Kinect Voice

So Microsoft has made a lot of noise about the Xbox One’s new Kinect, especially the improved voice commands.  Apparently it should even know which person in the room is talking to it.  But does it work?

I suppose it will be who you talk to and there are videos showing both sides.  I talk very well American English, or when I want to a very bad British.  So it works very well, over 90% of the time for me.  Watch this YouTube of me turning on my Xbox, including my TV and home theatre system, and navigate around and then turn everything off again.

Probably my biggest complaint from the prior Xbox 360 Kinect was what I called a feedback loop, when the Kinect would pause a video or whatever based on what it perceived as commands but were actually sounds from whatever you were doing.  To check this I just played my video on the Xbox and low and behold no feedback loop.  But it did recognize my command to pause the video.

In addition did I mention it turns on my Samsung TV?  Turns on my Sony Home Theatre?  Even changes the volume when I say, “Xbox, Volume Up!”  So yes I am very pleased.  Let me know, does it work for you?  The biggest tip, is speak words and not sentences.  Xbox One only starts ‘listening’ after it is sure you actually addressed it with the word Xbox.