The next Xbox news continues to roll in, as Polygon has reported on a few new features that the next Xbox will have, such as video sharing, the option to add Achievements without using DLC and publisher controlled copyright protection.
Similar to Sony’s PlayStation 4, the next Xbox will be able to record gameplay and upload it directly to your social media site of choice. Should you feel the need, you can set it up so that it’ll begin recording when specific things occur within the game you’re playing. Want to show how you got a particular Achievement or the awesome final kill you got in-game? Here you go.
Achievements on the next Xbox will also see an evolution of sorts, as Polygon states that games can receive additional Achievements after being launched, without developers needing to add DLC.
“This is designed specifically to allow developers to tweak player behavior, perhaps urging players to check out specific areas of a game or get past a difficult spot,” says Polygon.
Achievements could also be tied to community events, where all players of a certain game work towards one unique goal in a limited amount of time. Cross-System or Cross-Game Achievements were mentioned as well. In theory, a developer/publisher could add in special Achievements that unlock when you play two or more games made by them. In the case of Cross-Systems Achievements, it’s still a idea that Microsoft is said to be toying with, but would most likely be something akin to how the PS3 and PS Vita share Trophies or something that would require you to play a game on the next Xbox, then use an app related to that game on a device like the iPhone or iPad.
It sounds like a feature that would make Achievements even more addictive, should Microsoft get it to work properly.
The ‘always online’ aspect of the system was detailed as well and confirms the news that the Xbox will, in fact, have an Internet Connection requirement, but is used as a form of Anti-Piracy. According to Polygon’s sources, publishers will be able to decide if their games need to have a constant connection to the Internet; their decisions would still need to fall within the boundaries of Microsoft’s own guidelines.
Furthermore, Xbox Live itself will see some tweaks, with the Friends list limit of 100 people being done away with, in favor of a more Twitter-like approach, where people follow one another.
This is a decent amount of news to take in, in addition to the news/rumors we reported on yesterday, but as I said back then, none of it is official until Microsoft confirms it themselves. We still have to wait for their reveal of the next Xbox in May.
