During Gamescom, Amazon unveiled a new feature for its Alexa line-up of devices: Alexa Game Control. The new feature is supposed to allow players to use Alexa voice controls to play games.
It is worth noting that Alexa Game Control doesn’t need an Alexa-enabled device like an Echo to be used; it can use any available microphone for its voice commands. Players can also give direct commands without having to use the Alexa keyword.
An early demo for Alexa Game Control features the use of the recently-unveiled Dead Island 2. Using the new feature, Dead Island 2 will alter the game depending on how much sound it detects from players through Alexa Game Control.
Currently, the changes to gameplay are relatively basic—players can manipulate zombie behaviour by yelling out at them. Players can also use voice commands for navigation by asking questions like “where is the nearest workbench”.
Alexa Game Control will be available as a plug-in supporting Unreal Engine 4, Unity, and other game engines based on C++. It is also worth n oting that the technology currently only seems to support PC and console games.