Xbox Gaming Gets Friendly With Voice Chat

Microsoft announced a slew of new features designed to enhance its Xbox Live online community, which could spur a deeper adoption rate for console gaming.

The most prominent addition will be its voice messaging application that allows people to leave voice messages for others, as well as verbally invite players into matches. The new services then extend to gamers the ability to put together teams, stage tournaments, and share digital collateral.

Overall enhancements include:

• Teams: Gamers will be able to easily form teams and notify them of matches, strategies and even upcoming competitions.
  
• Competitions: Empowers gamers to easily create their own tournaments while in-game; inviting and playing all their favorite titles across any genre.
  
• Online Content Swapping: Title managed online storage allows gamers to create and share mottos, emblems, and custom content and create and update maps, rosters, and other environment data.
  
• Level Playing Field Technology: New arbitration and reliability technologies reduce players' ability to cheat online, while increasing reliability ratings for all players and penalizing actions like disconnects during games.