Reviewed: September 27, 2000
Reviewed by: Mark Smith
Manufacturer
Microsoft
Type: Voice Command Headset
System: PC
Rating: 7.5
What's in the box
System Requirements
MSRP: $49.99
Every now and then I get to do a really cool hardware review. The Sidewinder Game Voice by Microsoft is exactly that - some really cool hardware. I originally discovered this item at the 2000 E3 show and even got to try it out in a LAN session of Unreal Tournament sponsored by the Microsoft booth.
So what exactly is a Game Voice and why should I get one?
The Microsoft Game Voice consists of a high quality headset, microphone and a command pad. The headset is made by Plantronics; the leading manufacturer of mic/headphones. If you have even seen a receptionist or operator wearing a headset, chances are it was made my Plantronics. The headset is very comfortable and easily adjusted. The mic pivots on multiple axis's so you can get the exact distance (one inch) from your mouth.
The control pad is simplistic in design and use. You have four CHANNEL buttons which can be mapped to one or more individuals each. A TEAM button groups all these individuals together for easy group chat without letting the enemy eavesdrop. The ALL button broadcasts to everyone in the current chat session and cannot be reconfigured. A MUTE button can close off communication when your wife comes in to yell at you for playing on the computer too much, and the COMMAND button activates voice commands for whatever game you are playing. The buttons light up so you can easily use this device in low (or no) light environments. Hooking all this up is extremely easy and I must praise Microsoft on making all the cables extra long so they easily reach the desktop. The included documentation is superb; some of the best I've seen for any hardware device.
You install the driver software first, which immediately prompts a reboot. Then the step-by-step installation walks you through the rest of the software and hardware setup until you are ready to run. The Game Voice uses a USB connector to communicate with the computer and receive power. You plug the headset into your "speaker out" of your soundcard then plug your speakers into the in-line jack on the cable. You can then use the handy switch on the control hub to switch between speakers and headphones. This is all explained in great detail with a reference card and online help.
The final step is installing the Microsoft Messenger Service. This is not required to use the Game Voice but it certainly makes life easier. Without the MSN service you need to enter the actual IP addresses of the people you want to chat with. With the service installed, this is all done for you simply by selecting the names of the people from the chat list and mapping them to the chat buttons on the control pad using the included software.
With everything plugged in and ready to go it's time to try this baby out. There are two main reasons to buy the Game Voice; Voice Chat and Voice Commands. The Game Voice comes with a small collection of pre-configured profiles including the Quake 3 profile pictured above. A profile is very easy to create and consists of a spoken command that is then associated with a keyboard command that the game uses.
Creating new profiles or editing existing profiles is easy and fun. Simply type in the spoken word into the box then hit the "Play Back" button to hear the computer say the word. While the voice recognition is some of the best I have ever heard, sometimes you will be required to spell a word phonetically (like BFG shown above) to make it sound right. You can also make adjustments for your own speech style. A good example is the "Shotgun" command from the Quake 3 profile. Originally the profile had this as a single word "Shotgun", and I had a heck of a time getting it to work, mainly because I wouldn't say the word fast enough. By editing the command and making it two words the computer had a much easier time recognizing the word when I spoke it.
Once you enter the spoken word you then assign a command to that word. In my example I wanted to be able to say the word "Use" when I had something like the personal teleporter. Since I normally use the spacebar to activate this device I just mapped the spacebar to the word "use" and I'm ready to go. You can also use the pull-down to select other special commands that cannot be entered on the keyboard. Your final step is to test the command and confirm that the Game Voice recognizes how you say it and responds with the correct command. Sometime two words may sound close enough that the computer will confuse the commands. In this case you will need to alter one or both commands to differentiate them.
So does it really work and how well?
I was surprised at how well the Game Voice worked. Even though I had used the Game Voice at E3 with Unreal Tournament I was sure this was going to be one of those fad-devices that was all hype and start collecting dust in a few days. Not a chance! I fired up Quake 3 and with my profile loaded started a solo match. The computer recognized all of my commands and I was switching weapons almost instantaneously without having to remove my fingers from the WADS cluster. Did I say almost? Yes, there was a bit of a lag between the time I spoke the command and when the weapons switched, but with a little research this was easily fixed.
First of all the manual clearly states that "there will be some lag" and that this device is not meant for time sensitive commands such as FIRE or SHIELDS where you need split-second reaction time. In all honesty I was getting about a 1-2 second lag between my spoken command and the resulting action. Then I made two very important changes.
The first change consisted of turning OFF the computer voice, which repeats the words you say. While this is a nice confirmation that your command was acknowledge it takes up valuable CPU time. You do have the option for a tone confirmation but even this takes up time. I turned off all confirmation figuring that if the weapons changed then the command worked.
