It's unacceptable that Xbox Live, a trailblazing network in most regards, continues to limit users to a mere 100 friends. I rarely engage in online multiplayer and never foresaw reaching the cap, yet suddenly even I have almost 100 friends. The latest Xbox Live update brings a variety of new, welcomed features to the service, but continues to cap your friends list at 100. Why, Microsoft?
"It's a really good question," said Xbox Live chief of staff Steve Willet in a recent phone interview with me. "It is absolutely a continued focus and I am not [a] technical architect that you could tell you why it's capped there, but I will say it continues to come up, it is something that will not be forever, but I can't give you a real time horizon on when it's going to change."
Microsoft has previously said the cap is related to connections to the original Xbox. There are issues that will make this problem a growing one for Microsoft, though.
"One, I very much understand why people care so much about that [cap]," said Willet. "Two, I really think that when you look at the phenomenon that is happening around social networks in general, there is such an enormity of connecting with real people, your friends. I think as we bring these social networks on, the pressure will only get greater."
"I don't think that conversation is purposely being put the backburner," he concluded, "but there are technical reasons I can't really articulate for why we are still where we are. It doesn't mean that's how it's going to be forever, though."
For the time being, however, the cap remains at 100 friends. That needs to change.
[image credit: flickr / beer luver]
Comments
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Flett117
In reality I have about 50 something friends that I hang out with every week. Im a very social person. Now on XBOX I got about 80 something friends, i could have more because friends are not hard to make on xbox, and only about 10 of them are young and a lil bit immature but there good at gameing. I play L4D and WaW and i like nazi zombies from WaW. Both of those games require good team base stratagey and playing with the same people for about an hour. So your talking with them for a strainght hour, and if you guys did good, theres proly a good chance you clicked with them and for me thats bingo I got a new friend. Why not play with that guy/girl you did good with befor again. Just go by the old saying its always better to have more then less. Also for the people that seem to hate the idea, this really doesnt have to affect you in anyway and if you play a online multiplayer alot and you have less then 20 friends your probably anti social and you got some issues you need to deal with.
FaggotBizzaro
@Tmidiman
If you have more than three it just says you have 64 friends on or however many
MrAnt117
I hardly met anyone new online since they came out with the xbox live partys.
zimmy91
sry i dont double post but why dont they let you set a cap for yourself that why people cant inoy you if you dont want random freind request and you get as many as you want
zimmy91
lol Warheart1188 no wonder they wont raise the cap major nelson is scared of you lol jk jk
SuicideGrenade1
That would be a good thing but what i really thing they should put a Internet Browser on for Xbox 360 (Xbox Live) and the friends list might jusst be about 150 or 200 users. i hope somone reads my thoght about that Internet Browser.
NuBeatz
I don't even have 40 friends. I don't see the point in adding everyone you get along with online to your friends list! :P
Not that big a deal for me. I could care less but I'm sure some folks find it annoying...but that's not my problem! :P
hezzron73
A 100 friend limit, a 40 hour play limit before RRoD.....where's the next limit coming from?
Alienange
I find having a large friend list is quite annoying anyways. Who's keeping track of all those people? 20 to 25 is more than enough.
magneto9
@ Tmidiman
The point of having a high friend cap is for people who are social and play more then one game. If you are antisocial or play the same game all the time during the same hours, of course you will never meet the cap.
Many people however play various games and get on at different times. This leads to a wide variety of people to play with. I am capped on friends but never more then 20 are on at one time. There's no reason people who want to make friends and find people worth playing with should be told they cannot because the antisocial people don't want to.
How you play on xbox live is your own deal. You don't have to talk to anyone or send friend requests to good players, people you play well with you or whatever. But there is no reason to act like the opposite philosophy is ludicrous and should not be allowed. If you won't use it don't worry about it but many others will make use of it.
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