Xbox One Voice Commands Limited to Five Countries At Launch

[Louzerman102]

I wonder if the XBone can recognize 'redneck' accents? Seriously, even in upstate New York...we have people like that.

As an individual who lives closer to Canada than to Albany in the North Country, how "upstate" New York do you mean? North of NYC or Real upstate north. Also, someone from New York Yay!


This has been fun to watch Microsoft, at the very least it has been entertaining.

 

[CrazyCapnMorgan]

I wonder if the XBone can recognize 'redneck' accents? Seriously, even in upstate New York...we have people like that.

As an individual who lives closer to Canada than to Albany in the North Country, how "upstate" New York do you mean? North of NYC or Real upstate north. Also, someone from New York Yay!


This has been fun to watch Microsoft, at the very least it has been entertaining.

I'm located smack in-between Binghamton, Syracuse and Albany. About an hour and a half from Binghamton and Syracuse and Albany is a good 2 and a half hour drive. (Two hours if you're like me and ignore most traffic laws on double laned highways.)

From your post, if I had to guess I'd reckon you're not far from either Old Forge, Fort Drum or Buffalo.

 

[kael013]

Like I said for the news about the localization issue: They were working on this thing for two years or so with a goal of launching in 21 countries and didn't bother localizing half of them. Now we learn that they didn't even bother getting the voice commands to work for anyone who doesn't speak English, German, or French? What the hell were they doing, fine-tuning the heartrate sensor to determine if you had cardiac arrhythmia?

 

[Genocidicles]

Like I said for the news about the localization issue: They were working on this thing for two years or so with a goal of launching in 21 countries and didn't bother localizing half of them. Now we learn that they didn't even bother getting the voice commands to work for anyone who doesn't speak English, German, or French? What the hell were they doing, fine-tuning the heartrate sensor to determine if you had cardiac arrhythmia?

They were probably planning on launching later, but Sony forced their hand.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

They were probably planning on launching later, but Sony forced their hand.

So they decided to release a half-finished product for $100 more than the competition that has their shit together. It sounds like something Microsoft would do.

 

[RikuoAmero]

I'm Irish, live in Ireland. Let's pretend that on launch day, I've never looked at any material beforehand of either console. I go into the shop and look up the touted features of both consoles (and for the record guys, I'm not a fanboy of either console manufacturer, I have a Wii, 360 and PS3 in my room)

Xbone: Approximately one third of the console is dedicated to TV, which needs a set top box. I don't have one, so one third of the price I'm paying for the Xbone is literally being wasted.
Comes with a Kinect 2.0 camera thing, that I won't be able to use. I can't use it for voice commands, nor would I be able to use it in gaming, since I literally do not have the floor space for it (I live in a nice but small apartment, and my gaming consoles are in my bedroom). Even though I speak English quite well, once I boot up the console and set its region to Ireland to try and make use of Xbox Live, it will automatically not even try with voice commands. I'll have to wait for a patch from Microsoft, instead of trying it out and seeing if it works. This Kinect is approximately around a 100 quid, so I'm throwing more money away. (and before someone mentions, yes, I could set up the console to connect to my computer, log in via VPN and set the console's region to British, but that could arguably be called fraud when I attempt to use Xbox Live; I was told that logging in and purchasing on an etailer store like Steam through a VPN can result in account bans).

The only thing that the Xbone has going for it that is in any measure superior to the PS4 is that it reportedly doesn't have HDCP when playing games, meaning you can use an external capture device like an Avermedia or an Happauge to capture and edit your gaming (instead of having to rely on the internal recording capabilities of the console). The PS4 does have HDCP, has only HDMI out, meaning you can't use an external device. That's the ONLY thing the Xbone has going for it, the only good feature it has over its competition.

 

[RicoADF]

They were probably planning on launching later, but Sony forced their hand.

So they decided to release a half-finished product for $100 more than the competition that has their shit together. It sounds like something Microsoft would do.

This is going to be fun to watch, wheres my popcorn?
Ah there it is, thanks Diablo

 

[seditary]

No wonder it doesn't support Australian English, the xbone would be too busy getting wet and trying to come onto me instead.

 

[Infernal Lawyer]

Oh look! All that wonderful voice recognition that I was being insulted by Xbone fanboys for being skeptical about won't be available in day 1. "There is no Xbox One without Kinect", Eh?

Come on Microsoft, I'm still waiting for you to come out and prove how wonderful your machine is, but this is getting more and more ridiculous.

 

[Ed130 The Vanguard]

If the voice 'features' restricted to 5 countries then why was the release market shrunk from 21 to 13?

