14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has been long rumored to plan the release of Skype for Xbox, to have the communication application available on as many of its products as possible, and it seems that it is finally nearing an official announcement on the matter.
Of course, the company already provides Xbox gamers with video chat via Kinect or the Live Vision camera, but many consider that this is not enough for a great experience.
Thus, the company decided to put Skype on Xbox as well, and it is currently hiring engineers to help it achieve this goal.
The best part of the deal appears to be the fact that Skype will arrive on the popular console with in-game integration, so that users could chat with friends even when playing.
“Skype is working on powering real-time voice and video communications on the Xbox,” Microsoft notes in a recent job post on its website.
“Xbox is a fundamental lynchpin of Skype’s living-room strategy, and we are focused on enabling amazing new in-game and in-console voice and video experiences for the next generation of Xbox. This is a crucial initiative for Xbox, and it is time-critical given the hardware lead times involved.”
This is not the first time when a job listing at Microsoft hints at the upcoming availability of its voice and video chat app on Xbox, yet it is the first time when one offers info on what features to expect from the application.
No details on when the app will become available have been unveiled so far, but it will certainly take a while before the Redmond-based software giant puts its things in order.
In preparation for the launch of Skype for Xbox, the company is also expected to release a series of software enhancements for the console, all of which might become official during Microsoft's E3 conference due next week.
At the moment, Skype is available on desktop and mobile platforms, including Microsoft’s own Windows and Windows Phone operating systems. A Metro-style app for the upcoming Windows 8 OS is also in the works.