If you thought Xbox’s current system for snitching on your fellow gamers was just too difficult or drawn out, Microsoft’s recent announcement of a new and expanded voice reporting feature should fix that. The feature is aimed towards those players that can’t handle being scored on (nor the subsequent torrent of ‘What a save!’ chats), often resorting to crude and sometimes even rude language in a game’s in-game voice chat.
Reportedly new
The idea is simple. Rather than reporting a user’s account the old-fashioned way (that had no proof), Xbox is giving players the option to retroactively capture a 60-second clip of gameplay that might violate Xbox’s community guidelines, thus offering them a little more context in any particular case. This won’t be replacing Xbox’s current reporting systems, either. This is just an expansion of the system, allowing Microsoft to better handle the miscreants running around on their servers.
These 60-second clips are different (though similar) to that of the console’s usual game footage capture in that, they’ll only be visible to you and Microsoft, meaning they can’t be edited, shared, or downloaded. Xbox says that “any captured clips using the voice moderation feature are only for content moderation purposes.” You won’t be posting any receipts online.
In a bid to keep the game flowing, players using the feature can capture the clip and store it for later, without needing to pause the game entirely. You’ll only have 24 hours to do so before the footage is removed from your console entirely. Don’t worry, you’ll be sent a reminder to complete the report if it slips your mind during that eight-hour Rocket League sesh.
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What’s more, Microsoft is making an effort to be more transparent with users, notifying the reporters when it decides to or not to take action when dealing with a report.
The feature is limited to owners of the Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X consoles, though the report feature will work on 360 games that have been accessed through backward compatibility. For now, only those players apart of the Alpha and Alpha-skip Insiders community will have the feature, with no word on when a global rollout will take place.
“With reactive voice reporting, Xbox continues to help players feel protected. Empowering players with easy-to-use tools helps foster togetherness, while improving the greater health of the gaming community on Xbox. With measures like this in place, players can feel confident they are in a safe, welcoming environment,” says Stephen Balkam, CEO, Family Online Safety Institute.