Xbox just introduced a brand new Gamerscore feature, which fans may be disappointed to find doesn't include the one thing they've been asking for since 2008. The new Xbox system may be a neat new way for fans to show off what their Gamerscore stack looks like, but it's certainly no platinum trophy.
Xbox breakthroughs were introduced in 2005 with the Xbox 360 and with them came the Xbox Gamerscore system, which massively changed the way fans interacted with games. The system proved so popular among Xbox owners that Valve, Sony, and even Apple eventually integrated the achievements into their own platforms, each with a different concept. PlayStation's famous Platinum Trophy, awarded to fans who collect every trophy in any game, has long been the envy of many gamers. The Xbox shows when the game has been 100% completed, but there is no achievement associated with it, and the 100% status can be lost if you add achievements to the game later.
Xbox achievements are getting a change, but not the one we asked for
Xbox's new Cloud Gaming interface brings a noticeable change to the Achievement system, even if it's not what players might have hoped for.
Xbox's Gamerscore badges are nice, but fans really only want one thing
Microsoft's latest update to the Xbox achievement system comes in the form of a tiered Gamerscore tracking system that rewards players with a badge at certain milestones. As detailed in the latest Xbox Wire post, badges start small, with one for every few thousand Gamerscores, all the way up to the final level, which requires a whopping 10 million Gamerscores and features a badge adorned with trinkets. No one has hit 10 million Gamerscore yet, but a few devotees have amassed an impressive 8.5 million apiece and continue to climb. Badges now reach 10 million Gamerscore, and it seems unlikely that Xbox will need anything past that anytime soon. What's more, Xbox insiders can instantly decorate their profiles with these new badges.
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Additionally, this console update for Xbox Insiders brings a refreshed launch with animation and sound featuring the new Xbox logo. Fans can also expect to find an “Access to Games” filter that will allow them to see which games they own, which games are shared with them, and which games are installed on their Xbox but no longer accessible. These features should be especially useful for any fans who still have games installed that left Xbox Game Pass.
This update comes a month after a previous Xbox patch that gave achievements a shiny new look, but may still leave some players wanting more. It's hard to ignore how much gamers love the PlayStation Platinum Trophy and how much Xbox fans have been asking for a similar feature. What's most frustrating about the current Xbox achievement system is that players can go through all the trouble to get 100% in a game, only to have it destroyed once the post-launch DLC adds new achievements. Platinum trophies do not have this limitation in comparison. To top it off, even games released on Xbox on PS5 have a platinum trophy.
Xbox fans are still waiting for some new status symbol to indicate that at some point the game has been fully completed and it's not there yet. But that doesn't mean this update to Xbox's Gamerscore system isn't neat in some ways. At the end of the day, Trophies, Gamerscore, and Achievements only measure a fan's dedication to a game, mostly for bragging rights. That being the case, it's always nice to have a new way to show off all those trophies or Gamerscore you've earned to other players and friends.
