However, he stopped short of saying exactly when. Instead, Ybarra said the feature will be coming to the Xbox One range in preview “very soon”. Ybarra made the announcement at the Xbox Q&A panel as Pax West. Responding to a question about game gifting and wishlists, Ybarra says one of those features is imminent. He says the other is on “the list of things we need to get to”. Ok, Ybarra did not specifically say game gifting is the feature coming soon. However, it is worth remembering he did confirm the feature was coming this year back in July. We know Microsoft has been working on it, so it makes sense that it will be introduced before wishlists.
— Xbox E3 Fans 🎮 (@XboxE3Fans) September 2, 2017 Game gifting allows users to buy games for friends, which they can download on their console. The idea is for one Xbox One user to buy content for another who may not be able to afford it. Although, game gifting also works for presents or just for the sake of it. It is unclear how Microsoft will implement the feature. Specifically, whether there will be any lockdowns on region. Similar features on other services (such as Steam) only allow gifting to contacts in the same region.
Locking Regions
This is to prevent all users taking advantage of the cheapest deal. For example, games are more affordable in the United States than they are in Argentina. By locking the region/country, users would not be able to take advantage of these lower prices. Of course, the Xbox One is region unlocked, so it will be interesting to see how Microsoft makes this work. or users, it means the ability to buy games for friends tight on cash. For developers, it means a sale that may not have been possible previously. It is clear game gifting is on the way. Microsoft has already made the relevant listing in the Windows Store for Windows Insider preview builds.
