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Cortana coming to Xbox One


DarkReign2021
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This ought to give some Halo fan's a little nerdgasm and aggravate the rest of you :D

 

Microsoft is currently developing Siri-like virtual assistant technology under the name Cortana, GameSpot sister site Zdnet reports. The technology will be able to learn and adapt using "machine-learning technology" and the "Satori" knowledge base that powers search engine Bing.

Cortana is, of course, the name of the artificial intelligence character from the Halo series who appears in holographic form throughout the franchise.

"Cortana will be more than just an app that lets users interact with their phones more naturally using voice commands. Cortana is core to the makeover of the entire 'shell'--the core services and experience--of the future versions of Windows Phone, Windows, and the Xbox One operating systems, from what I've heard from my contacts," the site reports.

The Cortana technology is being developed for PC, Windows Phone, and Xbox, the report stated. It has reportedly been in the works for some time, though Microsoft has been intent on keeping it under wraps until it had something revolutionary, instead of evolutionary, to show.

 

 

 

This report tallies with another from February, when The Verge heard from sources that the Xbox One will feature natural-language detection said to be similar to Apple's Siri service, which allows users to ask questions and see results in real time. In an Xbox context, players could ask, "What are my friends playing?" and their friends list would appear.

 

 

 

http://www.gamespot.com/news/microsofts-siri-competitor-to-be-called-cortana-report-6414424

 

 

The thing that saddens me about this article is they don't confirm if it's actually going to be a Jen Taylor voiced Siri or if it's just a program being developed under the codename 'Cortana'. It does seem odd, however, that they would name the project after such a character and not take advantage of the potential it holds.

 

Although I imagine many will groan at the notion, I think it would be neat if Microsoft had an integrated Siri program that actually spoke like and mirrored the personality of Cortana. For people that don't like her, they don't have to use it or they could even include other voices as time goes on (could you imagine getting a voice for CL4P-TP or GLaDOS voice? :D)

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Although I imagine many will groan at the notion, I think it would be neat if Microsoft had an integrated Siri program that actually spoke like and mirrored the personality of Cortana. For people that don't like her, they don't have to use it or they could even include other voices as time goes on (could you imagine getting a voice for CL4P-TP or GLaDOS voice? :D)

 

Ah man, imagine GLaDOS insulting you through your Xbox one. That'd be so very awesome.

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Unless the beautiful Jen Taylor voices her, this will suck.

 

I welcome the concept of a siri-program in general, but I agree that it needs to be voiced by Jen Taylor :D I really have my fingers crossed that this is actually a cortana-based program and not just a project title. It would need to be pre-rampant Cortana though... I'm think Halo 2 Cortana would be perfect (although I imagine if they decide to include a face at any point in all of this, they'll still go with the Halo 4 model. That's okay though, since Halo 2 and Halo 4 are, IMO, the two models closest to each other.

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I welcome the concept of a siri-program in general, but I agree that it needs to be voiced by Jen Taylor :D I really have my fingers crossed that this is actually a cortana-based program and not just a project title. It would need to be pre-rampant Cortana though... I'm think Halo 2 Cortana would be perfect (although I imagine if they decide to include a face at any point in all of this, they'll still go with the Halo 4 model. That's okay though, since Halo 2 and Halo 4 are, IMO, the two models closest to each other.

 

Ugh, if it was just a project title...that'll be beyond disappointing. I think a Halo 2 personality would fit perfectly.

 

I look forward on hearing more of this!

 

Lol, imagine:

 

Me: "Cortana, is anyone on my friend's list online today?"

 

Cortana: "Just dust and echoes..." (quote from Halo: CE)

 

LOL!

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That sounds like my friends list in a nutshell. lol.

 

Me: Cortana, search for good restaurants for a first date.

Cortana: Bet you can't stick it.

 

o_o All of a sudden I don't know if this is such a good idea. Especially if we have the Kinect always watching us and learning about us...

 

I imagine at some point this would happen to someone:

 

*Unzips pants*

*Grabs lotion*

*Boots up porn site*

*About to start...*

Cortana: "And people say I have a big head."

 

WTF?!?!?!

0_o

o_0

>_<

XD

 

Good times. Of course, I don't think it'll be some cheap knock-off that uses Cortana's in-game quotes. I imagine it'll be a speech synthesizer utilizing Jen Taylor's vocals to produce all of the same type of speech that Siri does. I just Imagine Jen sitting in a recording booth reading every word out of a dictionary in a dozen different tones to recreate the perfect speech device.

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That sounds like my friends list in a nutshell. lol.

 

Me: Cortana, search for good restaurants for a first date.

Cortana: Bet you can't stick it.

 

o_o All of a sudden I don't know if this is such a good idea. Especially if we have the Kinect always watching us and learning about us...

 

I imagine at some point this would happen to someone:

 

*Unzips pants*

*Grabs lotion*

*Boots up porn site*

*About to start...*

Cortana: "And people say I have a big head."

 

WTF?!?!?!

0_o

o_0

>_<

XD

 

Good times. Of course, I don't think it'll be some cheap knock-off that uses Cortana's in-game quotes. I imagine it'll be a speech synthesizer utilizing Jen Taylor's vocals to produce all of the same type of speech that Siri does. I just Imagine Jen sitting in a recording booth reading every word out of a dictionary in a dozen different tones to recreate the perfect speech device.

 

They don't record every word used for things like Siri. In the most simple terms, they record a set of words and sounds then the computer uses those for analysis and the basis for any word it might encounter. That's why you sometimes get a weird pronunciation of some words.

