14 DAY TRIAL // The development team at Microsoft working on the Xbox One and the Xbox 360 is currently looking to fill two positions and the associated descriptions for the jobs are suggesting that the company might be getting ready to introduce a major upgrade to its Avatars and to other cosmetic aspects associated with the accounts that gamers maintain.
The two positions are advertised in announcements on the official career site and one of them states, "As we cross the threshold to a unified operating system and product experience across Microsoft, it is time to for Xbox avatars to also advance to the next level."
Apparently, the Avatars present on both the Xbox One and the 360 will embark on a new adventure which involves a bigger presence in the daily activities of the player and improved visual fidelity.
Microsoft adds, "At Xbox we're looking for a senior graphics engineer that will work with us to grow the avatar platform across all of our platforms, leveraging the power of Xbox One, the far reach of Windows, and the intimacy of touch on mobile devices."
Avatars were first introduced on the Xbox 360 way back in 2008 and were created by a team at Rare, with gamers able to create a virtual representation and then dress it in a variety of ways while also adding other items, many of them associated with high-profile gaming franchises.
When the Xbox One arrived, their role was diminished and now gamers need to use an app to make use of them.
It's unclear whether Microsoft simply wants to introduce an updated version or aims to create more interactions between the Avatars and other elements of the new home console.
Xbox One might get more Avatar social features
The wording in the Microsoft job ads suggests that the company might plan to create a virtual world based around them and ways to use one Avatar around a range of devices, ranging from the Xbox One to the PC and mobile devices.
At the moment, the home console is closing down the sales gap that the rival PlayStation 4 from Sony has managed to open up since both were launched in late 2013.
A revamped Avatar system might make the device more attractive to gamers, especially if a range of new social features is also part of the package.
