It’s now possible to play music, view your front door camera, check the weather forecast and more
Amazon has revealed that a new Alexa for Xbox app is soon rolling out to Xbox One consoles, the Xbox Series X and the Series S in Canada and the United States in the “coming days.”
This seems to be an easier way for Xbox owners to access the Alexa ‘Skill’ that allows Echo devices to perform simple tasks tired the console through voice commands. As expected, an Echo smart speaker is still required for these commands to work.
In a recent press release, Amazon outlined the following Alexa voice commands:
- Turn your console on or off — “Alexa, turn on/off Xboxâ€
- Launch your favourite game — “Alexa, launch Fortnite on Xboxâ€
- Check for new games — “Alexa, what’s new on Game Passâ€
- Switch to a binge-worthy series — “Alexa, open Netflix on Xboxâ€
- If you need to pause your show or movie — “Alexa, tell Xbox to pause/resumeâ€
- Don’t miss a moment — “Alexa, tell Xbox to record thatâ€
- Invite your friends — “Alexa, ask Xbox is [friend/gamertag] online?
The app is also bringing new Alexa functionality to the Xbox, including music-specific commands and being able to view your Ring front door camera through Microsoft’s console.
Below are some of the commands:
- Get in your zone — “Alexa, play on Xboxâ€
- When the doorbell rings — “Alexa, show me the front door cameraâ€
- Expecting an important email? — “Alexa, show me my emailâ€
- Plan your week — “Alexa, show me my calendarâ€
- What’s the weather forecast? — “Alexa, show me the weatherâ€
It’s worth noting that Google Nest/Home devices are compatible with Xbox consoles as long as the system has been linked to your ‘Home’ iOS or Android app.
Though I at one point was a big fan of the Xbox One’s Kinect-powered voice commands, the number of times I’ve used Alexa or Nest voice commands with an Xbox console over the last few years can be counted on one hand.
As convenient as voice commands can be, there just not something that really makes much sense in the context of a video game console.
Amazon says that the Alexa Xbox app is set to arrive on Xbox consoles soon.