Google and Microsoft are joining forces to bring Google Assistant to Xbox One. It’s now possible – in beta – to turn on your console, launch games, control the volume or capture video with a simple voice command.
The Xbox One is designed as a true all-in-one living room platform. When Microsoft introduced it in 2013, they showed it not only as a game console, but also as the nerve centre of our living room. One particular point was supposed to make it easier to use: the presence of Cortana, the brand’s voice assistant. But who really uses Cortana?
To go even further, Microsoft has just announced its partnership with Google. As of today, English-speaking users registered in the service beta will therefore be able to control their Xbox One (or One S or One X) using Google Assistant. Voice commands will allow :
- turn the console on/off (and reboot)
- launch a game or application
- control the volume of a media (up, down, mute…)
- control media playback (play, pause, stop, next, previous)
- make an in-game capture (screenshot or clip)
- switch to a TV channel (if live TV is configured)
To participate in the beta and take advantage of this new feature, you have to join the dedicated group, register your Xbox, then add the console from the Google Home application on Android or iOS. The Google Home in your living room may take on a whole new meaning…
It says, “Google and Xbox are working together to expand language support before launching more broadly into the Xbox community later this fall. So we hope that this feature will soon be available in French on our Xbox One, and of course on the future Xbox Scarlet.
