Today Microsoft announced its latest hardware/software combination entitled
Game Voice on the surface it looks like a fancy mix of
Battlecom (aquired by Microsoft a few months back) and a utility much like
Game Commander but Microsoft have also added a swanky looking control device to allow switching between channels with light indicators to show you which channel you are on. Also the software will allow games to be controlled much like
Game Commander with pofiles that can be custom made to suit any game. The keypad unit will incorporate 8 buttons for controls such as individual channel selection (up to 5 channels) and also a button to allow you to mute your microphone or talk to up to 64 players in any channel at the same time. As well as voice chat facilities and game command control the software will also use the MSN Messenger service for players to create 'buddy lists' in much the same fashion as
ICQ or the
Yahoo! Messenger service.
The unit which is being advertised for $49 comes complete with the unit and a microphone headset which is quite a good price considering
Game Commander costs $29.95 for the standard version or $39.95 for the MX version. Will HTC continue to use Roger Wilco as the means of voice communication or will they give way to the Goliath that Microsoft is and incorporate
Game Voice?
