MSFT Xbox Voice Controls

Microsoft is continuing to try to reposition Cortana from

an "assistant" to an "assistance" aide. Today, the company

took another step to realize that vision by starting to enable

Cortana-powered devices to control its Xbox One console.

Alexa-enabled devices are going to be able to do the same,

by the way.

The Xbox team is adding a new Xbox Skill to allow users to

use voice commands to do tasks like turning on and off their

Xbox One consoles; adjust volume; launch games and apps;

start and stop broadcasts on Mixer; capture screenshots and

clips and more. That Xbox Skill will work with Cortana- and

Alexa-enabled devices including Windows 10 PCs, Amazon

Echo, Harman Kardon Invoke, Sonos One; and iOS and

Android devices with the Cortana and/or Alexa apps.

Once Microsoft stopped bundling the Kinect sensor with

Xbox One, and later, ceased making Kinects all together,

there wasn't a way for users without a headset to use voice

commands to control the Xbox console, since there are no

built-in microphones in the console. Today's announcmenet

is a start to remedying that situation.

Microsoft is starting to test this new skill with U.S.-based Xbox

Insiders starting today. The Xbox team will roll out the skill to more

testers gradually via the Insider program. There's no word yet on

when the Xbox Skill will be available to mainstream users and

those outside the U.S.