The second change is undocumented in the materials you receive but can be found on the Game Voice website. Here I learned that by simply adding the suffix "-hp" to the command line of my Game Voice launch icon I could run the software in "High Priority Mode" which would speed up the voice recognition and response time and yes it did. Now my spoken words are converted into commands and activated in under one second; plenty fast for me and certainly faster than trying to remember that the Rail Gun is number 7 then taking my finger off the WADS cluster to hit the 7 key. Now I am a lean, mean, killing machine that operates at the speed of sound.
I tested the Game Voice with a few other games such as Sanity: Aiken's Artifact and Dark Reign 2 and it worked well beyond my expectations. This is the ideal device for RTS games where commanding troops and issuing building commands can now be spoken instead of hunting down the keyboard commands. Fighter sims are also just as easily controlled. StarLancer and Tachyon both feature a multitude of commands that require a reference card nearby, but when all you have to do is remember a word to fire lasers or launch missiles, the game gets much easier.
That about covers the voice activation part of this review. Now onto the Voice Chat. This topic can be broken down into simply chatting on an online service (instead of typing) or strategic game chat. Using the MSN Messenger service, it is easy to locate others online and even tell who is using a Game Voice system. You can even do voice chat with others who do not have a Game Voice by sending them the trail version of the software. Then they can use their own microphone to talk with you. The headset also works with other programs such as iPhone to make long distance (and even overseas) calls for free using the Internet.
But the Game Voice really shines when you start using it for Team Online Play. Right now there aren't a lot of people using the Game Voice mainly because it's brand new, but as it becomes more popular this unit will become an essential tool in online play. So far I've only been able to locate about 4 active players with a Game Voice, so I haven't been able to exploit the full benefits of the hardware. Here is an example of how it worked at E3 and how it works on the Internet.
At E3 we were playing Unreal Tournament and there were eight players divided into two teams of four. I was on Blue Team and I could talk to any of my team members individually or as a team by using the Channel buttons or the Team button on the control pad (see first picture). I could also talk to the Red Team by using the All button which broadcasts to everyone in the current session. I can't begin to express how cool it is to be able to talk with your teammates as you stalk the opposing team or try to capture their flag. You can give orders or request backup or even taunt or mislead the enemy.
My Internet experience has been limited to two-on-two CTF and DM modes, so strategy hasn't played as big a part as it did at E3 with eight players. Nevertheless, it is still fun to be able to chat with your fellow gamers without having to type your messages. Before the Game Voice I always seemed to die while typing messages. In fact, that used to be one of my favorite tricks - I would spot the enemy and taunt him then I would rush up and kill him while he was typing his response. I guess I can't do that anymore.
The Game Voice supports voice chat with up to 64 people at the same time provided at least 15 of them have a Game Voice unit. This means there is plenty of room to grow with some of the larger online games such as Everquest and Allegiance.
So what is the downside?
Right now my two biggest complaints are the lack of others using a Game Voice and the difficulty in meeting others based on a particular game. Hopefully as this becomes more popular there will be some sort of lobby or group area where everyone can assemble, and you can find everyone who is playing Quake 3 or Unreal Tournament and know if they have a Game Voice.
Another trade-off that I had to make was sound quality. I've spent hundreds of dollars on my EAX sound card and 6-speaker setup with Dolby Pro Logic and dual-subwoofers and now I have to turn it all off if I want to use the Game Voice. Don't get me wrong - the headphones are excellent quality and offer great stereo sound, but it will never compare to 200watts of thunderous surround sound I can get otherwise. And yes, you must turn off your external speakers if you want to use voice commands otherwise the mic will pick up the sound and try to interpret it as commands.
I didn't really like having to install the MSN Messenger service. It's not required, but without it your online voice chat setup is much more difficult. I've been using ICQ for over four years now and the thought of cluttering my hard drive with more chat software bothered me. It was also very hard to setup the required Passport account, and I ultimately had to create a Hotmail email account to get it to work even though it states you don't need one to use the service. If you already have a Hotmail account then you'll have a very easy time, as you are ready to login immediately using that information.
These few minor gripes are mainly personal and hopefully will not negatively influence your decision to buy a Game Voice if you are really interested in purchasing one.
Final Thoughts
The Microsoft Game Voice may look and sound like a gimmick on paper and in ads, but until you get your hands on one (or your head in one) you just can't realize the potential this device has to offer. I'm sure there are skeptics out there with their $4 microphone from Radio Shack and their Roger Wilco software who are thinking this is all just a waste of $49.99, and if you aren't a serious online gamer then you may be right.
Buying the Game Voice for voice commands alone is an expensive 'toy', but when you start playing in a team or squadron based game and start to experience the power and control you can have by talking with your fellow gamers; only then will you realize the power of the Game Voice.