What you need to know
- Xbox has been able to share game clips direct to Twitter for years.
- Microsoft has decided to remove the feature without saying why.
- You can now only share clips from your phone, via the Xbox app, probably to boost engagement metrics or something.
- Update March 30, 2022: Microsoft has now canceled this planned change.
Update March 30, 2022: Microsoft has reverted the planned changed to how Twitter works, and you will continue being able to share as normal.
2/2 Part 2 Flight Plans - Planning on taking a new 2204 build to the Beta Ring later today with details to come - Thanks for your feedback on the Twitter share feature change we flighted in 2204 - that change is being reverted to the previous behavior from today in this new build2/2 Part 2 Flight Plans - Planning on taking a new 2204 build to the Beta Ring later today with details to come - Thanks for your feedback on the Twitter share feature change we flighted in 2204 - that change is being reverted to the previous behavior from today in this new build— Brad Rossetti (@WorkWombatman) March 30, 2022March 30, 2022
Original article:
Update March 18, 2022: In an update to Xbox insider builds today, Microsoft added Twitter and other social media icons to the "mobile sharing" option for Game DVR, essentially confirming that they have no plans to bring back direct Twitter sharing for Xbox game clips. You can now only upload clips to your phone, and then share them to Twitter from that, needlessly adding extra steps and removing a feature Xbox has had for years.
Original article:
Microsoft's Xbox Series X is a great console, arguably its best ever, with monstrous power in a cool and quiet package. It's by no means perfect, though.
One of the biggest annoyances with the Xbox Series X|S platform pertains to the Xbox Game DVR, per our own polling. The Xbox Game DVR is a fair bit behind the competition, with clunky editing features, slow performance, and poor file management. In this latest Xbox Insider build, however, it seems like it's going to get worse before it gets better.
While it may be temporary and the result of testing, Microsoft has removed Twitter sharing entirely from the Xbox dashboard. This means that users won't be able to share directly to Twitter anymore, which is a feature both PlayStation and Nintendo support directly. As of writing, you can still link your Twitter account to your Xbox Live account, but the only purpose it serves is to display your username on your Xbox Live profile.
As for why they're doing this can only be anyone's guess. Microsoft often removes features citing "low usage" from its users as an excuse. But for those "few" who do use those features, it comes as a bit of a kick in the teeth. It could be that Microsoft has to pay Twitter a fee for API access and doesn't think it's worth it anymore. It could be that Microsoft is gearing up to replace the system with something else that will allow you to share from your Xbox directly to Twitter, but all of this is just speculation as of now. It comes off as odd, given that Microsoft just re-integrated Twitch streaming into the Xbox dashboard.
We've reached out to Microsoft to get clarification on their plans for Xbox Game DVR social sharing — but if this is indeed a planned change with no replacement lined up, it's just another reason to be annoyed about clip sharing on Xbox.
