Xbox One Offers A Possibly-Better Way To Wait For Multiplayer Matches

The Xbox One will come with a matchmaking system called Smart Match, and in a new blog post today on Xbox Wire, Microsoft shares some details about the new Xbox Live feature. It’s a revolutionary way to sit around and wait for multiplayer games to start.

Well, maybe not. But in a list of the “top three things gamers should know” about Smart Match, two of them discuss the things you can do while you wait for something to happen.

Witness:

Smart Match Frees Up Your Time

With Smart Match, you can do whatever you want while Xbox One finds your perfect match. This means that less popular multiplayer modes and maps that have traditionally taken a long time to find players suddenly become playable. Because Snap mode is a core feature of Xbox One that lets you do two things at once, you no longer have to wait in lobbies while Xbox Live is matchmaking for you. One friend can even set up matches for your whole party.

While Xbox Live is matchmaking, you’re untethered and free to do what you want, like watch TV or check out your favorite website or apps while waiting for your next game. If you’re playing digital games, you can even play one game while Smart Match prepares a second. This freedom to break out of waiting in lobbies and do whatever you want is what separates Xbox One from systems that don’t have a way to instantly switch between tasks.

And the second:

Smart Match Lets You Know When Your Game is Ready

After you or a party member inputs the criteria for your perfect game, do something more fun than waiting; it’s up to you. Play another game, find some new downloadable content, or jump on Reddit. Take yourself as many touch points away from the matchmaking process as you can and you still don’t need to worry about finding your way back. Once Xbox One is done finding your perfect match, it will prompt you with a simple toast—no matter where you are or what you’re doing—so you can jump straight into playing.

The third “thing” sounds cool—Microsoft says you’ll be matched with other players based on all sorts of factors, like “skill, language, age, and even your specific gameplay style.” But come on, why spend so much time emphasizing what we’ll do while we wait for things to happen? Are they really going to convince us all to use this Snap stuff instead of just browsing the web on our laptops/phones/tablets? Who is seriously going to use their TV to jump on Reddit while waiting for a multiplayer match to start?