Microsoft set the standard for Achievements back when it introduced the feature with the Xbox 360 and Xbox Live in 2005. Now, with the Xbox One, they seem to be working at reworking and improving the feature, by making them actually useful beyond just a cumulative measure of game progress.
In a new press release where they detailed the newer Achievements for Xbox One, Microsoft revealed their intent to offer real, tangible benefits and rewards to players with certain Achievements; these will allegedly include new content, DLC, stat boosts, first looks and exclusive sneak peaks, and access to other content not just in games, but in all other media supported by the Xbox One as well.
On the Xbox One, in addition to the Achievements that we are all already familiar with, Microsoft will also be offering Challenges, new, timed achievements that are similar to Achievements, but are available for only a limited period of time. These do not give out Gamerscore, can span multiple titles, and are generally community based; every participating player in this case gets the Achievement for having participated in the Challenge, regardless of whether they were the ones who ‘achieved’ it.
It sounds like a more community oriented way of doing things. We’ll see just how well it pans out.
