November saw Microsoft's yearly Hackathon event, wherever groups of developers, designers, and innovators travel unneurotic from crossed Microsoft to vie and invent caller imaginable products and services wrong and adjacent to the Microsoft ecosystem. The victor of this year's Hackathon was an app that helps you provide tech enactment to a loved 1 remotely, successful presumption of the all-too-familiar vexation 1 mightiness acquisition portion trying to assistance a little tech-savvy person implicit the phone. 

Microsoft's Hackathon 2022 event (opens successful caller tab) saw much than 10,000 inventions vie for the expansive prize, with much than 68,000 employees crossed the satellite taking portion successful what Microsoft describes arsenic the "world's largest backstage hackathon." 

I precocious had the accidental to cheque retired immoderate of the hackathon projects for myself acknowledgment to trusted sources, and a mates of the Xbox-oriented projects surely caught my eye. One task included a "Windows Handheld Mode" ammunition for Windows 11, that converts the interface into thing much suitable for gaming connected a Steam Deck-sized handheld PC. There were besides prototype streaming services pitched, which would reward viewers with Microsoft Points for watching unrecorded streams connected Xbox portion integrating Twitch oregon Patreon. Another thought included an "Xbox Inventory" system, which would let you to cod and transportation cosmetic in-game items betwixt titles. My favourite task — and 1 that I deliberation is sorely needed — is an hold of the existing Xbox achievements system, thing the designers dubbed Xbox Achievements 3.0. 

Although it's unclear who was down the project, a squad of designers and developers astatine Microsoft joined forces during this year's Hackathon lawsuit to make a impervious of conception for a alleged "Xbox Achievements 3.0." This strategy would beryllium alongside the existing Gamerscore system, awarding players with PlayStation-like bronze, silver, and golden trophies for assorted per-title and adjacent system-level accomplishments. For example, successful the video shared with america anonymously above, you tin spot a conception medal popular for playing 300 titles connected Xbox Game Pass. 

The presumption besides showcased however each medal number would beryllium displayed beneath your illustration connected Xbox.com and connected consoles, giving players different mode to showcase their accomplishments crossed assorted activities connected Xbox Live (which has since been renamed Xbox network, though cipher is going to telephone it that). 

In immoderate case, this conception is tantalizing, contempt the information it astir apt volition ne'er materialize into an existent product. It's reminiscent of immoderate of the proposals for the canceled Xbox Careers system from yesteryear, arsenic Microsoft acknowledged the information that gamer's habits person changed. More and much players are sticking to a azygous service-oriented rubric for longer periods of time, alternatively than grazing crossed aggregate titles. Xbox Game Pass' all-you-can-eat room keeps Xbox achievements afloat, though. Vampire Survivors offers mountains of 5G gamerscore achievements that popular astatine the extremity of each run, which represents a genuinely exemplary utilization of the aging system. However, galore unscrupulous indie publishers person taken to releasing shovelware games that are designed wholly to assistance 1000 gamerscore for doing practically thing — a signifier Sony PlayStation reportedly plans to ban, nary less. 

In immoderate case, the precise information developers are looking astatine this internally astatine Microsoft adjacent successful a hobbyist capableness suggests to maine there's a increasing spotlight connected however small Xbox achievements person evolved, portion competitors similar PlayStation and Steam person developed and improved upon the systems Microsoft pioneered backmost successful the day. Improving Xbox achievements was 1 of the apical concerns Xbox fans shared with me during past year's large feedback survey I conducted, aft all. 

I for one, anticipation we spot thing similar these Xbox "Medals" materialize into a existent product, someday.