Voice recognition tech has been around for a number of years, but only did it really make its mark on the digital industry back in 2011, when Apple dropped Siri for the iPhone 4S. Since then, it has become a mainstay, and Sony has just confirmed that its upcoming PlayStation 4 console will indeed feature voice recognition.
Although announced all the way back in February, Sony has been drip-feeding information regarding the next-gen console, and having just learned of a rather cool downloading feature, which allows smartphone users to wake up their machine remotely in order to download a game, this voice recognition implementation is certain to please the ardent geeks.
Rumors running back from Spring pointed to this kind of feature making the final cut of the PS4, but only now has the Japanese company given the official word. Apparently, it will work through the PlayStation Camera, although unlike the Xbox One, which comes with the Kinect sensor out of the box, you’ll have to pony up for this peripheral if you decide on the PlayStation 4; this is unless, of course, you decide to opt for one of the special bundles offering the PlayStation Camera as part of the deal.
Sony has revealed that it will divulge more information as to the extent of the voice recognition "shortly," so while now know the technology is to be there, we don’t, as yet, know exactly how Sony plans to use it.
Sony’s decision not to bundle the PlayStation Camera is an interesting one, particularly given that Microsoft’s Xbox One will bring Kinect to every single owner of the console. However, the omission does mean that the sequel to the PlayStation 3 can retail at a significantly lower price to its keenest rival, and with the initial high cost of the PS3 cited by many as the main reason for the Xbox 360’s eventual triumph in the console wars, perhaps Sony would rather try to get an edge this time around, rather than opt for the difficult task of pitting the PlayStation Camera directly against the rampantly successful Kinect.
Still, by the sounds of things, both consoles will have their fair share of trump cards, and if voice recognition enables considerable feature control with very little effort on the part of the user, one suspects it could become very popular.
Thoughts?
(via: Polygon)
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