They said it was due to the voice unit unable to handle the languages but then they pull this as well.

I smell bullshit and it isn't from the farm next door.

 

[Jadak]

If accents were an issue, the thing wouldn't be supported in the UK at launch. Have you heard a Scouser accent? Sheesh.

Seriously though, this is pretty bad. I mean, 5 countries? It's the 'future' of video games, but one of the things you're touting, voice control, is only gonna work in 5 countries?

Accents most likely will be an issue, and they're simple disregarding the unintelligible ones while generalizing everything as English`. Same problem will happen with French when you look at their support for France and Canada. If it`s the same `French` for both, one or the other is not going to work as Quebec french sounds nothing like proper French.

 

[Something Amyss]

If accents were an issue, the thing wouldn't be supported in the UK at launch. Have you heard a Scouser accent? Sheesh.

Howabout the US? We have accents so bad we subtitle them for the benefit of our own people.

Which is ridiculous, because Americans can't read!

>.>

But seriously, what the hell, Microsoft.

 

[MagunBFP]

Microsoft, I've been a supporter, a symphatiser and I've tried to be a good friend... but do you have to make it so hard? DRM, mandatory Kinect 2.0, always on Kinect 2.0, no/limited pre-owned games, $100 ($50 in Australia) more expensive then the PS4, all in one media device... I heard you and I was intrigued, some people hated the idea and I answered those haters with "get with the future bitches". Then you back track, no forced check in, no limits on pre-owned... and I thought ok it's what the people asked for. Then you removed the mandatory Kinect and I figured its still boxed so everyone has it if developers want to take advantage of it, now though you're saying the big promotional point of voice controls isn't going to be available? And I'm left wondering what's left? I'm in Australia so the special TV features don't work so all I can do is play games? I can do that on my 360...

I tried so hard for you, and you've left me in a difficult situation... I thought you were the One, but I think it's time we took a break and see other consoles, I hope we can still be friends but unless something changes I don't think we'll be more that that again.

 

[Imp_Emissary]

Irish officially confirmed for having incomprehensible accents.

Don't let [user]T0ad of Truth[/user] catch you saying that, he is too enamored with my Irish accent as it is!

OT: You know, if you are going to tout the voice commands as a key feature, it is probably best not to lock it off for a ton of people. I'm Irish and it looks like my accent is too sexy for the Xbone to handle.

I'm telling T0ad!

Anyway, so they've gone from 21 countries, to 13, and now only 5 will have full capability at the start.

:/ How are they going to outsell the competition again? I mean, yeah maybe they can make and ship faster, but if they are so limited to where they can send the full product. I just don't see how that will happen.

Then again, I've only finished my second week of macroeconomics and business so far. So maybe I just haven't learned enough. ;p

 

[beez]

I do not believe they will work all that well in other countries either, no matter how much time after the release. Okay, US and other English-speaking countries are a huge market, I know. But, and I'll go out on a limb here, if your console, that's manufactured mainly for purposes other than gaming, has the primary features that exclude most of the world from using it... well that's gonna alienate most of the market will it? For speech recognition: Microsoft, believe it or not, most people DO not speak English. For the other features: what good is smart TV inside your XBox when no provider in your country enables you to use it? I think I can speak about this topic as an insider, I am a Hungarian, living in Romania. Incompatibility issues with major features due to geolocation are annoying and disheartening. And. You. Force. It. On. Us.

 

[Strazdas]

Yeah, because its not like anyone else wouldnt just turn the commands to english becasue they dont want kinect to react when you speak in your native language.

If the voice 'features' restricted to 5 countries then why was the release market shrunk from 21 to 13?

They said it was due to the voice unit unable to handle the languages but then they pull this as well.

I smell bullshit and it isn't from the farm next door.

Possibly because the voice reacording slaves have died from the beating and they couldnt find replacements as fast as they hoped. i can only imagine the panic at their offices now for who is going to get blamed for "not doing this in time" hehe.

So they decided to release a half-finished product

Its microsoft. they have ALWAYS done that.

 

[Grouchy Imp_v1legacy]

If accents were an issue, the thing wouldn't be supported in the UK at launch. Have you heard a Scouser accent? Sheesh.

Seriously though, this is pretty bad. I mean, 5 countries? It's the 'future' of video games, but one of the things you're touting, voice control, is only gonna work in 5 countries?

Scousers aren't even the half of it. I live in Cumbria, where the traditional <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumbrian_dialect>Cumbrian dialect mangles the phrase "I'm going home" into "Ars gann yam".

I am not joking. Not even a little bit. I moved to Cumbria some sixteen years ago and I still can't fully understand broad Cumbrian.