What do you use the console's messaging system for?

[Solobbos]

Every now and then I see comments around the internet that the Switch should have an option to message your friends with the console itself. I understand it's a common feature in almost all the other consoles, but I just don't see it's appeal. I would like to understand under what circumstances you use it?

I have my closest friends who I play with almost every week. We have group chats in Facebook, WhatsApp etc. and we just plan our games there. "Hey, my lecture ends at 13:45, would you guys like to play Smash at 14:15?", then I boot the game up and depending on the game and system I might send another message stating the room is open. Of course with Fortnite and many other non-Nintendo games I don't really need it. Actually, a "join friend's game"-option would be much more useful (and it actually exists in Divinity 2 for Switch!), but messaging on the console itself? I just don't see the need for it.

Now, PlayStation 4 has had a messaging system as long as I've had it. I have over 40 friends on the system. How many messaging conversations do I have? One. And even that is just me and my friend spamming the most stupid stickers to each others once every few months.

I also play some games with people I don't know in real life. So they aren't my facebook friends and I don't have their phone number, so I can't communicate to them through WhatsApp. But even there I find a Discord community or private messages much easier than communicating through PlayStation or Xbox messaging.

I would just like to hear what you use the in-console messaging (not voice chat) for and why it's so desperately needed on Switch and other consoles still missing the feature.

 

[danowat]

I don't

 

[Hamster Plugin]

Useful to start game sessions with friends. On PSN and Steam the ability to invite someone to a game or party is also tied to the messaging system.

 

[Bigkrev]

I only use it to delete spam messages I recieve
I can't fathom using console messengers if you are over the age of like 18

 

[-PXG-]

Inviting people on Destiny via LFG posts.

 

[fourfourfun]

absolutely nothing, in the incredibly connected world, it is a redundant feature. Back in the day, maybe useful but we are way past that now.

There is no benefit to moving a very specific use case channel of comm off the many devices I have that do it better and more besides.

 

[Lant_War]

Share screenshots, chat with people I meet in Bloodborne, idk.

 

[rpm]

I use Steam quite frequently, I don't usually have Discord open unless I'm using voice chat so it's probably the easiest way for someone to get ahold of me

I used to use them to ask if someone wanted to play something together impromptu ex: I'm playing Death Stranding and I see my buddy come online and I shoot him a message "hey, you wanna play MW?", (much better than receiving random party invites, having to set my mic up and join, and then they ask whatever the fuck they want, those used to really annoy me in the 360 days). None of my friends play console anymore, they all switched to PC (me included, PS4 is now basically a single player exclusive machine), so I haven't used the PS4 message system since like 2016

They aren't as useless as you might think, they're still the easiest way to ask a quick message if someone is playing a game or to share a screenshot, I'm not having long ass convos on them though

 

[nadbmal]

Back in the 360 days I used to use it. I don't think I've sent a message using them since maybe 2011?

 

[Deleted member 10726]

Backup communication in case Discord servers go down.

 

[Zeckett]

I message my friends there. Start parties from group chats, etc.

I use it everyday.

 

[roguesquirrel]

I use the xbox messages all the time. Sending/receiving screenshots/clips to friends if it comes up in conversation, i have several friends who always stay offline so i shoot over a message to see if theyre on, if the dumbass new gaming overlay on pc crashes and kicks me out of the party i send a message to ask for a reinvite, sometimes it feels more courteous than a direct party invite to shoot a regular message first to see if someones up to play something. I also much prefer to receive a "Hey we're doing XYZ do you want in?" over a context-less party invite.

 

[Jaded Alyx]

I don't really use it much on ps4.

On PC though, I use Steam to talk to certain friends more than I'd use messenger/WhatsApp.

 

[GravityDazeKat]

I mainly use the playstation messages to quickly download ps4 screenshots to my phone by sending it to myself, otherwise I don't really use console messaging systems

 

[Crayolan]

The only time I've seen people use console messenger is to send "fuck you" or "good game" messages in multiplayer games.

 

[hydruxo]

I have a message group with 5 other friends who I do raids with in Destiny, and we'll plan some raids and talk about new Destiny shit here and there but most of the time it's just us goofing around in the messages or sending gaming/movie/etc links.

I changed my settings about a year ago to not let anyone who isn't my PSN friend to send me messages because toxic messages while I'm playing PVP got tiring.

 

[Bishop89]

Telling a camper to look behind him before I kill him :)

 

[Tokyo_Funk]

The only thing I get is :

1) Passive aggressive comments
2) "You suck" comments from someone who died to me or failed at raids in a game.
3) Single "Hi" spam messages

 

[QuiteSomething]

Somebody please post those funny xbox live messages/banter

 

[SpokkX]

Nothing

i never, ever, use them

 

[JediTimeBoy]

To tell my kids to shut up.

 

[Mack]

Don't use it at all.

 

[rochellepaws]

It's useful for coordinating something like a multiplayer trophy or asking other players if they want to group up and it's always fun to share screenshots or video clips. I don't use it on an everyday basis or anything but it's such a simple, fundamental communication tool that it feels so silly for any modern system to not have it.

