Skype will also be integrated into Microsoft’s new gaming console

May 22, 2013 07:39 GMT  ·  By

Even though Microsoft has come under fire several times for the way it handles users’ data on Skype, the company is betting big on its VoIP platform, which will be available on Xbox One gaming consoles as well.

The tech giant has announced during the Xbox One launch event that Skype capabilities will be added to the device, including dedicated features to control some of its features with your voice.

The company hasn’t detailed Skype for Xbox One too much, but this new release is basically the last step Microsoft needed to complete a much more ambitious strategy to make Skype an essential product in its long-term plan.

Skype is already available on most platforms belonging to Microsoft, including Windows (desktop plus Metro), Windows Phone, Windows RT, and now Xbox.

In addition, Skype also comes with dedicated versions for iOS, Android, Linux, and Mac, all supposed to allow Microsoft account owners to talk to each other no matter what platform they’re using.

The Softies recently decided to discontinue Windows Live Messenger and move all users to Skype and its built-in Messenger, in an attempt clearly supposed to bring the VoIP service in the spotlight.

And still, as the Skype ecosystem is growing bigger, Microsoft also needs to deal with some serious privacy accusations claiming that the company is actually using the service to track users and monitor their conversations.

A recent report revealed that Microsoft accesses every single secure link that users send via Skype, despite the company’s statements that it really cares about privacy.

All in all, expect Skype to become a key product in most major Microsoft products to be released from now on, including the upcoming Surface tablets and the new Windows 8.1 operating system.

The company recently announced that Skype reached a 45 million concurrent user peak, so if things are going in the right direction, expect these figures to more than double in the near future.