Microsoft Teams new Game Bar widget 'Play Together', enables game streaming while video calling

Microsoft Teams has recently partnered with Xbox Game Bar to launch a new widget named "Microsoft Teams Play Together". This integration allows users to stream gameplay, entire desktop, and join video calls while gaming to their friends on Microsoft Teams. The feature supports up to 20 participants in a call, with the ability to overlay friends' video feeds on the game.

Microsoft aims to use this integration to foster a social space where friends can interact while playing and watching games, similar to Discord (curiously, the possibility of streaming games from the Microsoft console to Discord channels was recently announced). However, initial tests show that the streaming quality is capped at around 30fps, and the video participants overlay feature may not be fully operational in the initial release.

Microsoft has been actively working to attract communities to Teams by offering features that are similar to other specialized platforms without necessarily changing its primary audience, but providing in-house alternatives to third-party services. For example, in June, updates were made to the free version of Microsoft Teams on Windows 11, introducing community features akin to those found on platforms such as Facebook, Discord, WhatsApp, or Reddit.