Fans on the Xbox Insiders Reddit page have been keeping close track of the requests that come in for Xbox Live features. Throughout 2020, the Xbox Insiders page has tracked the top three most requested features by fans for the week. Now, fans have compiled all the data into the most requested features for Xbox Live in 2020 based on the top requests by week.
Microsoft made some substantial changes to the Xbox system in October to prepare for the release of the Xbox Series X. The new Xbox UI rolled out for Xbox One a month before the release of the Xbox Series X, so fans were able to get accustomed to the new UI, which featured a refreshed home screen with more organization and customization options. However, while some of the requested features made it to the UI overhaul, the most requested feature remains absent from Xbox systems.
Throughout 2020, the most requested feature for Xbox Live was restoring the maximum number of characters in a Gamertag to 15. In 2019, Xbox allowed players to change their Gamertags for free, with the stipulation that Gamertags would have to be 12 characters or less. Even though it restricted the use of three more letters, it is clear that Xbox owners would like to have the freedom of 15 letter Gamertags.
To whom it concerns: Here are the most wanted/requested Features during the weekly XBOX Request Treads of 2020 from xboxone
According to the data, allowing Gamertags to contain 15 letters was one of the most requested features voted 36 weeks out of the year. The second-most requested feature was individual volume sliders in Xbox Live party chat, which was eventually added in 2020. The third-most requested feature was having mouse support for the dashboard, which is still absent from the system.
Picking up a controller just to navigate the dashboard to then play a game with mouse and keyboard is pretty inconvenient, but according to the data, many more fans would like to see the return of 15-character Gamertags. Some of the other requested features include including patch notes with game updates, and having awards for unlocking all achievements in a "base" game. Including patch notes with game updates seems like it would be a very helpful addition for players to see changes as the game updates.
Many of the requested features would increase convenience for gamers, so perhaps some more of them may make their way to the Xbox system. However, it seems unlikely that Xbox will allow Gamertags to go back to 15 characters since its been over a year since the change. Players may have to wait until the next console release to try to convince Microsoft that 15 characters should be allowed in Gamertags.