Skyrim Actually Getting Kinect Voice Support

When The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim executive producer Todd Howard showed off an internal studio experiment with Kinect at DICE earlier this year, it seemed too cool to not happen. Fortunately, it is!

Bethseda Games Studios announced a title update is coming to Skyrim later this month with more than 200 voice commands.

The voice commands will let players manage save and load, dragon shouts, hotkey equipping, follower commands, and managing menus (items, magic, map, barter, container, favorites, skills).

Will anyone actually use this stuff? Who knows! I probably won't.

The studio also teased downloadable content for Skyrim, but didn’t release any details, except to say it “hopes” to announce it “soon” and will add what you expect: quests, locations, features, and “more.”

I wonder if they’ll actually do something with the partially built landmass that suggests a connection to Morrowind...

Did they play ME3? And still decided this was a good idea?

I am not excited for this.

Fus Roh D'oh!

@Apocralyptic said:

Did they play ME3? And still decided this was a good idea?

Nobody cares if it's a good idea, so long as its an awesome idea.

Pretty cool. Makes you wonder what other stuff from that gamejam video will make it in. The magic and ranged combat killcams already did.

@Donos: I suppose shouting Dragonspeak would be more fun than yelling commands at Garrus while he pointedly ignores me.

I'm thinking about getting a kinect now...

...NAH!

@Apocralyptic: Some people have said the ME3 Kinect voice support was actually quite immersive and the only real problem being is that when in dialogue trees Shepard repeated the dialogue choices afterwards.

@Apocralyptic said:

Did they play ME3? And still decided this was a good idea?

I told Liara to throw a singularity and she did. It was kind of amazing. The voice stuff in Kinect works pretty okay.

Most interesting use of Kinect I've heard so far

Police were called to a local apartment building. Neighbors were terrified by repeated bellows of "fus ro dah!"

Connections to Nordic terrorism could not be confirmed or denied.

Im game. Kinda liked it in ME3. If I like it i might use it. If not, no one forcing you.

The map and menu stuff looks pretty good; I'm less interested in the shouts and quick-launch type stuff. I'm kinda played out on Skyrim, but I'll prolly pop back in when this hits, if only to see how well (/whether) this works.

@Alphazero: I had mixed success. My main issue was that there was a bit of a lag, and since I was never really convinced they heard me, I would often repeat commands, and sometimes get impatient and speak multiple commands. Looking back, I suppose even real human beings may have been confused by my leadership. Regardless, a single-player game won't have a lot of these issues.

@Apocralyptic said:

Did they play ME3? And still decided this was a good idea?

They probably played ME3 and thought voice commands were pretty cool.

It'd be pretty cool if you actually had to shout to activate the dragon shout. at least until you lose your voice from too much skyrim.

Priorities eh? You'd think they'd fix the still awfully broken PS3 version they sold to millions of people before working on that kind of stuff. Meh. I was done with Skyrim anyway once my frame rate started dropping to below 10 fps consistently.

Skyrim is getting some inoffensive Kinect support? SO GET REALLY ANGRY ABOUT IT GRRRRRRRRRRR ITS GONNA HAVE A FEATURE IN IT.

This is awesome news, I like when developers use the Kinect to enhance a controller based game. ME3, Skyrim and Steel Battalion i hope more developers do this.

its a feature you can ignore if you wish. i for one am glad when ever a dev does something like this. 

@Nerdware:Especially when there was MUCH more interesting thing in that DICE com video.Vampire Lords,seasonal changes and combat on horseback anyone?

So that's what the kinect has ended up being for games? A $150 microphone? I guess its on par with their hard drive prices.

"Hey dude, go look at Jarl Balgruuf real quick. Wait, get closer. Right there, on his crown if you look closely- FUS!"

This will happen.

It took Bethesda half a year to do what PC modders did a few weeks in.

Assuming it works, voice control for commands in game is fine idea that I can get behind. I think it's odd when you say something and then the character says it, but it's not a terrible thing. Inventory management stuff is a little weird, but with potential to make it easier. I'm okay with that, too. None of this takes away anything from the game and is completely optional. I'm not sure why I've seen so many complaints.

@Godlyawesomeguy said:

Skyrim is getting some inoffensive Kinect support? SO GET REALLY ANGRY ABOUT IT GRRRRRRRRRRR ITS GONNA HAVE A FEATURE IN IT.

ARE YOU FUCKING PEOPLE STUPID

@m2cks said:

@Godlyawesomeguy said:

Skyrim is getting some inoffensive Kinect support? SO GET REALLY ANGRY ABOUT IT GRRRRRRRRRRR ITS GONNA HAVE A FEATURE IN IT.

ARE YOU FUCKING PEOPLE STUPID

YES I AM FUCKING PEOPLE.

Sounds cool enough...ME3 had me thinking bout a Kinect...maybe this will be the over the hump push...I am more interested in the DLC, and the idea of connecting to Morrowind...thats pretty sweet.

I've found ME3's voice commands work pretty well and end up using 'em to an extent - when I'm alone.

XBOX! KINECT! FUS RO DAH!

The shouts are the only thing that I want to see, I hope the GB staff will do some video of the patch when it comes out.

I would like to try Skyrim with Kinect but I am not shelling out the money for one.

Assuming it works, voice control for commands in game is fine idea that I can get behind.

If the first comment on this story isn't fusrodah then I will be very disappointed.

*checks*

@DoctorWelch said:

First

I am very disappointed.

Alright, between this and Steel Battalion, it might be time to get a Kinect.

I think it's fine to put this into games. But really, they should just be adding headset support, unless there's something I'm missing about why a headset couldn't do the same shit?

@DoctorWelch: Quest fail..

Oh shit, they should add a "Ride a Dragon" mode that you use the controller to fly and the Kinect does head tracking just so I can watch a video of Drew, Dave & Vinny playing it.

so i no longer have to switch between all the dragon shouts and can just learn the 3 or 4 i usually use, that and all other stuff that's deep in the menus might be useful as long as it works as stated. i might use this,

Is it bad I already know how to say every dragon shout?

I think it's fine to put this into games. But really, they should just be adding headset support, unless there's something I'm missing about why a headset couldn't do the same shit?

It's so Microsoft's style to have the Kinect command be "open tray" rather than "eject." That was the beginning and end of Kinect voice control for me.

@yoshimitz707 said:

Is it bad I already know how to say every dragon shout?

Slightly, but it would be really bad if you knew the translations off-hand.

@Pop: yeah, that would be sweet,

I wonder when they'll get around to making Skyrim fun.

@DoctorWelch said:

First

Lolderp

that will be really fun for the 5 people that actually use this feature. good for them.

Pass. The only reason I'm able to tolerate the emergence of motion controls is that I'm hoping that the movement evolves into virtual reality someday, kinect seems to be a very small step the right direction at least. On that note, anyone here read the book "Ready Player One?" If you haven't, you should (you're welcome).

The real question is: does the PS3 version still suck ass?