Microsoft is soon rolling out (opens in new tab) a new feature to Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs, introducing the ability to automatically transcribe in-game voice chat in real-time. This will also work in the reverse direction, by verbally narrating in-game text chat to other players.
'Game Chat Transcription' will offer both speech-to-text and text-to-speech functionality, bridging the gap between the two forms of communication. Hoping to widen accessibility in multiplayer, the feature aims to provide an easier way for players to chat during online matches. At first, this will be available exclusively in Halo Wars 2, with plans to integrate the feature into more titles at a later date.
Although Game Chat Transcription appears to be absent at this point in time, we can expect the feature to roll out relatively soon. Being baked into the operating system itself, it will be interesting to see if functionality expands to third-party titles later down the line.
For now, here's how to enable the Game Chat Transcription on Xbox One and Windows 10 once it goes live.
- Go to Settings > All settings > Ease of Access > Game Chat Transcription.
- To transcribe other players' voices into text, select Speech-to-text.
- To have your chat text read aloud to other players, select Text-to-speech.
- To choose the voice that other players will hear when your chat text is read aloud, select one of the available voices in the Text-to-speech voice menu.
While Game Chat Transcription might not be for everyone, it's an interesting addition to see on a cross-platform title like Halo Wars 2. Especially on PC where both forms of communication are common, this will hopefully bridge the gap between subsets of the game's player base.
