Microsoft has unveiled plans to bring Google Assistant to Xbox One, launching with an imminent beta for English-speaking users. Tailing deeper integration with Amazon Alexa and Cortana last year, the move expands voice commands (opens in new tab) to a broader pool of devices leveraging Google's in-house aide.
Google Assistant integration brings functionality parallel to Amazon's own, hooking into console power control, navigation, media settings, among other OS-level features. The release opens voice control to new Android and iOS devices, Google Home smart speakers, among other connected devices. With Xbox now accessible across leading speakers, the expansion further fortifies its living room presence.
As Windows Central exclusively revealed last June, Microsoft originally planned to bring both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant to Xbox One last year – but eventually shipped a standalone Alexa Skil. Today's move achieves initial ambitions, filling the void left by the once-bundled Kinect sensor.
While slated for a formal release this fall, Microsoft has opened a public beta program for eager English-speaking users. The Google Assistant Xbox Action is now available via Microsoft's official Google Group, unlocking compatibility with the Xbox console family. Support for a wider range of languages is slated for later this year, following testing over the coming weeks.
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Matt Brown is Windows Central's Senior Games Editor, Xbox & PC, at Future. Following over seven years of professional consumer technology and gaming coverage, he’s focused on the world of Microsoft's gaming efforts. You can follow him on Twitter @mattjbrown.
