not seen since the classic days of the Xbox 360. After the shift to the Xbox One in 2013, many long-time users were disappointed that the console . Ditching friend requests in favor of a followers system that transformed the device's multiplayer hub into something more akin to a social network. For over a decade, Players have been asking for friend requests to be reintegrated and it seems that Microsoft has finally listened.
Per a post on the official Xbox blog, the company confirmed that Friend Requests Make a Big Return for Alpha Skip-Ahead Users on Xbox Consoles and Gaming Preview Players on PC. The system will work in tandem with followers, allowing requests to be sent and approved rather than just following a player and hoping they follow back. Players' current list of friends and followers will be updated automatically with the latest patch, so switching to the new interface should be straightforward.
Why don't Xbox players like followers?
It never felt very effective
The Xbox community has long questioned why the platform did away with friend requests and replaced the feature with followers because the former is always more effective. In theory, followers allow players to stay up-to-date with their favorite streamers and internet personalities, while ensuring that prolific accounts aren't continuously bogged down. Unfortunately, the downside is that It becomes difficult to differentiate between users because friends are automatically added as followers Until they go after the instigator.
It's a confusing system that never made much sense. At the time, the Xbox One was marketed as a means of uniting the community, leading to the pitch that The console would function as an entertainment and media hub rather than a dedicated gaming device. This result was much lamented as many believe that the current social system is messy and cumbersome, representing a significant downgrade from the simplicity of the Xbox 360.
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It remains to be seen when friend requests will roll out of testing, but one has to imagine that the feature should be in the hands of most players within the next couple of months. The UI update is just another throwback to the classic, as Microsoft also recently paid homage to the 360 era by adding a new dashboard themed around the beloved "Blades" menu. Xbox Series X|S should look forward to a social experience that is much less cluttered.
Source: Xbox