Microsoft will replace Xbox Live voice chat with Skype on all of its devices including the rumored Xbox 720.
According to a new report from video game website CVG, a person familiar with the situation said that Microsoft will "consolidate all their communications technology" using the Skype platform.
If the source is correct this mean Skype will be the default voice chat service on the company's future video game console, as well as on Windows PC and Windows based tablets.
The source told CVG, "You might jump to the conclusion that we'll see asynchronous voice and video messages in next-gen Xbox Live."
The article notes that Microsoft acquired Skype for $8.5 billion in 2011 making it the largest acquisition in the company's forty-year history. Microsoft has already opened a Skype division with in the company that is headed by former chief executive Tony Bates.
Back in November 2012, Microsoft announced that Windows Live Messenger would be retired in favor of Skype worldwide with the exclusion of Mainland China. Windows Live Messenger users have till March 15 to merge their Microsoft account with their Skype account.
Windows Live Messenger was originally brought to Xbox Live back in 2007 and Microsoft released the Xbox 360 Messenger Kit for easier text input. The company would later integrate Kinect support for hands free communication and video chat.
CVG notes a recent Microsoft job advertisement revealed that the company was looking for a user interface designer for the "next gen Xbox" and that the job was located at Microsoft's UK-based Skype offices.
The job posting reads: "The team you'll join is responsible for Skype in the living room (broadly the home), across various devices but with a focus on the large screen and the next generation of Xbox."
Microsoft has not announced its next Xbox as of right now, so this is still just a rumor, but it will be interesting to see if Microsoft will make Kinect 2.0 compatible with it Skype video chat service. What do you think about Microsoft incorporating Skpe into the next generation of Xbox gaming consoles? Tell us what you think in the comment section below...
