Twitter for Xbox just picked up tons of new functionality

While Twitter for Xbox previously only really let you watch trending content and live streams, the micro-blogging network has expanded its feature set by a fairly considerable amount.

Here's a look at what's new.

Now, you can log in directly with Twitter using your account, giving you access to your own timeline and browse comments on videos. You can also watch two videos side-by-side, which is ideal for eSports tournaments and things of that nature. This iteration also has Persicope integration, allowing you to browse a global map of live video streams from across the world, in addition to 360 videos.

While it still lacks basic features, like the ability to tweet, this is a welcome improvement over the initial release. It's a little odd that Twitter is working on two separate branches of its Windows 10 offering, considering there's an app for Windows 10 and Mobile, and a different one for Xbox One. MyTube! and other UWP apps have proven that you can tailor experiences for different devices in a single app package without losing functionality, so, it's a bit of a shame that we have features on "Twitter for Xbox" we don't have on Twitter for Windows 10, and vice versa.

Twitter has had its ups and downs over the years, but remains one of the most influential social media platforms in the world, particularly for to-the-minute information. In a recent interview with ourselves, Xbox Platform CVP Mike Ybarra envisioned a world where the new Xbox One content blocks on the Alpha ring might be used to show tweets and other information from the app. Given Twitter's generally decent support for Windows 10's ecosystem, it may very well happen.

If you haven't given Twitter a try before, hit the link here to make an account, and be sure to follow @WindowsCentral!.

• Download Twitter for Windows 10
• Download Twitter for Xbox