Edited by xhunterrrr
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They don't record every word used for things like Siri. In the most simple terms, they record a set of words and sounds then the computer uses those for analysis and the basis for any word it might encounter. That's why you sometimes get a weird pronunciation of some words.

 

I know they don't use the full vocabulary. I'm still waiting for them to do something like that though. A system complex enough that it knows every word in the english language and is able to use them correctly and in a fluid and realistic nature with the voice of a character of your choice

 

And lets face it, some people (Morgan Freeman and Patrick Stuart, for instance) need to have their voices immortalized. Even after Morgan Freeman dies, the ability to still have his voice narrating movies for the rest of time is too perfect not to have. (Actually, I've heard rumors that some people are already going through every movie and piece of material he's ever been recorded in and compiling as extensive an archive as they can. That's a helluva project.)

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I know they don't use the full vocabulary. I'm still waiting for them to do something like that though. A system complex enough that it knows every word in the english language and is able to use them correctly and in a fluid and realistic nature with the voice of a character of your choice

 

And lets face it, some people (Morgan Freeman and Patrick Stuart, for instance) need to have their voices immortalized. Even after Morgan Freeman dies, the ability to still have his voice narrating movies for the rest of time is too perfect not to have. (Actually, I've heard rumors that some people are already going through every movie and piece of material he's ever been recorded in and compiling as extensive an archive as they can. That's a helluva project.)

 

If we're immortalizing voices, here's the list I want saved for posterity:

- Morgan Freeman

- Patrick Stewart

- James Earl Jones

- Hugo Weaving

- Ellen McLain (GLaDOS)

- Frank Welker (Transformers)

- Peter Cullen (Transformers)

- Kathleen Turner (Jessica Rabbit)

- Robin Williams

 

The last one would be hard, because he can do a near infinite number of voices, and I'd want them all ...

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I'd sell my bass for a talking Xbox One in the voice of Patrick Stewart.

 

"Xbox Tea, Earl Grey, Hot."

 

Patrick Stewart Voice: "Teapot, Engage."

 

---

 

On the other hand, if my Xbox One could talk in all those voices and had even a simple AI capable of holding up a silly conversation, I'd never play games or get anything done. I'd just be having a conversation with Jessica Rabbit while watching porn ...

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If we're immortalizing voices, here's the list I want saved for posterity:

- Morgan Freeman

- Patrick Stewart

- James Earl Jones

- Hugo Weaving

- Ellen McLain (GLaDOS)

- Frank Welker (Transformers)

- Peter Cullen (Transformers)

- Kathleen Turner (Jessica Rabbit)

- Robin Williams

 

The last one would be hard, because he can do a near infinite number of voices, and I'd want them all ...

 

Weak list, my man.

 

Keith David, Peter Cullen, Hugo Weaving, and John Bailey is all you need.

 

John Bailey is the guy who does commercial and movie voice overs:

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USqZsdn_qzM]Epic Movie Trailer Voice Prank - YouTube[/ame]

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I don't think we really need the voice of Wheatley though. He's a fairly typical British accent. It's actually extremely easy to impersonate. I follow a guy on Youtube that does a spot on impersonation of him:

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Di2wDDwxqHg][♪] Portal - The Wheatley Song - YouTube[/ame]

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Now make it so we can use Illumiroom and Cortana can be off to the side of the TV while playing (preferably giving snide comments about playstyle) and that would be true Nerdvana

 

Microsoft has said Illumiroom won't be released to the public.

 

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/09/04/illumiroom-not-expected-to-hit-retail-would-cost-thousands/

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I don't think we really need the voice of Wheatley though. He's a fairly typical British accent. It's actually extremely easy to impersonate. I follow a guy on Youtube that does a spot on impersonation of him:

 

 

Having the same accent is NOT the same thing as having the same voice.

 

And without the VIDEO of Wheatley, I don't think I'd even THINK this guy was doing a Wheatley impression. It's an OK impression, but he really doesn't sound like Wheatley.

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Microsoft has said Illumiroom won't be released to the public.

 

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/09/04/illumiroom-not-expected-to-hit-retail-would-cost-thousands/

 

Yeah I know but what about us people who already have "projectors and stuff" (that honestly doesn't cost thousands anymore). All it looked like to me was that they had a Kinect duct taped to a projector.

 

Clearly there is a PC somewhere (and someone with minty fresh breath from all the altoids) that is controlling the Kinect and feeding the projector. Unless they had to have crazy horsepower to run the computations then I could run their setup right now in my gaming room (clearly don't have the software but other than that I already have everything else they are showing unless like I said they have some custom silicon to run the backend of it)

 

Edit: I would blow another grand on top of setup I currently have to get Cortana to stand beside my TV and talk junk to me :)

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Yeah I know but what about us people who already have "projectors and stuff" (that honestly doesn't cost thousands anymore). All it looked like to me was that they had a Kinect duct taped to a projector.

 

Clearly there is a PC somewhere (and someone with minty fresh breath from all the altoids) that is controlling the Kinect and feeding the projector. Unless they had to have crazy horsepower to run the computations then I could run their setup right now in my gaming room (clearly don't have the software but other than that I already have everything else they are showing unless like I said they have some custom silicon to run the backend of it)

 

Edit: I would blow another grand on top of setup I currently have to get Cortana to stand beside my TV and talk junk to me :)

 

It might just be cheaper to contact Jen Taylor's agent and find out what her hourly rate is :p

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