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Microsoft today introduced Xbox voice control with AI assistants Cortana and Alexa. Xbox One control is available in a range of places where you can find both intelligent assistants, such as Windows 10 PCs, Cortana and Alexa apps on smartphones, Echo smart speakers, and the Harman Kardon Invoke and Sonos One.
The news comes less than a month after Amazon and Microsoft delivered on providing Alexa through Windows 10 PCs and Cortana through Echo devices.
The Xbox skill will first be made available to a select group of Xbox Insiders in the United States.
Cortana was first introduced for Xbox One users in 2016, where headsets or Kinect sensors respond to voice commands after hearing the “Hey Cortana” wake phrase.
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The Xbox skill will be able to do a range of things similar to what Cortana on an Xbox One is able to do today, such as turn a console on and off, or open apps or video games with commands like “Alexa, play Rocket League.” You can also play movies with commands like “Hey Cortana, tell Xbox to open Netflix,” record Mixer gameplay, or take screenshots.
To use Alexa or Cortana with an Xbox One, you must enable access via your Windows 10 PC or the Alexa app on iOS or Android.
Voice control for Xbox One competes with a number of gaming and entertainment consoles that also promise users control of their games, apps, and favorite shows, movies, and music.
Other major players in the game (pardon the pun) include PlayStation 4, which offers some basic commands, and Nvidia’s Shield TV, which got a deep integration with Google Assistant last fall.
The fight for control of your television and living room also includes Fire TV from Amazon, Chromecast from Google, and Samsung’s Bixby, which is now available in Smart TVs.
