Voice Command For Xbox Kinect Plus Zune Music Pass
- Available for Xbox Live in December
- Zune Music Pass offers 11 million tracks
- Annual fee of $119.90 for music library
Microsoft Australia today unveiled the next phase in home entertainment with the announcement of voice command coming on Kinect for Xbox 360. Microsoft also announced Zune Music Pass launching across Xbox, Windows Phone and PC in Australia.
By mid-December, Australians will be able to use their voice to command their entertainment applications such as Zune Movies via Kinect on Xbox 360.
Voice control within games is available in Australia with the launch of Kinect Sports Season Two. People can compete in sports like golf, skiing, football, tennis and darts with controller-free gestures and use “say as you see” voice commands while they play, including asking a caddy to “change club” in a round of golf.
Commenting on voice command on Kinect for Xbox 360 today, David McLean, Director, Consumer Channels Group, Microsoft Australia, said: “There is no question that voice control brings a new dimension to entertainment. We want to create more enjoyable experiences around people interacting with their entertainment by making the technology invisible. Imagine a world where it won’t matter if you lose the remote control or run out of batteries because you won’t need them!”
Voice command on Xbox Live will be available to Australians by mid-December. This will allow people to action commands in their entertainment including pause, play, fast forward and stop, as well as navigate through menu items and across Xbox Live entertainment services, all with the sound of their voice on Xbox Live.
Microsoft also announced the launch of Zune Music Pass in Australia on November 16. The ‘all-you-can eat’ subscription will give Australians access to more than 11 million tracks on their Windows Phone, PC and Xbox 360.
Subscribers will be able to stream tens of thousands of music videos through the Zune PC software and on Xbox 360 and also be able to download onto their Windows Phones and PCs. Consumers can pay a monthly subscription fee of $11.99 per month or $119.90 per year to gain access to Zune’s entire music library.
