Microsoft clarifies Kinect voice-control availability
The Xbox One will have limited voice control when it launches in Australia, but it's not clear how limited.
Microsoft has issued a statement attempting to clarify whether the Xbox One will have any voice control via Kinect at launch in Australia.
The answer, it appears, is "a little".
In full, the statement from Microsoft said:
Our vision is to bring conversational voice control and voice search to every country where we sell Xbox. At Xbox One launch, we will offer voice control in 10 of our 13 launch markets, with eight total languages: English US, English UK, French, Spanish MX, Spanish ES, Italian, German and Portuguese.
There will be some voice experience variations in different markets at launch; the "Xbox on" voice command will only be available in five markets (United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France and Germany), and will come to others in the near future.
There are many complexities associated with delivering a great voice experience around the world, and we're working hard to add more voice features and more countries; we'll share more details in the future.
Microsoft confirmed to CNET Australia that Australia is definitely one of the 10 launch countries mentioned.
However, it's still not clear what functionality will be available. If the basic "Xbox on" command won't work, it's a little confusing as to what voice commands might be available, and Microsoft isn't saying at the moment.
It also hasn't been determined when full voice commands will be available in Australia. As we've noted before, locally, we waited 13 months for voice functionality to arrive for the original Kinect.
So, when the Xbox One arrives in November, Aussies won't be turning it on with just two words, but we will be able to have limited voice commands of an as-yet-unknown nature.