Microsoft announced today that custom gamerpics will be coming to Xbox this year. This and several other features will soon be available for testing by select Xbox Insiders.

“Starting this month, several fan-inspired feature updates will begin to roll out to select Xbox Insider members,” a Microsoft representative told me. “With this update, gamers will be able to upload their own custom Gamerpics and Clubs images on Xbox Live, use the new ‘Join broadcast’ button in their profile to access game streams, and see new relevant stats about players interested in joining their Looking for Group party.”

Here’s a rundown of what’s coming.

Custom gamerpics. Xbox users on Xbox One, Windows 10, or mobile (which I assume includes Android and iOS via the Xbox app) will be able to change their gamerpic to a custom image. This is perhaps the most-often-requested Xbox feature ever.

Join Broadcast. A new Join Broadcast button in your profile view will let you join a (Beam, I assume) broadcast you’re viewing.

Activity Feed improvements. Now, you can hide individual posts in your feed, pin posts to the top of your feed, and filter posts by friends, games or Clubs.

Games and Apps improvements. In the My Games and Apps view, you can (finally!) filter your game library by platform, meaning by Xbox One and Xbox 360.

Arena improvements. World of Tanks is coming to Arena on Xbox One and arena discoverability is improving on Windows 10 and Xbox One. Also, Your profile will display your Arena tournament history and upcoming tournaments.

Clubs and Looking for Group (LFG). There are various improvements to Clubs and Looking for Group (LFG), check out the Microsoft post for more info.

As always, availability remains a raw spot for Xbox enthusiasts as Microsoft keeps selectively providing new features first to a select small group. These people will see the new features “over the next few weeks,” but it’s not clear when anyone else will.

Tagged with Xbox Live Gold