 

[Ravelle]

Receiving trash talk and V-Bucks offers FOR FREE!

 

[pixeldreams]

Facilitating trades in Rocket League and sharing screenshots between friends, I can't even remember the last time someone even sent a trash talk message to me.

 

[Coriander]

Never use it. I was dating a grown-ass guy who refused to text (he had a cell phone) or even call (again, he had a cell phone) and weirdly would only attempt to communicate with me through the PSN messaging system. That was a very brief relationship.

 

[Tohsaka]

I don't use it at all, and I have messages from strangers blocked on PSN.

 

[Deleted member 46948]

Nothing. I don't think I've used the messaging system on either PS or Xbox in this generation.

 

[Wink784]

Weirdly, messaging. Sharing screenshots and impressions, cause its relevant to the people who are already on there. No need to transfer that into another ecosystem when the friends list is already there.

 

[Richietto]

Messaging? Discord's fine but the people I play with on PS4 don't use it or it's just easier to use the messaging system you have on the system you are currently playing.

 

[ghostcrew]

Organising gaming. The vast majority of my regular gaming crew aren't my friends IRL. I don't have them on my Facebook, Twitter etc. We chat and organise gaming through the platform's social features.

If I group message them from my PC or console then the message comes through to their phone anyway and then we can invite them to a party/game from within the app. I can also see, from their profile in my friends list, if they're playing a game, watching Netflix etc. I can judge if they're available. Why go through an external social media that isn't supported so deeply by the console?

 

[daegan]

I haven't sent a message on my ps4 in like over two years so

 

[N64Controller]

I use it to send screenshots to my friends.

Just because a feature isn't used often doesn't mean it doesn't have its uses, like the PS4 Browser might be useless to you but I use it daily.

 

[HardTimesFamilyPride]

Organising gaming. The vast majority of my regular gaming crew aren't my friends IRL. I don't have them on my Facebook, Twitter etc. We chat and organise gaming through the platform's social features.

Click to shrink...

Yep I have friended randos on Smash Bros and Splatoon who I had some great matches with, and basically have had no way to hit them up to see when they're available to play.

 

[Dream Machine]

Cyber

 

[ghostcrew]

Yep I have friended randos on Smash Bros and Splatoon who I had some great matches with, and basically have had no way to hit them up to see when they're available to play.

Click to shrink...

Random people send me friend requests on Switch all the time after playing Overwatch/Smash etc with them. And I'm like, what's the point? I can't actually arrange games with you in the future like I would on another platform.

 

[HardTimesFamilyPride]

Random people send me friend requests on Switch all the time after playing Overwatch/Smash etc with them. And I'm like, what's the point? I can't actually arrange games with you in the future like I would on another platform.

Click to shrink...

Don't blame you; I thought many of these games would have their own individual systems to make setting up games easier but none of them are very effective, if they exist at all. I'm not super hung up on a lot of features people want out of NSO but messaging is one I think is really weird to not have added already.

 

[Richietto]

Yep I have friended randos on Smash Bros and Splatoon who I had some great matches with, and basically have had no way to hit them up to see when they're available to play.

Click to shrink...

Yup. People like to spout on and on about how built in messaging is pointless yet an entire social aspect of online gaming on Switch is unavailable because there is zero ways to communicate. My Switch friends list only consist of the people I share a family plan with, and they are my actual family because setting anything up outside of them is impossible. Whats the point otherwise? I don't give a shit about the lack of voice chat or anything like that, but a messaging system should be there no question. At least then I can message the people I have played with and maybe get their discord info or something. As it stands I will never know when someone I met on Switch is online, when they are available to play, etc.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

I don't really use it. Never play online anyway.

 

[chrisPjelly]

PS4: Messaging friends and sending invites to party chat and games.

Switch: I just stare at their user name and telepathically will them into agreeing to game with me

 

[TheGhost]

LFG for Destiny

 

[JustinH]

I've used it like a handful of times... since 2005. I did get a random question from someone after a Gears 5 match that asked me where I got a skin. I used the console companion app on pc to reply, and that was it.

The only "regular" interactions I have with console messaging nowadays are when I look at whatever MS sends me. Like right now I have to figure out to whom I'm going to give this Blair Witch Project movie digital code they sent me last night from some Game Pass quest.

 

[Undeniablybiased]

I only play online with people I actually know, so yeah it's pretty worthless for me.

 

[Deleted member 51539]

So far I've mostly used it to receive slurs after someone invades me on Soulsbourne. There was this one time someone asked me how to get a certain trophy from Night in the Woods.

Though I guess game invites are part of messaging, so that'd be the actual #1 use.

 

[Solobbos]

So far I've mostly used it to receive slurs after someone invades me on Soulsbourne. There was this one time someone asked me how to get a certain trophy from Night in the Woods.

Though I guess game invites are part of messaging, so that'd be the actual #1 use.

Click to shrink...

As I said in the op, I understand game invites. Messaging, not so much.

 

[Strangelove_77]

Screenshots and when I use Destiny lfg sites.

 

[Nintendo]

I only use it to send screenshots to my friends.