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Skype hints at in-game integration for Microsoft's next generation Xbox

Skype hints at in-game integration for Microsoft's next generation Xbox

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Skype job postings hint at in-game integration of voice and video for Microsoft's next generation Xbox hardware.

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skype xbox
skype xbox

It has been just over six months since Microsoft completed its acquisition of Skype to form a new division at the company. We've seen the release of Skype for Windows Phone recently, but Xbox gamers are eager to hear when the voice and video chat app will make its way to the Xbox 360. Despite already having video chat via Kinect or the Live Vision camera, Skype integration is a highly anticipated feature across the Xbox and all of Microsoft's products.

One particular job posting at Microsoft this week hints at the future of Skype's integration into the Xbox. Microsoft says it is "focused on enabling amazing new in-game and in-console voice and video experiences for the next generation of Xbox," indicating that the type of Skype functionality on the company's next Xbox hardware could go deeper than a separated app. It's not clear from the job posting whether existing Xbox 360 consoles will receive this type of Skype integration as the listing notes "it is time-critical given the hardware lead times involved."

We've spotted several Skype Xbox job postings before, but this latest listing provides the best clues to Microsoft's intentions with Skype for the Xbox. If we have to wait for the next Xbox for Skype then it could be a long wait, but with Microsoft's E3 conference due next week — we might hear a little more about some Xbox software improvements that could pave the way for Skype.